Well shortly i will be taking delivery of the DVT and whilst thinking of alarms and how pointless they are nowadays and the fact my T9 used to break down regular due to the shite alarm that was not compatible with Italian electrics [emoji91] , so I'm thinking towards a tracking device. Any advise on what tracker is worth buying would be much appreciated. Thx [emoji6]
Roadangel BikeTrac is pretty much the standard in bike trackers AFAIK. BUT bare in mind that you get no extra discount on your insurance (discount applies to any single piece of security fitted be it a Thatcham/Sold Secure lock and chain, ground anchor, tracker or alarm) and there's a subscription each year on top of the price (1 year - £99, 2 years £180, 3 years - £230). If you do decide to get one keep it to yourself, because they can be removed in seconds if a thief knows it has one, there is limited places you can hide one on a bike bar something like a Gold Wing. Or you can spend £50 on some cheap Chinese thing and hope it works when you need it.
Depends of its insurance led. You can buy a cheap gps thingy off ebay, payg sim card, covert install somewhere and power and done. Text if some scumbag moves it! Or pay 300 plus 100 per year
Well I've been looking at the self-contained Oxford GPS tracker. No wires, self powered for (they say) 10 years. Just find somewhere to tuck it away and you're sorted. Oxford GPS Tracker System | Motorcycle GPS Tracking Unit I recall there's an annual subscription for it. Can't remember how much. It does all the usual stuff - geofencing, movement activation, embedded SIM card etc. I haven't pulled the trigger yet - I'm looking for reviews of anyone who has one. Seems like a sensible idea though, and if you've locked the bike up in your garage you can always remove the tracker and pop it in your wife's car to see what she's up to. Ooops - did I say that?
Be interesting to know if they work properly when you need it to. Not doubting they "sort of" do the job but being reliant on a single mobile network provider to get a signal everywhere is not exactly a great idea - I would be lucky if any one network managed to get a signal in my garage at all - the likes of Biketrac and AMI AT5 use roaming network SIM cards, not sure if you can get these yourself? They are also totally reliant on GPS alone, which is not always enough to identify a single lockup or garage that your bike is been held in - hence the paid for boxes use RF also. Quick edit - for the eBay special trackers, something worth looking into - Anywhere Sim - not out yet but due soon. Its a new SIM which automatically goes on any UK network available. Great idea.
Mate of mine had a tracker on his Pani. It got nicked from central London , he was on the case immediately , called the old bill, told them where the bike was in real time, kept them informed from central London all the way to the tunnels under Canary Wharf. The police kept on saying there were no units available to help. It would appear the tracker was removed here, bike never to be seen again. Is the tracker of any use?
I'd arranged to have a Tracker fitted to my new bike at the dealers before I took delivery. A couple of days before the installation date, Tracker phoned to say they didn't have an engineer familiar with motorcycles available and could only do the install a couple of weeks later. I then phoned my insurance broker (Ducati Insurance), they said I could pay £70 to change the policy to remove the Tracker (for the 6 months remaining) and then once installed I could add it back to the policy for £35. So I decided not to bother having one fitted this time, given the very high cost of the Tracker unit, installation and subscription compared to the reduction in insurance premium. I seem to remember that they insisted on a tracking device when I insured my first Multistrada (back in 2010). Maybe the'll insist again when I renew my policy in November.
Maybe the tracker is ineffective without police support. And it is very low on their list of priorities. Even if every bike has a tracker fitted, it's useless if the police cannot be of assistance.
I'm told its only the police traffic vehicles with 4 aerials on the roof that have the ability to track a tracker, not sure how true that is ! Skytag allows the user track ability within metres and several other options, there's probably only a short period of time to get your bike back in one piece but if I knew where my bike was I would be promptly round the gaff with a few mates.
Once bought a car with a tracker already fitted, Tracker wanted £100 to register me for a year. Called my insurance company to find out how much my annual premium would be affected if the tracker was deactivated, reply £5:00. Told Tracker not to bother. If someone pinches my car or bike, I don't want it back, they will damage or destroy it then I get it back repaired but the bike or car will never be the same again. I have insurance to cover the loss, hopefully I will never have to use it.
So what extra are yiu getting then @Moocow ? Not the sales blurb they spout but in reality? Monitor your bike? Cheap does that. Monitor its moved? Monitor where its been taken to? Cheap does that. Cakk the police? You have to do that.
I have had a BikeTrac fitted on all my bikes don't like alarms, its peace of mind the bike lets you know if someone sits on her or moved instantly also has a rider down mode that will text family to say where you are. I am happy to subscribe.
Hey bradders, like said you have some extras in there. First up I would trust the service more than the cheap tracker, not doubting it works but security on my MTS is not something I personally skimp on. The cheap tracker yes you call the police if you get the message versus Biketrac ringing you up then doing it for you as well as the SMS alert. You have online tracking too not so much use to most sure, but may be handy for those that tour or use bike for business purposes. I personally use it for logging my business miles on the bike. You got bike down alert, one false alert on that since I got it but a week later they sent out an update for it and been fine since. Gave the wife a scare though LOL. The device itself adds a couple of things not on the cheaper end too. Primary one being RF which gives the police the exact location once they get within the GPS area with the right equipment. I have read accounts of them not being able to get a search warrant when the exact premises can't be identified through GPS alone though can't remember off hand if that was on a manufacturer website or other source. EDIT - it does look like that info is on the BikeTrac website so not sure how "true" that really is. We also have the multi network of the onboard SIM card, when signal is dodgy on one it switches to a other giving you a bit of backup. The service centre also get triangulation information from cell signal towers giving you further fallback if necessary - GPS needs a clear view of the sky. For less than a tenner a month it gives me some piece of mind to be honest. Saying that, I doubt I will keep it going on my next bike once the sub runs out as the opportunity for the bike to be stolen hasn't been high given as its in a secure private car park during the working day and we'll tucked up at night. Not sure how PAYG sim cards work, but I thought you have to top up a certain amount a month for texts minutes data etc? Take that into account and that 8.25 a month on it doesn't seem out of place to me personally
Has anyone read reviews of the autocom tracker, no subscriptions fees as it works purely from a SIM card, thinking of going with Giffgaff as dirt cheap but still waiting for reviews before biting the bullet
I have two trackers fitted to my bike. First is simply called tracker and is on a lifetime subscription . They find it and retrieve it if pinched . Only thing is that the one i have you cant locate it yourself . Hence the second one , GPS+GSM+SMS/GPRS tracker GT100,Anti-theft,SOS Vehicle Motorcycle GPS Tracker | eBay , it works fantastic . Put a tescos 2g card with £20 on it and can track where it is or where ive been .
BikeTrac for me. Deactivated the bike down alerts though as it kept going off. Not even when banked over but just cruising along motorways it would text my missus saying I was off. RF locating is an added bonus they can use should signal be patchy. Hope to never need it but it gives me more peace of mind than any alarm ever has. I also love that bikes get away with parking pretty much anywhere. A few weeks ago we went down to Portsmouth and parked on a busy pavement, chained to a lamppost and not a hint of a ticket.
