Custom Helmet Lock for Gen II (inexpensive!)

It's nice to be able to quickly secure your helmet in a side case (one of the reasons I always keep them on the bike), but sometimes the space in the side cases is reserved and an alternative solution is required to prevent some hooligan from walking off with your helmet. Here's my $3 solution for my Gen II FJR:

1) Gather the following supplies from your favorite home improvement store (Home Depot, Lowe's, Billy Bob's Hardware, or whatever you prefer):

• Three feet of 3/32" vinyl-coated steel cable.
• Two 3/16" ferrules (mine came in a bag of 2).
• One 1/2"electrical conduit strap (with a mounting hole on one side only).

2) Install the conduit strap under the passenger seat as such:



3) Create a loop at each end of the steel cable with the ferrules (that's a funny word). The vinyl coating on the cable makes it easy to adjust the size of the loops and overall length to perfection.



4) Thread the cable through the D-ring on your helmet strap, then hook both ends of the cable onto the conduit strap:



5) Install the passenger seat. Experiment with the length of the cable by adjusting one of the loops and repeating steps 3-5 until you are happy. Three feet was long enough for me to string the cable through 2 helmets, provide enough clearance to reinstall the passenger seat, then set one helmet on each seat. You may want a shorter cable if you are a lone rider. I tested this with the front seat in both the low and high positions with no problems; just make sure the cable doesn't get in the way of the latch assembly when you install the seat. Note that the vinyl coating on the steel cable conveniently prevents damage to your seat.



6) Now that you are happy with the length of your cable, cut it to length with some sturdy wire cutters, then pound the crap out of those ferrules with a hammer to make them permanent. Now roll it up for easy storage:



Some notes worth considering in comparison to real helmet locks...

Cons:

• This is not as secure as a real helmet lock. If someone really wants your helmet, all they need is some sturdy wire cutters to cut the cable and be off with an undamaged helmet.
• Securing your helmet in this way is a bit more of a hassle.
• The cable must be stored somewhere on your bike (probably under the passenger seat for easy access).

Pros:

• Unlike some other helmet locks, this allows your helmet to sit on the seat without straining the chin strap or dangling near the exhaust.
• It's incredibly easy to make.
• It only costs $3!

Enjoy!

~Jeff

Very Creative!!! And the price is right....$3.00. Good Job.

Thanks for sharing.

Great inexpensive idea, Thanks. If Bubba and the boys come along with their wire cutters they obviously needed the helmet more than you...

--G

Good idea!

..and you call yourself UselessPickles?

On a similar vein, next time your local police agency gives away cable gun locks for free, go get yourself a couple.

I got two similar to this: . Work beautfiully.

eg23232 said:

On a similar vein, next time your local police agency gives away cable gun locks for free, go get yourself a couple. I got two similar to this:

. Work beautfiully.

Click to expand...

Although, the gun lock approach requires you to add another key to your key collection. My redneck engineering marvel might also be easier to store under the seat without the bulky lock.

UP,

Most excellent contribution.

Redneck? No way!!!

I only suggest that you make your cable long enough to loop through the chin bar or your helmet rather that just the strap / buckle. (un)Over educated miscreants have discovered they can replace the chin strap (you know, the one that they sliced off your $500 helmet) for a pittance and still make a major windfall profit selling it on FlEaBaY.

10+ years ago, I made up a cusom cable to do what you just did. I still have it and use it to lock helmet and jacket on bike. One thing that I did that made it a little more 'friendly' was to heat shrink the sweges(sp?).

eg23232 said:

On a similar vein, next time your local police agency gives away cable gun locks for free, go get yourself a couple. I got two similar to this:

. Work beautfiully.

Click to expand...

I use the same thing but the lock came with a Ruger pistol I bought..

wish I had had something to secure helmets last week, when I came out of the store, to find both helmets laying in the parking Lot! Freekin Oklahoma wind gusts!

I usually like to hang my helmet(s) on the mirrors, especially for short stops where there is no risk of theft. That way I don't have to unplug the electronica and it also keeps them upright so no sprinkles get inside. I've seen some bar end helmet locks, but those only lock to the strap and eliminate the possibility of using heavy bar ends for vibration reduction.

I think a good addition would be some sort of retractable cable lock to loop through the chin bar while hanging on the mirrors.

I actually modified your idea and use a 9 foot cable, it's just long enough that I can wear the helmet when I ride and NOT have to mess with removing the cable each time I park the bike. Plus, if I have a getoff I know I'll never be far from the bike no matter where it lands!

Actually, I looped two caribiner clips to the l/r metal loops on my Kuryakun Grand Tour bag so both helmets can dangle away from the exhaust. they aren't locked in but if I feel the threat of theft I will take them in with me instead...

Good cable idea thought! Nice price too.

C

artistonFJR said:

I actually modified your idea and use a 9 foot cable, it's just long enough that I can wear the helmet when I ride and NOT have to mess with removing the cable each time I park the bike. Plus, if I have a getoff I know I'll never be far from the bike no matter where it lands!

Click to expand...

Well, your head and your helmet will be close to the bike.

Who knows where the rest of you might end up... :blink:

A lot of times I'll just open the side case and stick the long chin strap in the case and lock the lid on it. Both my wife's and my helmet have snaps on the long end to snap into itself during wear, and that gets grabbed by the case lid and they're effectively locked. Of course, if someone wants to steal the helmet they just need to cut the strap and they're off. But I showed them, I used a mallet to smash all the interior foam, so if someone steals my helmet and has a crash, they'll have virtually NO protection. ha. Can't wait to read about that in the paper and have a good laugh.

Swingman Sends.

I made a six foot version of your cable solution and it works great for a jacket and helmet or a couple of helmets. I went a step further and used the plastic dip on the loop ends. Three coats or "dips" on each end and it has a real professional look to it. Thanks for the idea and pictures!

Very nice. This is essentially what comes stock on a BMW K1200LT which I do miss (and that's about all I miss of that bike!).

I like it!