I've got scorpio i-900 on my 08 blade. I'm ex-military, so of course I have firearms, but I bought a special machete for anyone that wants to try to take my bike.

 

LoJack is great if you live in an area that has LoJack capabilities. It is not nationwide coverage.

See LoJack Coverage Area

 

On my old bike I had a paging systemthat would go off anytime my bike was bumped, tapped, or looked at wrong. The only time it went off was when some guy decided to sit hiskid on my bike whenI had itparked on the street. 5 seconds after the pager went off I was standing on my balcony asking him to remove the child. I was nice about it, but the quick response seemed to freak the guy out a little.

If you prefer to confront your enemies, rather than care them off, the silent pager is the way to go.[sm=outcold.gif]

 

Ok, confronting someone and shooting someone is too much of a risk for anyone to take over a bike…that can be replaced.

You will have a 0% chance of proving that you were "in danger that required lethal force" to justify using a firearm (even if you have a carry permit). You will go to jail quicker and stay longer than the thief; and most likely be confronted with a civil suit; which means, the thief will still get your bike in the end. Also, the likelihood of revenge / payback from the guy (or his comrades) will get you into more trouble than its worth.

I have PowerGuard insurance (http://www.powerguardintl.com/theft/), it is an add-on to your regular “full coverage” insurance. If my bike is stolen and not recovered, I get $5K "In addition" to my primary insurance paying off bike. When my bike was stolen (I had 2.5K coverage at that time), I actually made out better because of the extra cash to purchase a new bike.

When my Powerguard coverage expires (after 3 years), I will most likely opt for Lojack. By then, hopefully, they would have perfected any (if any) current shortcomings.

 

wait, does powerguard add in on top of gap insurance? since i live in SD and know we have one of if not the highest rate of bike thefts (someone told me 1 in 3 get their bike jacked, and so far that statistic holds true for our group of 5 riders. one had his ninja 600 stolen and i had mine almost stolen.)

Cause if powerguard was added on top of gap insurance.... it might be worthwhile for my bike to be stolen....not that i'd want that to happen.

 

I park mine inside at home. Work has secure underground parking. And the bike stays in view during stops on rides. I had two bikes stolen from my driveway once. Now I have enough security lighting you could spot the place from outer space when there is movement at night.

 

That isthe worst case scenario. Chances are you will just scare the guy off, you keep your bike and he will try to steal a different bike next time. I am not advocating armed confrontations, but at the same time I don not think we shouldlive in fear of the law when it comes time to protect what is rightfully ours.

 

Yes the Poewerguard insurance is "in addition to" to your primary (including gap) insurance. And you are correct, itactually "pays" to have your bike stolen, but I would not want to go through the hassle again...reporting, filing claims, waiting more than 30 days etc.

 

Worst case scenarios happen fast. Why would you even take the chance that the guy would not be scared off, has a weapon of his own or has someone else to take his back?

Believe me, you do not want to have to answer for using “deadly force” to "protect what is rightfully yours"...unless it is your life. The first thing the prosecutor will ask is "why did you opt to confront the thief instead of calling police." And no answer will keep you from prison.

Does vigilante ring a bell?

 

manslaughter (what the ADA will ring you up for) is a grand jury charge. You'll get to explain your side of the story to ordinary citizens who decided then if they want to let the prosecutor charge you with manslaughter or deem your actions were justified, or excusable. What you have to realize is that letting the ada charge you with manslaughter the ramifications for anyone defending himself, or loved ones, from a burglary gone bad are huge.Very few people are willing to accept those sort of ramifications. The grand jury, and believe me the DA as well, will be looking for ANY sort of excuseto say "yea, he had to use force to defend himself or other human life." This case would be a defense trial lawyers dream if it makes it pass the grand jury. It's a guranteed mistrial, acquital.

im not advocating we go out and shoot people who steal our bikes, but as citizens we are allowed a resonable leeway in making a citizens arrest while waiting for the police to get there, and that does include the use of force. In california citizens are allowed the same rules that apply to police officers when attempting to make an arrest. If they resist and we have to defend ourselves, as every police officer has told me. "do what you need to do to defend yourself." If you're more comfortable calling the police and waiting, that's fine too. But if you want to confront the guy stealing your bike you can do a little more than you think.