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Most car parks have a motorcycle parking bay or two, usually a painted rectangle in a corner that nobody really thinks about. Riders notice, though. A bare bay gives them nowhere solid to lock to, so many simply don't use it. For operators of multi-storey and underground car parks, that is a missed opportunity. A secure motorcycle parking bay can become something riders actively look for, something tenants and residents value, and something you can charge for.

This guide is for site owners, facilities managers and car park operators who want to make their motorcycle bays work harder, without adding running costs or a maintenance headache.

Why a secure motorcycle parking bay matters to riders

Motorcycles are easy to move. A determined thief doesn't need to start a bike to take it; it can be lifted or wheeled away. That's why riders who park regularly in the same place, such as commuters, residents and tenants, care so much about having a solid anchor point. Given the choice between an open bay and one with proper security, riders are likely to prefer the secure option, and some will be happy to pay for it.

Underground car parks are a particularly good fit. They are covered, often access-controlled, and used by the same people day after day. Adding a secure anchor in each motorcycle bay turns that space into a genuine service, not just a painted outline.

Rent them out or include them: two ways to use secure bays

There are two common approaches, and both work.

• Charge for secure parking. With a TufLuck unit in each bay, you can charge riders per visit, per day or per month. Because TufLuck is fully mechanical, with no electronics and no subscription, there are no running costs eating into that income.
• Include secure bays as a perk. In residential blocks, office buildings and mixed-use developments, secure bays can be given to residents or tenants as part of their package. It is a visible, practical benefit that helps a building stand out.

Some sites do both: allocate a few bays to tenants and offer the rest on a pay-per-use or monthly basis.

The objections we hear, and how they're solved

Operators tend to raise the same handful of concerns. Here is how each one is handled.

"Cars will just park in the motorcycle bays"

Paint and signs only go so far. A TufLuck unit stands 50cm high in high-visibility red, so it physically stops cars and vans from parking in a motorcycle bay. Your bays stay available for the riders they are meant for.

"I don't want lots of holes drilled in my floor"

For rows of bays, gang plates mount 3 or 5 TufLuck units on a single steel plate. That means fewer holes in the floor and a neater installation than fixing every unit separately.

"Our slab can't be drilled"

This comes up a lot in underground car parks, where services may run beneath the floor. For these sites there is a wall-mount bracket option: steel brackets bolt to the wall, so the slab doesn't need drilling at all.

"Our layout is awkward"

Few car parks are perfectly regular. Custom layouts are available, including corner bays and mixed configurations, so the installation can be designed around the space you actually have. Optional guard rails can also be added on each side of a bay.

"Will it be a trip hazard?"

At 50cm tall and finished in high-visibility red, TufLuck is easy to see under car park lighting. It locks from the left or the right, so it works whichever way your bays face.

Security that stands up to testing

Operators need to be confident the security is real, not just a deterrent. TufLuck holds Sold Secure Diamond as a bolted ground anchor and as a free-standing wheel clamp. It is the only universal ground anchor, and the only removable one.

In the Bennetts BikeSocial review by John Milbank in December 2025, TufLuck was attacked with a drill, a sledgehammer, a reciprocating saw and an angle grinder. It passed every attack, and the tester gave up on the grinder.

The construction is simple and tough: 6mm folded, seam-welded steel, a 25mm case-hardened pin and a 45kg unit that ships with 6 M12 bolts and can take up to 9. It fits front wheels from 15 to 21 inches and tyres from 90 to 128mm, so it suits the vast range of bikes your riders are likely to bring. It is made in Britain and comes with a lifetime warranty (25% off a replacement unit).

No running costs, no maintenance

Many parking technologies come with ongoing costs: power, connectivity, software licences or service visits. TufLuck has none of those. There are no electronics to fail and no subscription to renew. There is no maintenance, and cleaning is quick and easy. Once the units are fitted, the bays simply do their job.

That matters when you are working out whether secure motorcycle parking will pay for itself. Every pound a rider pays for a secure bay is income, not a contribution towards running the system.

Already working underground

One customer has already fitted five TufLuck units in an underground car park. We'll be sharing the full case study soon, including the layout and how the bays are used. In the meantime, if you run a similar site, we're happy to talk through what might work for you.

Planning your motorcycle parking bay upgrade

If you are thinking about adding secure motorcycle parking to your car park, a few questions will help shape the right setup:

• How many motorcycle bays do you have now, and how many could you add?
• Can the floor be drilled, or would a wall-mount bracket be better?
• Are the bays in a row (ideal for gang plates) or spread around the site?
• Do you want to charge for the bays, include them for tenants or residents, or both?

You can read more about layouts, fitting options and charging for bays on our secure motorcycle parking for car parks page. To find out more about the TufLuck unit itself, visit tufluck.co.uk, or get in touch to arrange a site assessment.