I am looking for ideas on the best ways(lock, etc) to secure my atv while I am trail riding. Say I stop at a store or bar or something, when I leave I want to insure that my bike will be there. I though about geting one of those NY criptonite locks but not sure. Perhaps a kill switch? I have a Rubicon. Thanks.

 

I suppose in your situation, there probably isn't really any full-proof answer. Get a couple of hefty guys together, and off your quad goes very easily.

Whatever you do, you will probably have to device or modify a locking mechanism yourself. A few months back, someone posted a post, which explained his setup.

Basically, he installed a car alarm on his quad. If the quad was moved an inch, it would sound off. He even had remote to enable and disable the alarm. I think he used an alternate batter, but am only guessing.

Although burdensome, you could buy chain along with your Kryptonite lock. Chains come in varying strength listed by number (or maybe letter). All I know, some chain is stronger than other. Buy the strongest composition chain and attach it to a fixed object while also attaching it to your quads rear axle/sprocket with the Kryptonite lock.

If you don't want to bother with the above measures, the easiest thing to do would be to remove the spark plug. AND! Of course, remove the ignition key.

Well'p, that's my idea.

 

dang i wish the trails i ride go past a bar

 

My buddy and I ran into a situation where we had to leave our quads unattended for a while in unfamiliar territory. What we did was run our winch cable through each others frame and cinch them up tight. We both have solenoid controlled winches that are powered only when the key is on. So once the key was off the winch was dead and could not be released. Granted this wont stop a determined thief but it would at least slow him down and give me a little peace of mind.
I always figure though, if they want it bad enough they will get it anyway!
Thats what insurance is for I guess

 

I have looked into stuff for securing them on my trailer. I am planning on buying a 15 foot cable from Kryptonite and a big lock of theirs. I like that NEw York Noose chain they have but it seems pricy. Granted the locks and stuff will not stop a theft, I think it will deter them.

 

Just like they say, "If the lowlife thief wants your 4-wheeler bad enough, (s)he will get it".

The most important thing is to remove or eliminate the thief's opportunity for an easy steal by locking it to a trailer or big tree. Lock your trailer to the truck. Make it hard for the thief.

I suppose you could tie a dog to the 4-wheeler (remember to untie him before you ride though)!
lol.

 

The trails I ride here in Maine and WI all have stops like stores, bars, and other places. We too have the possibility of theft. Although I am not very concerned about it myself, there are things you can do. Order a copy of the JC Whitney motorcycle catalog. You can order alarms out of there. They act just like car alarms, but are smaller and easier to mount on an ATV. Now this is not the perfect answer, but the noise the alarm makes would stop most want-to-be thieves. And this way, you would probably hear the alarm and be able to investigate.

 

The absolute most clever way I ever saw was a guy who had a winch that ran only with the switch on. He looped the winch cable over a tree branch, and padlocked it there. Then he ran the winch until the front wheels were about a foot off the ground. All he ever had to carry was a padlock. He did this so someone couldn't lift the front end & unhook the cable. Would also work to lock 2 or even 3 together that way.