So you’re riding along, enjoying your day, and decide to stop for a coffee or a short walk. How do you make sure your gear stays where you left it?

Leaving it on the handlebars may be tempting, but your helmet is your most valuable piece of gear – so make sure you look after it!

Here’s some motorcycle helmet safety tips to help you along.

• Stash it away.

Put it in you panniers, top box, or duffel bag: even if you can’t always lock your luggage, your helmet will at least be out of sight and won’t tempt the opportunistic thief.

• Lock it to your handlebars.

There are several helmet locks available, but the best thing about them is that you can simply lock them onto your handlebars and forget all about them while you’re riding. When you need to lock your helmet down, just pop it open, click it back in place, and off you go! We like this simple Helmet Lok solution from Revzilla.

• Lock it and protect it with a screamer.

Want something a little more sturdy than a fancy carabiner? Check out this badass lock with a built-in alarm: its primary use is a disc lock, but it can work as a helmet lock just as well. The best part? If anybody tries to mess with it, it will emit an ear-splitting scream!

• Put a cable through it

A simple bike cable will do: just run it through your helmet and gear, lock it on your luggage rack or bike frame, and you’re good to go. There’s a variety of bike cables available, from simple and cheap to some serious hardware that may thin your pocket a little more.

• Do It Yourself!

We found this cool little motorcycle lock DIY video on Youtube: the solution is simple, smart, and elegant!

What do you use to lock your helmet while you’re off the bike? Let us know in the comments below!