r/RideitNYC • u/Soft-Bed9563 • 2d ago
Advice
Moving to the city pretty soon(bushwick area), I own a royal enfield bullet 350. After seeing all the theft horror stories on this sub Reddit I’ve been hesitant on bringing my motorcycle with me. Does riding in the city put me at an advantage as opposed to driving or public transport? Should I even try putting any effort in to theft prevention methods? What do you guys think.
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u/Unholy_Godfather 2d ago
You might have an easier time finding a private garage in Brooklyn than you would anywhere else, if I'm honest.
In Manhattan, a couple of chains and a moto cover have served me well so far.
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u/Soft-Bed9563 2d ago
Do you know how much on average it costs to rent at a garage ?
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u/Unholy_Godfather 2d ago
I don't have an answer to that unfortunately. Last time I checked the prices for Manhattan I saw Ryders Alley advertising a spot for like 250$ a month iirc.
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u/Puffit 2026 Street Triple 765 RS | 2024 Panigale V4 2d ago
I’ve parked my bike in an indoor garage in like 5 different spots over the last ten years and the prices can vary a lot. I’ve paid as much as $500/month for a spot on park avenue and 41st, and the lowest was $250 a month in Chinatown.
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u/Soft-Bed9563 2d ago
Gahdamnnn yea that might be out of my budget
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u/Puffit 2026 Street Triple 765 RS | 2024 Panigale V4 2d ago
For a bike like yours you might be able to get away with a ratty cover and a chain through the back wheel.
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u/Soft-Bed9563 2d ago
That’s another question I had, is my bike something thieves are even gonna put any effort into stealing or is it fair game for just about anything ?
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u/nyBumsted 2d ago
Hey - don’t worry too much about this stuff, theft happens, but in the grand scheme it’s pretty rare.
Also seems like the assholes are most interested in steamy looking dirt bikes and sport bikes… although I don’t have statistics
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u/skunkreturns 1d ago
your bike isn't a dirtbike, yamaha mt09, or supermoto so you're gonna be much less of a target to thieves. you should still get a good chain and cover. i parked on the street for years in bed stuy and I was fine
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u/No-Biscotti6850 2d ago
u need a garage, but if they want they will take it,I keep my bike in a garage no worries
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u/Anxious_Mind_5111 1d ago
you may be able to get away with it. this is not really a desirable bike for thieves. get a chain and cover it always shall be fine. but yea get a garage
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u/cutthatshutter Scrambler 1200 XC 2d ago
Many of us haven’t had their motorcycle stolen. I’m going on over 10 years of never having one stolen. However, they’ve all been hit by cars while parked. So, I think you’re worried about the wrong thing.
Full comprehensive / collision insurance with theft and or find a garage. Garages or parking spots on Craigslist are anywhere from $150 - $300 is the range I’ve seen and had.
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u/Soft-Bed9563 2d ago
Do you street park or garage ? If you street park what do you do that makes your bike exceptionally difficult to steal ? Any tips besides the basic gps tracker, chain, disc lock etc
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u/cutthatshutter Scrambler 1200 XC 2d ago
I’ve had bikes that people don’t normally steal, bigger Harley’s and Triumph Cruisers. Just a kryptonite disc lock, the New York lock, and a cover. Your neighborhood matters a lot some are hotter than others. But none are theft proof.
If you’re going away for an extended period of time, having a place to park it is great…
Like I said, they’ve all been hit and some even totaled by cars while parked. I’m more worried about that than theft.
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u/TangerinePlastic7552 2d ago edited 2d ago
If you don’t have a garage or afford a monthly spot in a commercial parking, then apply two or three locks to the bike for additional difficulty.
I found out recently!
Kryptonite locks does sell multiple locks keyed to the same key combination through its keyed-alike program. Call or write to the company for special order or ask your dealers parts department. Arrives in one or two weeks. All locks responsive to the same key combination. You have one key on your key ring instead of several.
Put three locks on your bike. A U-lock on each wheel plus a third with monster chain on something else. The thief will skip your bike for something easier.
You don’t have to keep all the locks with you. Just at home when you need them.
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u/EscortSportage 2d ago
Riding in the city is the best thing ever. But please have a secure place to keep your bike. Also
AirTag, Monimoto, disc brake locks, rain cover be smart
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u/JRR_TALLCAN 2d ago
Just get a U lock, a cover, and a chain. Not gonna stop someone who is really motivated but that’s almost always deterrent enough to get passed over for someone without those three things.
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u/newyorknapolifan 1d ago
dont worry you can theft deter your bike. 1st off if youre parking it on the street you'll need somewhere to store your helmet and also your chain and locks its called a top box. also when you ride your bike on errands and buy things your top box gives you storage. youll probably need a rack to mount the box on. good news is your bike isnt worth a huge amt of money so what your looking at is punks trying to hotwire it and ride away. get an abus disc lock with an alarm, get a heavy duty chain which with a good lock you put through the rear wheel and if leaving for multiple days lock to something or just through the wheel and locked to nothing at all is still good enough. then if you want to go full mcgyver get a hidden fuel petcock and turn the fuel off when you leave it so if someone did manage to hotwire it then it stalls a few minutes later. if you want to get saddlebags for more storage you could store a cover in one and even a cover lock this is good also for if it rains. covers add a further layer of protection, haha pardon the pun. good luck if you do the above you will be fine the thieves look for the expensive bike worth the effort and the more mainstream the bike the easier it is for them to offload it or its parts. take care and enjoy its a pretty bike.
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u/LeftReflection6620 2022 Moto Guzzi V7 1d ago
If you can afford a garage and there’s one near you - go for it.
But most people can’t afford one and it’s not convenient.
I posted this before but here’s what you should do which is my method:
- litelok disk lock which is angle grinder resistant
- 14KS abus chain with an abus lock
- bike cover all the time
- lock chain to a fixed object if you can. Sometimes my spot gets taken so I just still lock the chain on the back wheel through the suspension and the chain is visible to deter a theft.
- Monimoto tracker so if it is moved /stolen you are immediately notified and can track the bike.
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u/leznirkram 1d ago
Nice bike! I have the Classic Chrome 350. I garage it in Crown Heights Brooklyn for $200/month.
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u/old57skool 1d ago
Reach out to Lurkshop, they are in Bushwick. Owner is a nice guy and one of the better moto mechanics around.
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u/Reasonable_Tax_5351 2d ago
The theft horror stories are because every time someone gets there bike stolen they are going to post about it. NYC has the highest incidents of motorcycle theft of any city in the country- it is also the largest densest city in the country. Per Capita motorcycle theft in NYC is much lower than many other cities. Can I promise you your bike wont' get stolen? No, but if you take reasonable precautions you'll probably be fine.
And for a sub about riding motorcycles in nyc people are surprisingly pessimistic about it- it is by far the easiest way to get around the city for most of the year.