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Iron Butt
Posts: 691
Manchester, CT | Fellow riders,
I am looking for security options based on your experiences. I know there are devices based on GPS that will alert you via a smartphone, PC etc. I am familiar with LoJack but I am not convinced its the best solution due to its coverage gaps and cost.
Any and all input and suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Kind Regards
Tom "Street Eagle"
2013 Victory Vision
1982 Kawasaki KZ550 |
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Visionary
Posts: 1229
Rancho Cucamonga, CA | There are tons of gps trackers on the market now that use cell phone service to track the bike (or whatever it is you want to track). You can get cell accounts for these for as low as $3/mo. Those setups will not tell you when your bike is stolen unless you have predesignated geofences though. rLink has a motorcycle alarm with all the buzzers and wistles, including cell phone gps tracking for about $400 + $10/mo. I did a writeup on it a while ago, http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=7663&pos... I stopped using it howeber when it wouldn't recognize my key fob and I got tired of having to activate/deactivate by cell phone.
Now I'm looking at more long distance riding and will probably be getting a Spot satellite tracker. They have a new model, the Hug, that will inform you by SMS or email anytime your bike is moved without authorization giving you its gps coordinates. $300 + $12.50/mo for satellite tracking and security sounds pretty good.
Edited by Nozzledog 2013-02-25 5:11 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1066
Peru, IN | Do you want something to deter a would be thief or something that will track your bike after it's been stolen? I'd rather have something that would deter a would be thief. If it gets stolen, I have insurance. Same reason I wouldn't risk my life to save my bike. You want it, take it. Gorilla Alarm is a good, low cost (under $100) alarm. FWIW, LoJack won't deter anybody as nobody knows it's there. Just because there's a sticker that says "Secured with LoJack", that doesn't mean it'll chirp and whistle if someone makes off with it. On a car, the can hide the LoJack transmitter pretty well. Not so much on a bike. I'm no criminal but I'll bet I could find a LoJack transmitter, rip it out and make off with just about any bike in less than 10 minutes. If you don't have something that makes noise and/or flashes your lights, a thief has all the time in the world. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 231
Desert Hot Springs (Palm Springs area), CA | + 1 on the Gorilla... |
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| I think your first questions should be, do you need one?
It's not a HD so they aren't stealing to sell parts.
What are you going to do if your cell rings, you go to check the bike and 4 guys are lifting it into the back of a stolen truck?
If it's recovered will it be worth keeping?
When I bought my '99 brand new I looked into alarms and such. Nothing looked like it would solve the problem no matter what the cost. I bought a full cover for my 10th Anny and use it for weather rather than security.
Best security is not to park it in bad areas. Don't stay in the seedy side of town.
Security systems don't secure leaving the keys in her. I have a real bad habit of doing it. Done it at Sturgis, done it at Myrtle Beach Bike Week. More than once. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1117
Northeast Ohio | I agree withe RedRider's first question / line - I had the Scorpio i900 on my 2008. Used it like 3 times for overnight trips when I first got the bike. Haven't used it since.
Great product and their products are completely plug-and-play.
http://www.scorpioalarms.com/products/motorcycle |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 623
| Never use one myself, just don't see the need |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 691
Manchester, CT | Really appreciate everyone's feedback. Based on the comments, at the end of the day, an alarm is the way to go.
Thanks!
Tom |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | jeffmack - 2013-02-26 3:07 PM
Never use one myself, just don't see the need
I make it a rule to never find myself somewhere where I feel the need to have a theft alarm. That gives me about 90% of the country to play in.
Ronnie |
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Cruiser
Posts: 155
Stockton, California | Like ScoreBo I have the Scorpio i900 on my 2010. I like it just because it keeps people from getting too close. (It chirps when people are close to it). So people are less likely to mess with it. It basically keeps honest people honest. Just gives a little peace of mind when traveling. Also, I always cover my bike when staying overnight and I think that is even more important then the alarm. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 208
Edmonton Alberta, Canada | My bike is parked in my garage at night, and at work it is parked close to my office. When traveling, it is usually with in eye sight or if at a hotel either outside my room or parked beside the main entrance. You talk nicely to the front desk people and they keep a very good eye on it. I have never had any problems. When was the last time you heard a car alarm go off and see people running to see what is up? Most everyone just shrug and go about their stuff. My nephew had his bike stolen, but he lived in a high rise apartment. Would be very easy to cut battery cable and go anyway. If make you sleep better at night, get one! Good luck. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1066
Peru, IN | An alarm will only keep mostly honest people honest. The good thing about adding either an alarm or a locator (i.e. LoJack) is a cut in insurance rates. Geico offers something like a 10% discount for an alarm and a 15% discount for an alarm PLUS LoJack. Adding a $75 alarm would pay for itself in a year or less. Adding LoJack wouldn't ever pay for itself. I can see LoJack if you live in a relatively high crime area (Detroit, NYC, Houston, etc) just for peace of mind although, like I said earlier, there just aren't that many places to hide the transmitter on a bike so it would be fairly easy to find. |
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