Modern Vespa

I mentioned product awhile back in another thread but hadn't had any significant usage time at that point. I've been using the Grip-Lock for a few months now and am very satisfied. It's not a complicated product: once unlocked, you squeeze the brake lever and clamp it over the lever and throttle. Click. Done. It comes with extra rubber pieces to get clamp around the throttle nice and tight while locked. Someone mentioned in the original post that it also works as a parking brake if you're in need of that kind of thing. The best thing is how fast and easy this is to use. Great for lazy folk, like me.
All that said, I think it's more of an effective theft deterant and not a complete security solution. However, outside of locking your scoot to tree or post with a big fat chain & lock, this is a solution as effective as disc locks and a cable lock through the chain loop under the Vespa or through the wheel spokes. Of course, if someone wanted your scoot that much, they'd get a buddy to help them scoop it up and throw it in the back of a pick-up.

Anyway, here's the short list:

PROS
* More visible than a disc lock so no chance of forgetting it's there
* Easier and faster to put on and take off than a cable lock -- no more crouching down to mess with the cable or chain
* Fits in the glove box
* Price is comparable to cable and disc locks
CONS
* none when compared to other solutions that offer similar security

Available for purchase here

Thanks for the review robotribe!

Very informative and I think you have persuaded me to pick one of these babies up as I really dislike fumbling with my cable lock.

It should be very useful here in Toronto as the City passed a bylaw last summer that allows free on-steet parking for scooters & motorcycles, which means I'll be parked on the street more often (rather than the sidewalk where i got 2 tickets last year!). This will be an excellent deterant in this situation.

And considering that the Canadian dollar is at a 14 year high, now would be a good time for me to order!

Cheerio,

Wow, I'm pretty impressed with this little gadget. Seems perfect to carry with me for those runs around town. Very visible while on the bike, and much more easily carried/locked than cables, etc. Would also work together with a standard lock for an extra layer of protection. Anything to make my bike more secure than the one next to me is a good thing I think.

The only problem I see with it is if someone broke the brake lever which is most likely easier than breaking the lock itself, they could ride off with your scoot and still have access to one break or the other. If it was around a clutch lever it would be a little harder to ride off with a broken lever.

Tim

Thanks Robotribe This looks like a really good investment for the scoots I have. I will check it out.

Chuck

True, but given the location of the lever's connection point -- inside the headset casing -- I'd imagine that would make for extra time spent for a would-be thief, and time is everything to those jokers. Placing some sort of prying tool like a bar in between the locked lever and the throttle might work, but I think the resulting damage would render the throttle housing pretty useless. If you're talking about braking the actual cast-metal brake lever piece, I'd imagine you'd need some serious gamma-irratiated HULK strength to manage that, but that's coming from a guy who can barely curl a loaf of bread, let alone a package of raisin bagels.

Keep in mind, I've no legitimacy to any of my suppositions, just thinking out loud.

I guess even if the broke the lock off the grip and the steering lock they would still need to get by the programmed key thing to get it running. I've been watching Javarod talk about his stolen Zuma and it makes me sick. I had a custom bike stolen from inside my house when I was a kid. I don't take any chances with the scoot. Maybe I'll buy 2 of those locks one for each side. Paranoia

Tim

I agree, but if someone wants your scoot, a cable, disc-lock, grip-lock and armed guard won't stop them. I look at these types things much like Flanders does: if it makes the thief skip your scoot because of the bright yellow thing clamped on it, it works.

I hear ya. I had two bitchin' BMX bikes stolen from me in the early 80s as a kid and our house burglarized around the same time. I've been ultra paranoid ever since. I think the only safety net to theft is insurance, unfortunately. If my Vespa ever gets stolen, I never want to see it again as I head to the dealership for a new one after I deposit the State Farm check at the bank.

Heh. I hear that. It'd be a convenient excuse to pick up a GTS.

Stop stealing my thoughts, man!

I have been thinking about getting LoJack before I ever looked at it that way.

Tim

My better half has a LoJack on the Toyota Sequoia, it would be funny to see a crooks face when the police caught them with a LoJack on a scooter ! I bought 2 laptops for us at Christmas, we installed LoJack for Laptops on them. A worth while investment for anyone who has a nice system. http://www.lojackforlaptops.com or for a home system too.

http://www.lojack.com/products-services/auto-security-system/lojack-for-motorcycles.cfm

Wishes do come true.

My only concern would be the circular key / lock.. manuy of these have been shown to be openable with a pen lid, and since then major manufacturers have started to stop makingthem Kryptonite even started offering money off new locks for owners of their older locks like this..

Very good point and that was a concern of mine as a cyclist who's seen that infamous video several times. With that in mind, I went to the manufacturers site and they seemed to address the issues with their design. Apparently, the solution on their end was to put a pin in the barrel mechanism that prevents that kind of break in.

That video of the kid with the pen really threw Kryptonite for a loop, but rightly so, in my opinion.

Man, I should get a bounty with all the free marketing I'm giving this thing.

I saw that video, really woke me up. Both of my cable locks have keys. Although that is only as good as a pick. I have full coverage insurance also, Beale.

OK. First I bought the GPS and now I've picked up one of these. Good week for my scooting gear. Thanks for the tip.

Updated 2/4/06 - Mine arrived yesterday and is currently protecting my ride. Works like a charm and appears to deliver on the promise of being highly visible (aka deterrent) and solid.

Nice bratpack-- [ed.: oops! I mean "Rat Pack"-]- sticker, too! 8)

Last edited by pdxvespa on Sun, 05 Feb 2006 00:35:30 +0000; edited 1 time

Nice bratpack sticker, too!

what does this mean?

Well I ordered one, I'll let you all know what I think when it arrives!

I think you meant to say rat pack. As in Sinatra, Martin, & Davis.

Brat pack would be: Estevez, Hall, Lowe, McCarthy, Moore, Nelson, Ringwald & Sheedy

Yes, that is a rat pack sticker from Stickergiant.com. They've got some good ones. http://www.stickergiant.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?screen=PROD&product_code=esh008&category_code=as

yep. yep. caught my error after the fact!

Rat Pack >>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Pack

Ordered the Grip-lock Saturday.

Okay, I've used the grip lock for a while now and I do think it's one of the better, most visible locks you can get for your scoot. Fits nicely in the trunk, seat or glovebox and goes on in a few seconds. I do like the fact that I don't have to bend down to put something on the disc or attach a cable. With that said--it's a bit tricky to lock--almost a try until it catches thing but once locked it's on good. Aside from that, the Vespa has a fairly meaty grip so I only used the included top grip pad (black rubbery thing that holds onto the grip)--the included other halves made the grip too small to get on the handle properly.

Good find!

That's my favorit thing about it. As for the tricky locking, I find that if you pinch down on the lock end a little and wait for the barrel lock mechanism to pop back out a milimeter with a noticable 'click', you're good to go.

Just got a pair of them via UPS today, just in time for Vegas. Looking forward to not having to bend down for the disc brake lock.

Got my lock last week. Works Great. No one's stolen my scooter

You are right about if a determined thief really wants your scooter, he'll have it, and nothing will stop him.

But if fitting security devices like this make a potential thief move onto the next bike... than its done its work.
Anything that slows up that snatch time must be positive.

Hey everyone!,

That Griplock seems like a nice addition to my cable lock. I was wondering, All of the photos seem to show the left grip / brake being used. I was thinking of using the right (front) brake and the throttle. I figure this might help prevent those over zealous kids who come over to the bike, sit on it and gun the throttle over and over again as they unknowingly flood my carb. Any thoughts? Pros or cons?
Thanks,
FireLeo
2005 GT 200

I only use it on the throttle side. Someone mentioned on my original post about this thing that it also acted as a kind of "parking brake" in that application. Also, to your point, I don't want any chances of anyone messing with the throttle and flooding the carb.

Bottom line, I think it's more effective on the throttle side since it activates a brake AND locks the throttle.

Thanks for the info, Robotribe,

I think I'll probably grab one of those in the near future. What did it run you and did you pick it up locally? I'm very close to your location.

Regards,
FireLeo
2005 GT200

Jess - were the 2 locks keyed separately, or is there an option to have them set to the same key? I prefer to minimize the number of keys that I have to haul around in my pocket.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone who stocked it locally so I ordered online here: http://www.lockitt.com/LeverLocks.htm.

In fact, it's now $10 cheaper than what I paid.

OK, you all convinced me that this is a pretty handy product. They sold another one.

I couldn't find it discounted anywhere on the web. Even e-bay sellers have it for more than the price listed from Lockitt.com.

Are there any concerns about keeping the brake engaged like this for several hours?

Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but I'm still skeptical:

1) This seems like really lightweight protection. What's to stop someone from simply cutting the brake cable? They could ride it away using the other brake. Aren't Vespa brake levers aluminum? That cuts pretty easily, too, and replacements are cheap.

2) The thing itself is plastic. Yeah, it's got some hardened metal inserts, but if you cut away the plastic, do the metal inserts stay locked together?

3) We're talking modern Vespas here, so it's not like we've got bikes that can't be replaced with insurance money. I could see where someone with a vintage Vespa that's put a lot of time into its restoration would worry, but not our new, readily available bikes.

4) We're talking modern Vespas here, which have a pretty sophisticated ignition interlock thing, don't they? Are you thinking that a thief will disable/bypass that and not bypass this thing? As other posters have said, 2 or 3 people can easily lift an LX or even a GT into the bed of a pickup and be gone in under 30 seconds.

5) I knew a fellow who would pop the rotor out of his distributor when he parked in downtown Boston. I always thought that was really effective: the rotor fits easily in a pocket, and the car won't run without it.

For Scooters, perhaps a hidden switch under the seat that turned off the fuel pump might be better than this thing. The bike either wouldn't start, or would stop, apparently out of gas, in a pretty short time. Crooks won't take the time to debug why a bike won't run. Which brings us back to the pickup truck steal. Can't stop that without a big, heavy chain.

So, I see this thing as useful as a parking brake for GT's with sidestands, to help prevent the bike from rolling off the stand. But, that's about it.
Am I wrong?

Right on all points.

From the first post/my review on this thread:

I'm not really so much worried about someone hotwiring the scooter. The interlock / immobilizer does a pretty good job of that. I'm much more worried about someone simply rolling it away or attempting to roll it away, finding the handlebars locked, and dropping it on the ground.

The Grip-Lock, when applied to the throttle and front brake, effectively keeps Modern Vespas from being pushed off of their center stands. The front suspension compresses with each push and the wheel doesn't budge. I think this is a huge win.

It's a deterrant, not an absolute guarantee, but I think it's a good one that's easy enough to use that I will actually use it on a regular basis, unlike that hateful disc brake lock.

By the way, the plastic is extremely hard.