Someone will always want to steal your bike and it's a problem that is never going to go away. It's a case of imbalance between "the haves" and "the have not's" and it will never change so long as there are people on the planet that believe that they can short-cut some hard work and go straight to the reward. There is nothing that is going to change this. I admire the ideal that we can somehow cure the issue but short of something like the movie "Minority Report" you're pi$$ing in the wind. Contrary to what some might believe, whether your bike is recovered after being stolen or not has very little to do with your premium as they're going up anyway as the rate of theft is calculated by loss adjusters on an annual basis. The recovery of your bike equates to an almost incalculable addition to that formula. As has been highlighted in many a news article over the last few years, insurance companies use it as an excuse to profiteer, much like they do with non-blame claims - If you even think about claiming and merely mention the possibility it can actually be enough to make your premium go up. In the past I fell into a trap where whilst I was weighing up whether it was worth making a claim and I called my insurance company to get details on my insurance excess and made the mistake of explaining why. Ultimately I decided not to make a claim, but the fact that I made the call counted against me and it was recorded and I only found out at my renewal and when I enquired I was told that it was because I'd merely made an enquiry. Needless to say, my policy got moved elsewhere. What is a fact, if more people shopped around and changed insurers every time they were up for renewal, premiums would drop.
I've had two bikes stolen from London in the last 12 months !! Never had an any deterrent. Now i have biketrac, alarm and a disc lock and its a pain in the arse, albeit i can only just get insured now and that's being over 50 with NO accidents and 3 points. Apart from the false alarms when i forget to turn on the ignition best investment i ever made !!
You can set a zone for your house. Wheel it around all you like within a zone (50 yards works) and you don't get the false alarm calls. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
But if it's correct that something was mentioned in an earlier post, that if your bike is stolen and recovered and you don't make a claim. It will still be recorded as stolen and recovered, so therefore it will reduce the resale value of your bike and your premium will still go up anyway. Doesn't make financial sense to me, especially when you add on the cost a tracker ?
I has a HP4 Carbon which couldn't be insured unless it had a tracker fitted. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Had a chat with the Bike Trak man at Silverstone yesterday and learned a couple if things. There will be a new app released soon that will allow you to change the settings from a smart phone and they are going to launch a standalone rechargeable tracker that you can fit temporarily that would be ideal for something like a track bike when it's not locked up at home. One technical issue I was interested to learn, the technology doesn't like carbon bodywork because it affects the signal. Andy
The app will be the finishing touch !! At the moment you need a PC or tablet especially if you have bad eyesight like myself !! The app has been discussed for ages and i believe it is now finished and being beta tested
Not all Thief's will think there is even a tracker on the bike, certainly a few bikes are found and recovered.
I agree and resisted this for many years !! However now i have one and having had several bikes stolen, i am a convert. It can be set such that a movement of only a few feet sends an alert by email, text and a phone call to say your bike has been moved and or stolen. For me it is peace of mind and if this one is stolen it can be recovered hopefully before any real damage is done
Oiling my chain & bobbing bike up & down on center stand gives false alerts. You have the chose to lower the sensitivity level rather than create a 50/100meter security zone in which you can do what you like with the bike at home & also a work place. Just phone FLR center & ask for biketrac customer service. It's a great peice of kit frankly & I don't think any other security item will bring my bike back; other than this one.
Mines even telling me my battery voltage is low this morning. Might need to look for a new battery. My chain and ground anchor didn't have the foresight to warn me of this. Stupid chain and ground anchor! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk