Garages

[che]

Just rented a garage in York, it's about half a mile from my house, in a pretty good area'ish. It is just a bog standard garage with up and over door. Now i want to keep my Harley's in there, but am a little concerned about security. Whats the best (not too expensive) way to protect my babies? I'm not too paranoid, as if somebody wants to steal them enough then thats life... they are insured. Also the garage doesn't have electric, whats the best way to light it? car battery? if so how do i do this?

thank you

[45Brit]

I hate to say it, but I stopped doing this some years ago for precisely that reason.

If I had a 1960 panhead stolen I wouldn't just shrug my shoulders and fill in the insurance form... sell it to me and buy something you will be able to replace with what the insurance will ( finally ) actually pay out....

[dantheman]

che get some of anchor bolts, bury them in the floor, and buy the best chains you can afford, and dont let to many people see you coming and going from the place ,for lighting ,id get get a cheap generator, {about80 quid} and run lights off of that when yer there, make the doors as secure as possible, get one of them cheap alarms, i used a personel alarm, the one with the pull out cord, attach alarm to the door ,and other end of cord to frame work, what a ferkin racket, when one of them goes off, best of luck,and as 45 brit says ,it aint nice when yer babies dissapear to some low life,

[porky]

Anchor bolts, kin great chain through the frame, & for lecky drill through next doors & tap in or get a half decent gennie

[kneetrembler]

Hi there,

Get a decent ground anchor and chain. Try Almax, I think in suppliers. They have a ground anchor and excellent chain (freeze proof etc). The set up aint cheap, but cheap compared to a new Harley. Has something like a 36 tonne pull resistance on it. I have one. The ground anchor sinks about 18" into the concrete, if you ask nicely they may supply the drill bit, but you need a decent drill. Its an easy process.

You could buy a little PIR alarm that attaches to the wall, just for some noise.

On my estate in South London the most successful protection for garages was a contraption where there was a bar accross the whole garage door. It had two hooks on either side of the door and the bar fitted over these with padlocks on each end. Obviously dependant on the hooks and padlocks, but it could be made bloody secure.

You can always use a disc lock just to make things even worse. I reckon by this time, they will have decided you deserve to keep it.

[1978xlh]

Up and over doors are very easy to get through without a key. I would look to extra security there and back up with all the above suggestions.

[Dale]

if you put electric in the garage, you end up giving them power for angle grinders etc, up n over doors are easy to open, alternatively you could use this inside M & P - Product Information for 539736 expensive but how much do you value your bike and the addition of inconvenience and insurance going up due to theft, buy it once keep it for ever.
re lighting garage generator probably easier, but noisy, car batt would have to keep being re charged, alternatively a solar light Solar powered lights for your shed or stable :: All Things Green and Eco.

[the_monster]

guys don't forget that since the invention of the hiab unit, lifting stuff out thru the roof is a far easier way of doing a garage than trying to go thru the front door.

tools etc can be got rid of at car boot sales or in the pub, bike bits - just weight them in!

given that you are not living near the garage, you need to get on the alarm systems that trigger your mobile phone as most people will ignore any alarms unless they are their own.

any security system is only as good as it's weakest point.

given that it is York - have you taken into consideration flooding ?

[Roger]

Originally Posted by che

Just rented a garage in York, it's about half a mile from my house, in a pretty good area'ish. It is just a bog standard garage with up and over door. Now i want to keep my Harley's in there, but am a little concerned about security. Whats the best (not too expensive) way to protect my babies? I'm not too paranoid, as if somebody wants to steal them enough then thats life... they are insured. Also the garage doesn't have electric, whats the best way to light it? car battery? if so how do i do this?

thank you

If you're a distance away, like in your situation, I would use a GSM alarm that will text your mobile if an intruder invades. I have one I got from CPC:
Portable Telephone Dialler Alarms | CPC
others:
Portable Intruder Alarm with GSM technology for remote protection of caravans, boats, vacant / void properties, portacabins, out-buildings, sheds, lock up and more.
Mobilarm security alarm direct to your mobile phone
GSM Alarm wireless alarm pager

Also, highly recommend these:
Ultimate Handyman: alarm mines
Fires a blank shotgun cartridge

[Mike Benis]

There are also the ground locks that block up and over doors which make them much more secure.

When I lived in a York terrace I used to take the bike down the back alley into the yard where there was a nice little lockable shed-like affair jammed betwen the outside bog and the kitchen extension....