Strongly considering storage unit (live in apt)

I just picked up a 2006 GSXR 600 with 2800 miles that I will be using at a later date, and I feel extremely uncomfortable leaving it outside, even with a cover, in a "nice" area.

I can't look up the stats for my particular area, but a neighboring city's police dept had some interesting stats of their town, released last year.

• Most commonly stolen motorcycle - you guessed it, GSXR
• 62% of stolen motorcycles since 2011 have been taken from apartment complexes.
• 74% of stolen motorcycles since 2011 have been Sports Bikes.
• 73% of stolen Sports Bikes have been stolen from apartment complexes.

Reading all this has made me more paranoid than before. I'm aware that I can use a ground anchor and a chain, and disc locks etc. But even those can be broken. Sure, I bend the statistics a bit more in my favor, but right now, with just a cover on it, sitting outside, I'm playing a game of "when" and not "if".

If I get a storage unit (5x10 or 8x10) for $80-100 a month, I can remove comprehensive insurance and almost completely offset the storage cost from those savings.

Is this a good idea? I figure I can run with this plan, though mildly inconvenient, until I get a condo or house with my own garage.

I don't want to lose a bike that, even with insurance coverage, would be very difficult to replace. 10 year old bikes with mileage that low aren't easy to find! I drove 12 hours to Tampa just to inspect it and buy it. And I've already got a sentimental connection to it because I've loved these bikes (this generation in particular) ever since I was 13 or 14.

Here is a picture of her for those that were curious

 

It's a nice bike. Even if it doesn't get stolen, you have to worry about kids and people hanging out on it and playing on it. Kids knocked mine over when I lived in an apartment years ago.

 

Back when I was young and crazy I parked my bike in my living room of my first apartment during winter. No way I was going to spend $100 a month on storage or insure it during the winter. I cleaned it up really well and had a buddy help me push it onto the elevator and right into my unit at 2am. Otherwise you could knock on a few doors or place an add looking for some retiree, one with a house nearby who would rent you a spot in their garage for a flat fee.. Good luck from a fellow vintage era motorcycle lover.. Now to find my Vmax.. lol

 

Thankfully there are very few kids in my area. It's more of a "yuppie" area. Lots of people walking dogs instead of kids. I leave my cover on it though, so I don't think kids would want to mess with it regardless.

I wish I could do that, but I live in a small building (10 units) that has a narrow middle hall/stairway area and no elevator, and I'm on the third floor. I called a couple of storage places and there is a 5x10 unit a couple of minutes from my house for $83 a month. Only problem is he says it's inside in a hallway, so it will be a pain getting it out every time I want to ride it. But I'd rather do that than worry about it all the time. What happened to your Vmax?

 

Def go with a storage unit or a friend with a garage and pay them rent. I'm assuming your apartment doesn't have garages available? I had a friend with the same living situation and he stored his bike under the apartment stairs because he didn't want to pay for a garage. It only took a few weeks for it to get stolen; the police found the frame in a field a week later. He put it on a factory financing credit card so he only had to get liability on it. Lesson learned the hard way. Learn from that guy. If left out it will eventually get stolen.

 

Yeah, it's a small 10 unit building so no garages, only outdoor parking. Right now I park my Ninja 300 outside in front of my truck, and I can easily see the back lot of my building at night. And it's a 2016 Ninja 300 so it's easily replaceable if it gets stolen. That being said, it could get stolen during the day when I'm at work, even though I live close to a dog park and people are always walking their dogs in the area. I have had too many things stolen from me in the past.

-Catalytic converter stolen off my Taco in high school at 9pm in a movie theater lot (huntsville,al).
-Rear wheel of mountain bike stolen freshman year of college in parking garage. (tuscaloosa, al)
-Pressure washer stolen from my apartment breezeway (it was under the stairs so no one could really see it) senior year of college... it was locked to the railing! (tuscaloosa, al)
-Mountain bike completely stolen from my apartment stairs (it was locked but with a shitty lock) in grad school (tuscaloosa,al).

Needless to say, I have the worst luck with theft....
I don't live in Tuscaloosa anymore, but I still don't want to think I'm "safe"

 

My buddy had his CBR 929 stolen from our parking lot. he only had it a few months and it got stolen. id recommend a storage area of some sort.

 

Ugh I can't wait to get my own property with my own garage. That will be the day!!

I think I'm going to go check out the 5x10 unit today. He says it's the only one left and he'll hold it for me.

 

Id say it would be worth it. the bike was also parked right in front of his truck so there had to be multiple people helping lift the bike in order to steal it. pretty shitty. I hate a thief.

 

More of a philosophical reply, but I've learned over the years that the more stuff you have the more expenses you incur, and the more expenses you incur the less you can really afford what you want. Granted what you want changes over time... a car, a bike, a boat, a condo, a townhouse, a house, financial security, a solid retirement nest egg... So with that in mind, realize that the more you spend "owning" the current stuff, the further you are from being able to afford the place with the garage.

That said, I've been there, too -- Normally I think its nuts to spend money to store stuff (because a lot of the time you're really just storing stuff you probably won't ever really need or want or use again, or stuff that could be replaced for less than what a year or two of storage will cost), but if the bike has sentimental value and really can't be replaced, do what you need to do to protect it.

 

I had a buddy put a quad Honda trx 450 in a storage unit I think the 1st night but for sure in the 1st week someone backed a truck up to the chain link cut it cut his lock stole quad and tools. Conveniently just out of site of the camera. No insurance and storage place told him get fucked.

 

sounds like the storage place had a nice little scam going for them. put the easily stolen items in the unwatched place and get a cut of the stolen goods!

 

I had my storage robbed once. Folks just came by with a crowbar and cranked all the slide locks open. They did like four different buildings in one night.

And on top of that your storage will be offsite so it could be awhile before you'd ever know it happened. At least at the apartment you'd be able to walk outside and see it was gone fairly quickly.

There are several caliper locks and tracking systems you could get for the bike. Take pictures of the VIN and tons of pictures of the bike for future reference.

Thieves will find a way it just depends on which effort you want to put them through.

I had a bike for several years. I lived in an apartment complex for awhile and was a nervous wreck at times. I was more concerned about open places like a wal-mart parking lot more than anything.

And for what it's worth I believe GSXR's traditionally had a locking solenoid (the key lock) that once popped off could be hot wired with a new solenoid you could buy anywhere. My CBR had a locking solenoid that once popped off could only be purchased at a dealer, with your vin and name attached. This reduced a lot of potential thieves, but they just chop shop them instead of resale as a functional bike.

 

Well the bike is a small thing to keep safe, I know it's another expense but heck, I don't plan on buying a new truck anytime soon (or ever) so I figured I would enjoy the little bit of extra income I have on a lesser expensive item. That being said, yes I don't want it to get stolen!

Dammit! You just can't win! Theives target storage places I bet.... maybe a couple of caliper locks on the bike so they can't try to roll it out? It would be a bitch to try to carry the thing down the hall and then into the back of a truck!

The unit that is available is inside, do you think that is safer than an outside unit? Also, what kinds of areas do you guys live in? Are they "nice" or are they "sketchy" or are they "nice but really close to sketchy" areas?

 

Well, if it's an inside one I don't believe you can store it inside on the premise it has gas in it and gas has to be stored on an outside unit or ventilated.

But the storage place would make that call I assume.

 

Yeah, the guy called and said he'd have to ask his managers about that. But he hasn't called back yet so that's a good sign.

 

And my storage area was right next to a main four lane. I mean 20 yards from the road and they just busted all the ones not directly visible to the road. I'd say "nice enough area".

 

This place is really low key, it's close to downtown but it's off of a two-lane road. I didn't even know it existed until I rode by it the other day. I'm sure the theives know it's there.

 

I tell yah what I would do is get a hammer drill and a cement lag anchor with an eye bolt big enough to run a chain through. I'd run that anchor into the parking lot and thread that eye bolt into the anchor and chain that sucker to the ground with a industrial grade lock.

And if your apartment manager asked wtf you did say "it was here when I got here".

At least then they have to cut the chain and load the bike. Usually thieves are opportunist. The ones that plan though, you couldn't build enough stops; if they want it, they are gonna get it.

 

Thieves know where EVERY thing is at. If they spent half the time in a real job they'd be millionaires ten times over.