Mayfair parking / bike security

[Bumblebee7]

Hello, looking for the help/advice/reassurance from you wise PH'ers. I'm moving office to Mayfair and will be parking my bike in either Brook's Mews or Berkeley Square. I have been riding into London for the last two years and with the exception of one break in into my topbox, all has been well. It's always been chained using a 16mm pragmasis and generally I felt fairly comfortable leaving it like that.

As far as I'm aware, there aren't many (if any) spaces in the Mayfair area where I'll be able to regularly chain the bike up so will probably be just disc locked. So my questions are as follows:

1, anyone regularly park in the area and if so what has your experience (theft wise) been?

2, what is the best portable/disc lock i can get?

3, should I bother getting a tracker (on the cheaper end of the spectrum)

For reference bike is a Honda nc750x 2014 worth £2.5k on a good day. It's a pretty heavy bike and rarely washed so looks more battered than it really is. My insurance is up for renewal in the next 2 months and due to my stupidly high excess i had been considering going 3rd party only and self funding another bike if it got nicked. Not sure my opinion still stands given i can't chain the bike so looking for opinions.

Thank you!

[morebeanz]

I park in the St James' area with just a disk lock, and have been for a couple of years. I still have the bike, although it is usually parked right in front of the Security Office for the block that I work in. I have also been told (by the guards) that they have chased off various nutters who seem to think that they can sit on the bike etc!

So far, all has been well, and given that it is a Street Triple RS, I should be thankful. I worry more about the aholes who park next to me than I do about theft - the lack of respect for folks machinery is shocking!

With regard to locks etc, I have a Xena alarmed disk lock. A number of the bikes around me have locks on front and rear, and some use a chain, even if there's nothing to chain to. Anything to differentiate you from those you choose not to use anything.

PS I've been thinking about a tracker but not pulled the trigger yet. Quite expensive...

[Bumblebee7]

Thanks for the reply morebeanz, that's reassuring especially given your bike is far more desirable than mine.

I've just come across a tracker with a bit of googling (Monimoto) that might be worth a punt as it's battery powered and fairly small. I'm personally not too keen on the subscription based ones (not purely based on cost) as once a theft is detected you lose the ability to track the bike and it's sent to the Police. The Police in turn who are massively underfunded won't check on your bike. I've read of a few frustrating examples like this which has put me off. I'd much rather a DIY jobby where I can track it myself, especially as most thefts are dumped first specifically to check if they have a tracker.

[CAPP0]

I used to ride to a client in Green Park and have had to park in Berkeley Sq occasionally. IIRC the spaces go quite early. There are more down towards Curzon Street and a small number nearer to Green Park tube (off Stratton Street).

Can't remember whether you have to pay there or not - Westminster spaces you have to pay £1 a day.

There are Youtube vids of bikes being taken from Berkeley Sq, so it's definitely a known spot for theft (but where isn't....).

[MrGman]

I'd go for a small D lock and go round the disc AND caliper (between mounting points) so they can't just cut a section of disc out.

Standard disc locks are no more than a slight deterrent,

[JBE68]

I’ve used the NCP on Carrington Street in Shepherd Market for my bike.

[Sea Demon]

Used to work in Berkeley Square myself & knew of a couple of bikes being taken but round the back of the sqaure is a road called Farm Street, fairly quiet road but has a few bays in it (or did when I left 2 years ago), worth a look as could usually get a space 1st thing up to around 9-10am.

I would invest in a tracker - if you can get a cheap one that notifies you straight away of movement, great. I've got a Biketrac on mine, the customer support is great and i know my bike is monitored 24/7 without me having to monitor an app etc myself.

[JahGull]

With regard to locks etc, I have a Xena alarmed disk lock. A number of the bikes around me have locks on front and rear, and some use a chain, even if there's nothing to chain to. Anything to differentiate you from those you choose not to use anything.



[/quote]
Completely agree

[TheCommuter]

JBE68 said:

I’ve used the NCP on Carrington Street in Shepherd Market for my bike.

I used to park here also couple of times a week over 3 years.

Never once had a problem with security however its best to get a one year pass if you're looking to park here because if you don't then you have to contact support when paying for your ticket and explain to them that you are on a motorcycle and not in a car which can get tiresome quickly as it takes 5 minutes of your time every time.

As far as security is concerned when parking anywhere in London I always use a disc lock for the front wheel, chain for the rear wheel and cover. My motorbike also has a tracker. Even a simple Abus/Xena disc lock and a 13mm chain in a top box will do. There are still plenty of people who park their nice bikes without any security unfortunately.

Edited by TheCommuter on Friday 23 August 12:58

[Bumblebee7]

Thanks to everyone who posted. I'm not quite sure why (not that I'm complaining) but it's been quite easy to find a parking space recently. I'm not sure if it's the school holidays causing this but from the sporadic meetings I've had in the area before it certainly seems to have improved since they started altering the road layout.

Farm St in particular seems to be particularly clear and I could use a lock there. It is a longer walk though and I do often need to get to my bike for meetings during the day and it would end up being a fair walk.

The Grosvenor Hill NCP is right behind my office but I can't justify the expense as it's £7 a day or nearly £2k a year last time I enquired. That compared with the £100 a year pass for the bike bays that my company happily reimburses me.

I've decided I'm going to get a better disc lock and carry around a d-lock as well. I'm going to fit the tracker I mentioned further up the tread as well. Bike being a Honda already has HISS and the original owner of the bike had a Datatool alarm professionally installed and the bike has been datatagged. Fingers crossed that's enough and I think a fair balance between usability and security.

Thanks again for all the advice

[Billyray911]

Just for your info,I’ve been using a Monimoto tracker for a couple of years now and it’s been pretty good.Easy to conceal and works well in respect of instant mobile alerts should it be triggered.
Customer service is very good as well.
I know that trackers have inherent issues,but I think that it’s worth the outlay.