The electric scooter industry is growing, as these vehicles are lightweight and can be taken anywhere. They’re also an extremely convenient means of traveling short distances. However, many people who own electric scooters face a huge threat of them being stolen, which is why it’s essential to lock them up and keep them safe.
In this article, we’ll tell you how to lock your electric scooter, so read on!
Short Answer
To lock your electric scooter, you’ll need to purchase the right lock, choose a parking place, position the lock on your scooter, and pick a grounded fixture to lock your vehicle on.
How Can You Lock Your Electric Scooter?
Now, let’s have an in-depth look at the steps you’ll need to follow to lock your scooter and protect it from theft.
1. Purchase the Right Lock
The first thing to consider while buying a lock is its size. It’s crucial that the size of the lock fits well with the scooter. And make sure you purchase a high-quality lock that provides enough security. There are many types of locks available, which we’ll be discussing later in the article.
2. Choose a Parking Place
The place in which you leave your scooter unattended is a factor in whether it’ll get stolen or not. If you leave it in dark or empty places, it’s more likely to attract thieves. So try to leave your scooter in public areas full of people, as this will most probably scare any thief from getting caught.
3. Position the Lock on Your Scooter
You have to attach the lock to a safe spot on your scooter, like the stem, the carrying handle, or the folding parts. Avoid locking it through removable parts, such as the wheels, any accessories on it, or around handlebars.
4. Choose a Grounded Fixture
You can’t put the lock on anything metal that can be cut, such as metal fences. It has to be put on a permanent fixture that’s impossible to remove, like signposts, stair railings, and bike racks. If you choose something short with nothing bulky on top, the lock can be easily removed from the top and thus will be useless.
Types of Locks
Knowing what each lock does can help ease the picking process since there are lots of them. The following types are the most commonly used locks for electric scooters.
U-Locks
U-Locks are strong and heavy, almost impossible for someone to break. This type uses a key to separate the U from the crossbar. The U is placed through the intended locking location and the permanent fixture you’ll lock on. After that, the crossbar is fastened on the U and locked with the key. But since these locks are heavy, they can weigh you down while riding the scooter.
Ring Locks
Ring locks are fastened to the wheel to prevent it from moving. They’re mostly used for wheels with open spokes as they have room for attaching the lock. It’s also possible to attach them around the scooter and pole, but that’d be less convenient as their sizes are smaller than those of the U-Locks.
Disc Locks
If your scooter has a brake caliper, it’s possible to use a disc lock. Like ring locks, it also prevents the wheels from moving, though in a very different mechanism. It’s attached to the brake caliper to immobilize the wheels.
Immobilizer Alarms
These alarms use the scooter’s power to prevent the wheels from moving and generate sounds when it’s moved. However, if the scooter has been left for a long time, the battery will run out, and the immobilizer will no longer be able to stop the wheels from rolling nor generate the sound alarm.
So it’s better to use a lock in conjunction with this alarm in case the battery runs out.
Tracking
In the unfortunate case that someone actually managed to steal your scooter, it’s possible to track it down using several ways and recover it. One of these ways is tracking it with a GPS. You can simply place a GPS in the scooter stem by removing the handlebar. You can also remove the battery cover and tape a GPS tracker inside.
And make sure to write down your scooter’s serial number once you purchase it. This number can help you recognize and recover your vehicle among a pool of similar ones.
Conclusion
To sum up, you have to undergo certain safety measures when you consider locking your e-scooter. You’ll need to buy a high-quality lock, choose a busy parking place, attach the lock to a safe spot, and pick a grounded fixture.
And since technology keeps making our lives easier, why not use that to track down thieves and recover our lost vehicles?
