I rode a Ducati for the first time today. Oh. My. God. I've ordered a 1200 S Touring in red with satellite tracker and engine bars. The engine is unearthly, and what a sound! The bike is as light as my 650 Versys and does everything incredibly well. Wind protection was spot-on, the skyhook kept it all planted nicely and my mate who came out with me on his Z1000SX couldn't keep up and has never seen me corner like that before. He kept saying to himself as opportunities arose, "come on Mark, almost ready to go for that overtake. Oh, he's gone". I hope to get the phone call to pick it up next weekend, but it might be three weeks if it has to come from the factory. Thanks to Sergio at Ducati Manchester for the ride and the deal. I can't wait!
Welcome to the fold mate, did the same move 650 Versys to Multi - the Versys isn't even in the same game let alone the same league by comparison - it really is confidence inspiring to ride.
I was the tall bald bloke in the hi-vis Rev It jacket, carrying a yellow Shoei. With a big daft grin and an empty bank account.
There was two in high viz jackets. I assume you weren't the one on the "police bike" lookalike were you?
I had a great ride out on mine today, I honestly believe its one of the fastest A to B road bikes I've ridden. Don't get me wrong I've ridden faster bikes but I'm struggling to think of one where I can cover ground with such ease as I can with the multi. They handle superbly
Took a Multi out for test ride. Guess what happened next....... conrod come through the side of the block
Congrats Mr English, another one gets hooked. and just for the record I wouldn't go telling every one your getting a tracker fitted, it kind of defeats the object.
Problem is if people know you have one it's simply removed from the bike. It's not a theft deterrent, it's to help recovery and prosecution really. Biketrac is £99 a year, discounts on 2 and three year subscriptions (180 and 230 respectively) + 3 months free until the end of the month IIRC too. Assuming this is what he had fitted as Ducati are doing them at the moment with certain bikes from what I have seen and was offered one when I purchased mine last week.
Moocow if2 similar bikes next to each other, one you think has biketrac and the other does not, which one would you take? I rather prevent someone stealing, than let them steal it knowing I have a greater chance of getting it back, which is why some people do not like tracking devices, once it has been stolen many do not want it back. I also wonder how your insurance premium would change if you reported it stolen, but got it back, I bet it would still go up as you have made a claim, or you are at a risk of a claim, which is how insurer's view people now days if they have made a claim or not.
As an opportunist, yes I would give the tracked bike a miss, as a pro though I would simply remove the thing and leave it at the side of the road after having activated my £100 GPS/phone blocker from eBay while I chuck it in the back of a van. Yes a blocker is cheaper and more readily available than a sodding GPS tracker. Go figure... I understand entirely what you are saying MadProff, but I still wouldn't go putting a sticker on there advertising its presence. A better visual deterrent would be a marking system - Alphadot or Datatag for £50. If you tell people it has a tracker it is fairly trivial to gain access to and remove the device on any motorbike (perhaps with the exception of something with heavy fairings like a Goldwing etc). Limited places to hide it on a motorbike and not be able to get to wtihin about 5 minutes with an allen key really - especially on the MS, there are about 2 or 3 places suitable I have found for electronic gadgetry.
I've contacted Ducati and they aren't going to put a tracker on it. Instead there's going to be a 2ft metal spike that pops up through the seat if someone without the key sits on it. Alert the Liverpool hospitals. Actually, don't all new bikes come with DataTag these days? I noticed the demo multi had it. Hear that bike thieves?! I wasn't the one on a police look a like bike yesterday at Manchester, but I suppose my riding gear looked a bit police-ish with the black/hi-vis jacket and black trousers. El Toro - were you the bloke I interrupted talking to Sergio when I came back with the demo bike key? Sorry about that, but I was over 30mins later back that we were asked to take it out for maximum. I did fill it with petrol for them though.
No I was talking to Martin about the possibility of p/x'ing my 848 EC SE for a 899. I had black leathers and a dark blue fleece over the top.
Don't know if this is right but I was informed that the police could use your tracker to check if you've been naughty or not, if they know you have one fitted
More likely a pro thief stealing a multistrada with its chipped key , pro thief would have that tracker off in minutes then gaffer tape it to a stray dog , police traffic units would be chassing a dog all over the place !! Smart water , Alpha dot marked up bikes still get robbed ...........theif doesnt care ,theres always someone out there who would still have marked bits . Yes, you have to do what you can to prevent it from being stolen , if you get a 19mm uncropable almax chain and put it through the wheels ,theif comes along and two of em lift it into a van , put the chain around a post or something ....theif comes with a petrol whizzer and cuts the post down , oportunist theif knows they carnt take a modern bike with a chipped key because they carnt get them running , most go into back of vans and off
That's the way I see it too. If someone is really determined to steal your bike, they'll find a way to do it. Massive bolt cutters, petrol angle grinder, scaffolding poles and a Transit van will beat any security system. Not to say we should leave them to it and rely on insurance though. It should be written into law that all thieves have no rights whatsoever when caught in the act or in possession of other peoples hard earned stuff. Thieving would be only one of the things they'll never do again - like eating solid food or holding their dicks.
