TFT screen theft

[triafgg]

C400 GT TFT brace

As you may be aware there have been numerous cases of the TFT screens being stolen from BMW bikes and scooters. Cymarc Engineering Ltd based in Scunthorpe have developed a brace to prevent theft. Thieves just need to give it a good pull, without the need for tools, potentially leaving damaged wiring with a £1600 repair bill and a huge amount of stress and inconvenience. The company have made this brace for other BMW models including the 400X but have now included the 400GT. It's a testament to the companies skill and professionalism and their past experience that they managed to design and fabricate one for my 400GT as I waited, for which I am extremely grateful. The brace is a really firm fitting and totally secure which includes security bolts needing a special tool that even professionals would be unlikely to carry and casual opportunist thieves certainly not. It is available in powder coated satin black or brushed stainless steel. The brace is so good that in black looks OEM, personally I have the stainless which stands out and looks the part, making a statement. My TFT screen will certainly not be stolen.

Visit the site at https://www.cymarcbikeparts.co.uk/, the C400GT brace at https://www.cymarcbikeparts.co.uk/bmw-c400gt-tft-screen-security-brace-1610-p.asp

I am shortly on a tour to the south of France and with visits to Paris, Marseilles etc this issue was a worry. In this country it would be a costly and inconvenient situation but at least you could get it sorted. Abroad, potentially thousands of miles from home it would be a disaster and certainly ruin the trip. The cost really is minimal compared to the cost to replace and is also a valued extra if you sell the vehicle.

 

[triafgg]

Sorry posted to wrong group but there is a CE-04 version available as well and just as relevant.

 

[wspollack]

I just filled out a web form on the "Contact us" link here, asking someone to move this to the "C400X - C400GT Modifications" sub-forum. If that gets done, I think it will help out others who may be searching for this info later on.

 

[wspollack]

I just ordered one in black, for my '23 C 400 GT, and will report back here with pics and my thoughts when it arrives and I get it installed.

I have not read of any such thievery in the USA, but: 1) I will be doing some traveling in the coming months, with overnight hotel-lot parking, etc., and; 2) as I posted elsewhere, according to Max BMW's parts fiche, the TFT goes for $2,340 (which is enough to give me pause, make me not want to become the first(?) such North American C 400 GT victim, etc.).

 

[ghostrider4]

I don't know if this is a problem in the USA...maybe just not yet. Shipping to USA is a bit also. Not certain what this cost is in US Dollars.

 

[wspollack]

I don't know if this is a problem in the USA...maybe just not yet. Shipping to USA is a bit also. Not certain what this cost is in US Dollars.
View attachment 4642

I can tell exactly what this runs to, in USA money, because I ordered one -- with the security bolts and wrench -- on May 10.

Screen grab of order page:



Screen grab of PayPal receipt:


And it looks like the exchange rate is about the same now as it was a week and a half ago, or perhaps a tiny bit worse, if I'm reading this chart correctly:

https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/fx/GBPUSD/historical-prices

So, yeah, this is very expensive ... but then, so is the TFT. I, too, don't think this is a problem in the USA (yet), but I don't want to be the first one to find out if and when it does become a problem.

 

[wspollack]

My report on the Cymarc TFT security brace for the C 400 GT:

I received the Cymarc brace -- https://www.cymarcbikeparts.co.uk/bmw-c400gt-tft-screen-security-brace-1610-p.asp -- about three weeks ago, and installed it a day later. Thus, it took about two weeks from ordering to delivery to the Albany, NY, USA area (which is about 150 miles north of New York City). This was just a few days before I set off for a 2,000-mile round-trip to NC.

The unit was nicely packaged, and all parts were present. Here are the included instructions (and there's a typo -- a missing word, I believe -- in the third paragraph):



I think Cymarc should have included a clearer picture or two depicting the placement of the bottom (i.e., front-side) foam pieces. That is, I think they should have included a photo like this, which I took:



I was a little annoyed that I had to cut the sticky-backed foam lengthwise into two 5mm strips. This is pretty narrow, and I enlisted my wife, who supplied some very small and very sharp sewing scissors for this task; working with such fine tolerances took nerves of steel during the cutting. Given the cost of this product (see earlier post), I feel that the foam should've been pre-cut.

I also feel that when ordering the system in black that the security bolts should have been anodized in black, too, but I suppose that that's a matter of personal preference.

I was a little concerned that the front side of the strap might be too close to the bodywork over the headlights, and so might scratch it, but that turned out to be a non-issue. The two foam pieces that go underneath that area keep it sufficiently raised off the plastic.

Here are some of the pics I took after installation:







My main disappointment here is that the final setup allows some up-and-down movement. I put up a one-minute video to show what I'm talking about:

I'm not sure what can be done about this minor movement. Such movement is not noticeable while actually riding -- well, I suppose it might be, if you're actually fixating on it -- nor does it detract from the security functionality of the unit.

On the other hand, I'll probably put some sticky-backed foam of my own, below the bottom of the brace. That way, the brace will remain in the upper-most position. This will make it a little easier for me to plug in a USB cable over there on the right, in the socket I added; with the brace in its lowest position, it slightly interferes with my plugging in a cable. (So if anyone's contemplating adding an external USB port, as I did on my C 400 GT and several other bikes over the years, you might be better off positioning the port an inch or so rearward. I describe that modification in my C 400 GT gallery, starting with this image and caption: https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-18 ).

I think that covers everything. The Cymarc brace looks like it will accomplish what it set out to do: prevent casual attempts to steal the bike's TFT screen. It probably won't prevent professional attempts of thievery, but then nothing will stop a determined group from stealing the entire bike, either.