As you can see from my previous install with MBB-Mini, I have had the stereo head mounted on my handlebars for 3 years. You might think that some of the security is due to the fact that it was only the control head. The real radio was locked in the glove box. Let's break that down.
The opportunist crook is most likely not going to know or understand that the MBB-mini is a black box radio. This average street bad guy is just going to think, "Um shiny radio, me take!" but then he is faced with the fact that the cable disappears deep into the tupperware. Same bad guy says, "Ugh, too many wires, make head hurt!", he walks away. Besides the expensive black box is only protected by a 1/4 inch of plastic.
Now let's consider the smart crook bad guy, "Hey look a MBB-mini that has been disassembled, repainted and customized for a motorcycle!, Wow Cool, me take!" but then he rumenates, "I don't have an ST1300 to install it on, I don't know if anyone who would want to buy it. Where would I fence it ST-Owners.com?"
Well that doesn't work, so he just steals your bike, you really worried about the $170 radio on the $16K customized bike that just got stolen?
To be fair the Jensen is a more well known brand, and maybe someone would know enough to recognize the value, but if your going to risk going to jail, steal the factory deck out of a Harley Davidson Ultra Guide those Cruiser SOBs will pay for that on eBay, and he's right. I mean really some guy is going to walk by and think to himself, "Hey that's a Jensen heavy duty stereo designed and marketed for use on tractors, combines and backhoes." (You did notice the Work Timer button, right?) "Gotta get me one of those. Saw it last week at the feed store and I can't resist the urge any more." Then again it's more likely the guy will just slip a blister packed unit from the the feed store into his coat. I mean if your going to risk going to jail, at least do the risk stealing something you don't have to cut the wires off of.
We get wrapped up in thinking about all the car stereo's that get stolen and think someone is really going to be lusting after the Feedlot special we grafted onto our STs. Yea, probably not. Even cheap car stereos get stolen because many could use and would pay $20 for a hacked up car stereo off a guy on the corner. But a Heavy duty Farm radio? I'm still waiting to see that episode of 'Pimp My Ride'.
But to be honest given that the whole radio is mounted on the bike in open view I have been considering replacing the easy convient thumb nut on the RamBall stem with a security nut from ACE hardware. You are not going to get that sucker off with out a really good stern yank. Sure you can buy the wrench's right next to the bolts at ACE, but the bad guy has to have that particular wrench available when he stumbles on your farkeled beauty. I was thinking of something like the nuts along the lines of what is pictured below, click pic for link, or what ever I can find at the local hardware store.
I ended up using an acorn nut epoxy painted black, this way the crook will atleast need to have more than opposable thumbs and a semi functioning frontal lobe to steal my new radio. Woops, I just offended the Harley riders, that'll do.
Now I'm really going to get your goat. On my BMW F650GS dual sport the music and information streams into the Starcom1 in the tail section from a Memorex waterproof heavy duty MP3 player with FM reciever. I've had the MP3 player for 3 years. Originally it cost me $65, just under half the investment I have into the Jensen. I ride this bike every week and park it everywhere, from the open desert to the local Walmart.
My security system? . . . Piece of velcro.
