Hey everyone,
A little while ago I posted asking for advice on what category of licence and bike I should go for, and I just wanted to say thanks again. The advice I got was incredibly helpful this community is genuinely brilliant.
That said, after spending more time reading through posts on here, I had no idea motorcycle theft was such a massive issue. It's honestly made me question whether buying a bike is even worth it.
For a bit of context, I live in an apartment complex in Tallaght, Dublin, near The Square. I have a dedicated space in an underground residents' car park. The only thing I'd be able to chain the bike to is a metal fence, and there are already a few bikes parked there, chained up and fully covered.
The downside is that it's completely out of sight and there's no mobile reception underground. The only real positive is that the garage is locked from 10:30 pm until 5:30 am. My car is parked there too, and access is through a barrier that opens via number plate recognition. It's a paid car park for cars, but bikes can park there for free.
From the recommendations I received, the Yamaha Tracer 7 really seemed to tick all the boxes, especially as I'm quite tall. But after reading all the theft stories, I'm starting to have second thoughts. I'm happy to spend whatever it takes on security quality chains, locks, a tracker, alarm, cover, whatever gives it the best chance. My biggest concern is that Tallaght doesn't exactly have the best reputation for bike theft, and bikes like the Tracer or anything that looks sporty seem to attract the wrong kind of attention. At the same time, I don't really want to buy a bike I don't actually like just because it's less likely to be stolen.
I've also been looking at the Kawasaki Vulcan S 650, partly because it's a cruiser and I was wondering if that might make it less appealing to thieves. The Triumph Tiger Sport 660 has also caught my eye.
I'm definitely still planning to do my theory test, IBT. It's just that the excitement of finally buying the bike I wanted has taken a bit of a hit. I'm not talking about jumping straight onto a BMW or some ā¬20k machine the Tracer 7 was simply the bike I was most excited about.
I'd really appreciate hearing from those of you with more experience.
Sorry for the long post.
Thanks. šš»