Top 5 Tips to Protect Your Motorcycle while Traveling

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Top 5 Tips to Protect Your Motorcycle while Traveling

How do you keep your motorcycle safe while traveling? We’re sharing five useful tips for bike safety on the road – make sure to read till the end to find out what's our favorite tool for the ultimate peace of mind.

By Eglé Gerulaityté, 13.05.2022

Whether you’re going on a tour or flying solo, getting your bike stolen is every rider’s worst nightmare. Here at MOTOURISMO, almost all of our tours include secure bike storage during the trip: we always make sure your bike is parked safely each night. During remote off-road tours, we trust the bikes are safe as there’s typically no one around to even notice the motorcycle, and there are always options for full insurance coverage.

But what about those times when you’re going on a self-guided motorcycle tour, or shipping your own bike to remote destinations? Motorcycle security is important while on the go, so we’re sharing some useful tips on how to keep your two wheels safe while traveling.

#1 Park It Safe

A common rookie mistake is parking your motorcycle in front of your hotel or guesthouse and assuming it’ll be safe on the street. Most of the time, it will, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Always look for accommodation options that offer secure parking – closed garages, parking lots with a guard, or indoor parking. Most hotels offer secure parking as part of the package, and if they don’t have a safe garage, see if you can find an independent one nearby.

Parking your motorcycle safely will give you peace of mind, and you won’t have to worry whether you’ll find the bike where you left it.

If safe parking options just aren’t available, at the very least, try to leave your bike on a spot where you can see it from your window. If it’s a small village, ask the hotel owner to keep an eye on it just to be sure.

#2 Double Lock It

Sometimes, finding a secure parking spot just isn’t possible, especially in the more remote places and smaller towns. That’s why it’s a good idea to carry a bike chain or a disc lock (or both!) while you’re traveling. You can keep the chain wrapped around the luggage rack or a pannier, and most disc locks are small enough to fit in a tank bag or backpack.

Every time you park your bike outside, lock it up: it doesn’t take up much of your time, but it can prevent your motorcycle from being stolen.

And sure, some people may argue it’s easy to cut through a chain or saw the disc lock off, but here’s the thing: thieves go for easy targets. If your bike sports a chain and a lock, it’ll act as a deterrent – and it may just save your motorcycle from being stolen.

#3 Don’t Leave Valuables on it

This may sound like an obvious one, but after a hard day’s ride, when you’re tired, hungry, and ready for bed, it’s easy to forget unpacking your bike. Things like helmets and tank bags are extremely tempting to thieves, so make sure you don’t leave any valuables on your motorcycle – that includes lunch stops and coffee breaks!

#4 Just Cover it up

Out of sight, out of mind: In addition to locks and chains, some riders carry a thin rain cover for the bike. Once again, thieves go for easy targets, and throwing a rain cover over your motorcycle makes it harder to spot it and estimate its value in the first place. Most rain covers pack very small, so if you want an extra layer of security, carry one with you and use it whenever you need to park your bike outside for the night.

#5 Install a GPS Tracker and Alarm

For us, the ultimate killer option to keep your bike safe while traveling is installing a tracker. We love the motorcycle GPS tracker and alarm from Monimoto: if your bike gets moved, you will instantly receive an alarm call on your phone.

Often, that’s all it takes to prevent theft. If your bike does get stolen, Monimoto will send out a live GPS location to your phone – in other words, you’ll be able to track down your bike in real time. In addition, the police is a lot more likely to help you out and get on the chase if you can give them the precise location of your stolen motorcycle – otherwise, they may only write down a report while your bike is being spirited away.

The Monimoto tracker is a clever solution because the GPS tracker itself is battery-powered, which means that even if the thieves cut all the wires, the tracker will still send out a signal independently. It’s a great little safety gadget to have while you’re traveling, and the tracker works well everywhere where there’s signal.

Keeping your motorcycle safe while traveling isn’t something we like to think of often, but it’s better to make sure your trusty steed is always secure.

We strongly recommend you to give Monimoto a closer look. You can find everything about it on Monimoto's website.