On Security - Lock it or Lose it
Anyone on two wheels worries about security.
Bicycle theft is a huge problem, and there are continual worries for motorcycle, motor scooter and moped riders as well.
There are multiple security options for the riders of two wheeled machines, and some of these are common to all of the above.
Leave the machine in a well lit, public place. Use two different locks. Use a secure parking provider. Lock the thing to something immovable. Make it hard for a lock to be attacked with a sledgehammer / cutting disk.
None are infallible.
The NIU UQI GT Pro has another trick up its sleeve - and I wait to see how this works in action. This is the app based alert if the machine is moved. I think this is linked to the inbuilt alarm, and GPS tracker.
Now, I'm not a huge fan of alarms - they are too prevalent in the UK, and when anyone hears one it tends to get ignored. Alarms can be triggered by strong winds - and this may be a problem with something as lightweight as this eMoped, we'll see!
I used a disk-lock through the front brake disk, and an Oxford cable lock on my SYM scooter, and this is the approach I'll use for my NIU - along with the app.
There's the steering lock on the NIU (as there was on the SYM) which requires the key to lock - but I gather that steering locks are fairly straightforward to defeat by those in the know.
The NIU that I'm getting doesn't require a key to start it, only to release the steering lock and access the battery. There's a keyfob and, again, the app. I'm not sure how secure that makes the machine - but on the basis that the more barriers you put in the way of the 'casual' thief the better, it's probably a great combination.
Another security issue with the NIU, and with all eMopeds, is their relatively light weight. Unless the machine is tethered to a rack, stand, or other object, it can be easily lifted by two people (or one weightlifter) with only the alarm (and that app) to be a problem at the time of the theft.
I've mentioned elsewhere the storage issue on the NUI UQI GT Pro - there isn't any - and that I will look at a top box. Few top boxes offer much in the way of security, but it's not something that I worry too much about.
My interim solution is a heavy duty set of Oxford fabric bags that I bought some years ago - these are zipped onto the base, and as such aren't particularly secure, if the miscreant knows how the system works. I'll risk it for odds & ends, but it's not somewhere I'd leave my helmet (even if it fits in the bag).
