Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128129
.. Securing Your Garage Three out of the four vehicles in this photo I would love to hang on to they're the three I don't own. The Kryptonite Stronghold ground anchor and accompanying locks have greatly improved the security of my garage. bikes into a waiting vehicle and off they went. The best solution is to lock the bike down to something immovable with a heavy-duty lock - if they get it then, at least you know you've done all that can be done. After recently moving into a new apartment, I was concerned about riding our Cycle News test bikes home at night and parking them safely in my garage. I had recently built a new wall in my garage to segregate it from the neighbor's berth and installed a new lock and mechanism on the door, but I needed more peace of mind than that. KRYPTONITE STRONGHOLO GROUND ANCHOR something, a thief will get it if they really want it. I have a friend who unfortunately has temporarily given up riding after his second Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic in succession was stolen. They were both heisted from subterranean parking structures, leading me to the conclusion that both of his and my motorcycle thefts were inside jobs. I think someone who Jived in our respective buildings informed their scum bag friends that our bikes were in there. Like my bike, both of my buddy's Harleys were locked with a steering lock and another lock, but they simply lifted the STORY AND PHOTOS BY BLAKE CONNER f you ha~e recently dropped a large chunk of change on a new motorcycle - or own one you can't bare to part with - you have probably already gone through the anxiety of worrying about your "baby" sitting in the garage. If you've had a motorcycle stolen before, you know what an empty feeling it is to discover it missing. I've had one bike stolen before, and it made me so freakin' mad... It was a brand-new 1991 Yamaha FZR600 - I had just totaled my 1990 Yamaha FZR600 and this was the replacement. The bike was parked between two cars in my subterranean parking garage and had a lock of some sort on it, but it wasn't enough. The scurnbags broke into my Ford Bronco, put it into neutral and pushed it out of the way, then lifted the FZR into their getaway vehicle. So not only was I left without my bike, but I also had to replace a $200 window in my truck. It's one thing to put a lock on your bike, but unless you lock it to I ~elThisisthe Stronghold aboveground anchor. Installation took about a half hour and I needed to rent a hammer drill (left) to drill into the concrete In my garage. The Stronghold ground anchor requires that precise holes be drilled in the concrete. Measure twice, and drill once - it's worth It. 26 NOVEMBER 7, 2001 • cue • • neVII. The next order of business was to install some sort of serious ground anchor. I called Kryptonite for one of their Stronghold anchor systems they looked fairly easy to install and fit my needs perfectly. Kryptonite offers two versions of ground anchors, the Stronghold and the Super Stronghold. The difference is, the Super Stronghold requires that you set the anchoring bars in concrete after busting a big hole in your garage floor, and then pouring new concrete. This wasn't going to work for me because I don't own the property, and I didn't feel like renting a jackhammer. I opted for the Stronghold above-ground model, which can be installed on anything from a concrete floor to the bed of a truck. The Kryptonite kit includes a masonry bit and all of the hardware necessary to install the anchor, minus tools. Before I got started, I decided to give the masonry bit a try on my really dense-looking concrete floor and soon discovered it wasn't going to cut it. The bit would barely drill a pilot hole, let alone the three 2 112 to 3-inch deep holes that were going to be required. So I rented a Milwaukee hammer-drill and the proper bit from an equipment rental shop. Measuring the hole locations accurately and predrilling pilot holes is mandatory - if you've ever used one of these Hammer drills before, they don't utilize a lot of finesse. The Stronghold's main structure doesn't offer any room for error - the bolt holes, as I found out, must be drilled perfectly. The anchor doesn't allow any freeplay to maneuver the anchor around, because after you drill the holes in the concrete, you must then insert the expanding anchor inserts into the holes. You then insert the bolts through the anchor's chassis from the top and tighten the bolts down to expand the inserts in the concrete. Make sure you take the time to measure and drill correctly, or you will have to do it all over again and order new inserts from Kryptonite. After the hex bolts are screwed in and the anchors have expanded, you hammer steel ball bearings into the hex-nut holes, clogging the hex-nut heads up, then you hammer an expanding cover plate over that. It would take a very patient thief to get the anchor out of the ground. It's not theft-proof, but it is a formidable deterrent that will make most thieves look elsewhere - and that's all you can hope to do. THE NEW YORK FAHGETTABOUDIT LOCK The next order of business was to get a high-quality chain and lock to secure everything to the anchor. I chose Kryptonite's New York Fahgettaboudit chain and lock system, designed for urban and high-theft areas. The five-foot-Iong chain consists of 11mm hexagonal links made of triple-heat-treated, boron-manganese steel. The hexagonal links are designed to be difficult to cut with virtually anything, from bolt cutters to saws. The chain is covered with a nylon sleeve to prevent the chain from scratching your wheels and is just long enough to reach a couple of bikes. The New York disc lock that comes with the chain features a hardened half-inch Kryptonium steel shackle, with a double deadbolt locking mechanism for extra security. The lock is supposed to be virtually pickproof because of its disc-style cylinder, and features a sliding dustcover to keep the elements out of the lock's mechanism. I also added an additional lock to give me a little more reach and a bit more versatility - the New York 3000 Disc Lock. It features a 5/B-inch shackle made of heat-treated Kryptonium steel, and also features a nearly pick-proof lock mechanism. The Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit, and New York 3000 Disc Lock both include a one-year, $1000 anti-theft protection offer that can be extended up to three years for an additional $15 (you will need to send in a CN fonm to activate the protection). The Kryptonite products are available from your local dealer, or for more information contact them at: www.kryptonitelock.com or at 1/SOO·SAY-LOCK. Stronghold ground anchor ....$74.95 Super Stronghold ground anchor $74.95 New York Fahgettaboudit (includes New York Disc Lock) $139.95 $79.95 New York 3000 Me