Stolen Bicycle Batteries!?

 It has been reported in the news over the past year that bicycle battery thefts are at an all time high in Tokyo.  

You might say "Japanese committing crimes?! Say it isn't so!" - but Japan has never been a magical lant completely free of crime.  Sure, crime is relatively low, and violent crime is lower still - but people go overboard when they say the country is crime free.  In fact, various forms of fraud are common, and theft is not completely unheard of.  

Electric assist bikes are popular in Japan, and much of the value of such bikes is in their batteries.  Typically, the batteries lock into place, but like many locks, the battery locks are more or less meant to keep the honest, well, honest.

Batteries can go for several hundred dollars, and stealing a battery may seem less risky than stealing the bike itself or entering someone's house to steal items inside.  

In recent years, the number of such thefts has skyrocketed according to news reports.  The thefts have gone from less than 100 five years ago to more than 300 in the last year.  This is still basically 0% of all bikes in Japan, but I don't think that will console any of the victims.  

The police have noted that it seems that batteries are mainly being stolen from bikes from a certain brand, which means that either there is an easy to exploit vulnerability in the locks from that brand, or perhaps someone has some kind of master key.  (They didn't mention which brand it is).   

Another interesting thing is that when the batteries are stolen from bikes parked in front of single family homes, they tend to be stoken from bikes where the key had been left in the bike.  On the other hand, battery thefts from locked bikes seems to be more common for bikes parked at apartment buildings.  In most cases, the batteries are stolen without any apparent damage to the bike.

This has lead to the sale of battery specific locks, which go through the handle of the battery and loop through the seat tube.  These locks are hardly secure, but they don't have to be super secure to make the thief choose the next bike in the rack instead of yours.  

The following recommendations are offered:

1. Don't leave your key in the lock!

2. Bring the battery inside when you park.

3. Buy one of the cheap battery locks if you don't want to bring your battery inside.  


コメント

コメントを投稿

このブログの人気の投稿

Yamaha YPJ MT-Pro Pedal Upgrade & Reflective Pedals

イメージ
As I mentioned in my initial review of the Yamaha YPJ MT-Pro almost exactly a year ago, one of the major things that irked me about it was the use of plastic where it doesn't belong - namely the brake levers and the pedals.   When I wrote that review, several people chimed in to tell me why I should in fact be happy, because: a. Pedals are a "personal thing" and it's better if you select your own anyway. b. Shops in other countries apparently sell bikes without pedals at all. I respectfully reject both of those arguments.  I bought a bike, I expect it to be ride-able from the moment it's delivered.  Not including pedals is not an option.  I would be very happy if Yamaha also offered a "Bike Kit" that had the frame without the wheels, seat, pedals, reflectors, bell, or handle bar grips - but that is not what I ordered.   And what is so personal about the pedals compared with the handlebar grips or seat?  I would say all of those things are fairly ...
続きを読む

Cleaning up light wiring and horn trouble - Part 2

イメージ
 In my last post , I discussed why and how I wired up lights and a horn, and some of the issues I had.  Though my last post focused more on the why, here I will discuss a little more about the challenges involved.   The first thing to note is that wiring up some piece of electrical equipment to an eBike (or motorcycle) is a cosceptually simple thing to do.  There is already a battery - you just need to tap into the power for your own purposes. Gasoline powered motorcycles typically use a lead acid gel battery which has a nominal voltage of 12 volts and usually doesn't vary too far from that voltage since it is typically charged by an alternator.  An eBike has a much more powerful battery, which us usually rated for at least 24 volts, and often 36 or even 48 volts.  When the battery is fully charged, the voltage will be higher, and when it is drained, it will be quite a bit lower.   This means that either the things you attach need to be able ...
続きを読む

Atami Trip - Part 4 (Atami to Odawara)

イメージ
Having aborted the last leg to Mishima, I am back in Odawara now.   I checked the flat tire in the morning and found that it had list a little pressure, but was serviceable.  To be sure, I pumped it up until the pressure was around the same as the rear tire, and then went to a cafe to kill some time.  When I went back to check about an hour later, there was no noticeable pressure loss, so I continued on my way.   It occurred to me that last time on my way through Odawara I had not actually ventured near the station, as the net cafe I stayed at was quite a ways away.  Since I had found that there were some cheap hotels nearby, I decided to give the station a try this time.   Taking the windy road (Partly route 135, partly Ogawara-Yugawara Line) was fun, but a little tiring, as it was 40kph and 30kph all the day, and I tried to keep up that speed as best as I could in order to minimize the number of cars passing me....
続きを読む