Note:
I obviously don't want to advertise where I live in addition to what I have locked up and with what, so if you recognize where it is, please refrain from sharing it.
I'm 26, and just signed a mortgage with my mom(get those laughs out, if you can blame me given the living costs). Thing is, she kind of rushed it a bit, so I didn't get an opportunity to confirm with HOA whether I could park something like a motorcycle or scooter there, or what I could lock it to. I was told(after signing) that I could only park it in front of my assigned stall. Thing is, it's an open lot, and the only thing I'm evidently allowed to lock it to(and even that is questionable given that the HOA Board President suggested I keep it low-key and subtle) is a shrub/small tree with the base of the trunk being maybe 5-6 inches thick, and each individual branch is about 2-inches thick.
My stall.
The shrub.
Close-up.
The vehicle in question will either be a 2015 Honda PCX, or 2014 Honda Rebel, or 2014 Yamaha V-Star 250. Depends on what the dealer has. All under $4,500 MSRP, and the last 2 are listed among the "Top 5 motorcycles least likely to be stolen".
The surrounding area is more or less open, although the foliage blocks most of the view, and my mother's car is usually parked there from 5pm to 7 am, and I typically go out for college classes from 9 to 3-ish, but will likely leave the thing parked from Fri-Sun when I go to work. You can still get the vehicle in and out of there(otherwise parking would be a pain for me), but it would probably take longer if the wheel was locked and you had to drag the roughly 300 lbs out of there from between the cars. The "wall" to the street is only about 2 feet high, and is just high enough for a bum to sit on it(and there's one guy there constantly).
My security is:
2x Protector 13mm - 8.2' (2.5m) Boron Steel Noose chain = 2 x $267
3x Squire SS50CS Stronghold High Security padlock = 3 x $98
Dowco Guardian Weatherall Plus Large Cover = $79
Dowco Alarm Unit for Weatherall Plus covers = $18
ABUS 83WP/63 Weatherproof House-Key padlock(to lock cover) = $40
Scorpio Ride Core System = $219
Scorpio Secure Kit = $159
Data Plan(1 yr) = $132
Rough Total = $1,475
So yeah, pretty generous... stupid shrub aside.
My unit is on the 6th floor(8 total, 1st floor is parking), and I have a clear view over the spot in question, as do 21 other units. We also need to have louver/jalousie windows, so sounds from the street below tend to carry well. I have two 125+ dB alarms, so if one of them goes off, there are a LOT of people who would possibly hear it(gets DAMNED annoying at night), not counting anyone on the street. The street itself has medium foot traffic and plenty of vehicle traffic, even past midnight. I also plan to use another cover, rough it up a little, slap duct tape over it, and put it over my nice locking cover(which will set off the cover alarm if someone cuts it open).
At this point, I'm pretty set on what I have for security, and I'm pretty sure the HOA won't allow much in the way of alternatives(such as putting a ground anchor into the dirt and running the chain through two of those). The locks would be VERY difficult to cut through quickly without making a racket for the whole building to hear. 42-inch bolt cutters are a bare minimum.
I'm assuming that:
A) They would try it during the day, when my mom's car is moved.
B) They would toss it into the back of a van or pickup(more likely a van, given the alarm), mostly because I plan to lock the front wheel to the frame(they going to lift the front and run all the way back home with it?).
My main question to all of you is:
How likely is it that someone would even TRY to steal it?
The neighborhood itself is so-so. It's not quite "bad", but the Micronesian kids usually live about 2 blocks away, and they usually come into the grocery store I work at not too far off to either shoplift or break something. The neighbors are pretty friendly, and people go in and out during the day(only one small elevator) at all hours.
I'm not sure how hard it is to break that shrub, but it could probably take me more than 5 minutes(because it typically doesn't tend to break clean, and all 4 of those branches need to be broken clean off because they're higher than the chain is long. The wall is also right next to it, so it can't be done from outside, there's shrubs all around it, and a bad swing(with a machete) could hit the wall. It would also be pretty obvious during the day.
The casual thieves would probably run off the second they trip an alarm. I just don't know if professionals would go after it. I'm not sure whether a pro tends to hang out anywhere outside of the hotspots(Downtown, Chinatown, Waikiki, UH campus). I also don't know if they would go after something with a ratty cover, if they would steal it without knowing what it is, or if they would even bother with such a relatively cheap(but still new) bike. I also don't know if thieves here would throw a 300 lbs bike into a van. It's popular in the UK, but people here seem to insist that thieves don't do that(not sure what their basis is for making that claim).
Again, not really looking for security advice. Just wanted to know whether anyone here on the island had run-ins with thieves involving a locked/alarmed vehicle and would know how far the thieves here would go to steal something. Would be twice as great if I could get a word from police on this, but thus far HPD just insists on repeating the blatantly obvious that I can't make it proof against theft. I frankly don't have to, I just need to make it harder to steal than the one next to mine
.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Anyone other than the crack heads who might give a shot at my ride?
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