In a month we are going to the ATV Jamboree in Idaho, what is the best way to secure your ATV so it doesn't get stolen?

I don't want someone to rip me off while we are sleeping in the motel.

I have a standard pad lock to secure the trailer to the truck.

thanks for the input

 

wrap the chain throught the frame and lock it to something ortaethe handle bars off or something so the couldn't drive it off

 

I used to use a Chain.. But anyone can cut a chain. I now put a Master Lock thru my rear disc. It would be hard to cut that off, its a pretty tight fit through the disc. You can also take the spark plug out on top of that for extra protection.

 

I went to Home depot and purchased a black and yellow u shaped lock that depending on you make and model will slip through the rear sprocket and one of the holes in the rear caliper. The dealer wants $35 for the caliper lock. They were made for street bikes. I paid $17 at home depot for the same thing but it is alot longer and works better that the small lock.

 

Here is message from another topic submitted by trx430ex:

Rockwell-graded chain.
Rockwell-7 is $12 a foot.
Rockwell-8 is $16 a foot
To know the difference each link is forged with grade number on each link.And chain is gold in color.
Not even davidg can cut that chain his cutters will explode!!
Kryponite chains are grade-7, Same as their locks.

Availible at local bulldoser supply house.
Regular chain from home depot are worthless!!!!!!!

Don't!!!! lose the key, Only a diamond saw will get through it.

Hope this helps.

 

Sure disk locks and rapping a chain through the front tires and frame will stop somebody from riding it off, but how do you stop them from just loading it straight from your truck to theirs? They can take it home and spend all the time they want cutting all the locks off. If you wanted to secure it to the truck you have to run Kryptonite chain all the way to the frame and that’s a lot of $$$$$. If you have multiple ATV’s in a trailer you have to run one long *** chain and a lock. Although if they get stolen your going to be out a lot more than the cost chains and locks.

Another good way is if you own a dog, just chain him to your ATV. They probably won’t let him in the motel room anyway.

 

Snowshark:

I was faced with a similar situation and went to Home Depot and purchased their thickest Krypronite Braided Cable. I then put a huge Masterlock on it (I would use a Kryptonite lock if I did it again).

I went one step further however. I went to K-Mart and puchased one of those "2 wire" car alarms that cost around $35.00. I then positioned the alarm under the plastic, next to my airbox.

These alarms have shock/motion sensors with them. They turn on/off with a small handheld transmitter.

Since I have a Banshee, I had to develop some type of electrical source. I used a 6 volt DC lithium battery from my Cell Phone. Much to my surprise, these types of alarms work on 4 volts DC or more. The best part of this is I just use my Cell Phone to charge the alarm battery.

To hook up the battery to the alarm, I purchased an inexpensive male/female coonector and soldered it to the battery. I then place the battery in the tool case under the seat.

It works great! Anytime someone sets on my Banshee, the alarm goes off. You should see the looks I get when I set the alarm (Beep, Beep) and then walk away.

I can get about 48 hours of monitoring from one 6v lithium cell phone battery.

Let me know if you would like additional info!

 

Rob,

Sounds like you had some fun doing this. Great idea. Question, where did you mount your siren if it has one? Does the battery have enough juice to run the siren too? What would stop someone from disconnecting the audible devices? Just curious. This sounds like a great deterrent. Good job.

 

Brian:

The unit K-Mart sells is made by Bulldog and is nothing more than a small squarish box (about the size of two cigarette packs) that has the electronics, speaker, etc. all built inside. There isn't even a cone sticking out for the siren, but holes in the box acting as a speaker grill (the siren is completely built inside). There are models out there that are similar in price, application, etc., but they have a large cone speaker that sticks out of the box.

It is a very, very basic setup. I mounted it directly under my Banshee seat, underneath the plastic opposite of where the tool kit space is. Don't use two-way tape, glue, etc., when mounting it to the plastic. Use only wire (zip) ties pulled very tight. The rubber from the other items provides a "cushion" between the ATV and the alarm, thereby, decreasing its motion detecting capabilities.

I mounted it here for three reasons:

1) It is located directly under the plastic, under seat, thereby is centered on the bike. This provides the best motion detecting position you can get.

2) It is completely concealed from plainview, even if you remove the seat.

3) The small tool compartment is a perfect place for the cell phone battery. I simply ran the wires from the cell phone battery, through the plastic, with a male/female connector so I can remove the battey and charge it.

If a person knew where it was, they could take the seat off and cut the wires. But by then, the alarm would have sounded for at least a few seconds and hopefully scared them off (nobody expects an alarm on an ATV).

The bottom line is simple, most thieves are probably gonna try sitting on it, moving it, walking away with it, picking it up, etc., before they look for alarm wires to cut. With this in mind, the alarm should be beneficial in situations wehere you leave your ATV alone for short periods of time (go into store, in back of truck, etc.).

Anything above a 6 volt cell phone battery will operate the siren at full volume. I recommend a lithium cell phone battery with at least 1200 mh. The mh (milliamps) is an indicator of the length of time the battery will last. I can get about 48 hours of non-stop monitoring with this battery (this time is reduced if the siren is activated).

Another great option for an inexpensive battery source is to get one that powers all of these inexpensive remote controlled, electric cars our kids use. These batteries are normally 9.6 volts and 1440 mh. You can get them, with a charger for about $25.00 at Toys R' Us, Radio Shack, K-Mart, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.

The alarm works exceptionally well! In fact, I have one on my son's Blaster and my wife's Sport 400 (didn't need a cell phone battery for this).

Let me know if you have questions!

 

Appreciate your time. Thanks. More than informative.