Daniel Morris explores how some people may be leading motorcycle thieves right to their home or garage door through their social media presence!

“Looking at a few shared Facebook posts recently, I saw a picture of two very expensive high-end superbikes which were stolen from a garage not far from where I live. With the text “Someone knew they were there” that got me thinking. How hard would it be to find where this person lives?

Well as I discovered, very easy.

First, I clicked onto the persons Facebook page.

Point one: It was open to everyone.

Point two: There was a picture of their motorcycles in their profile picture.

Point three: In their photos was a picture of the motorcycle’s registration number & the car they drive.

Next, I clicked on their about page & I found where they work, what village they live in, oh & they not only tagged themselves at home, but also at the pub! Therefore, if you were following them, you would know when they were at home, at work & out socialising. I found all this information within a few minutes. I can’t imagine how they “knew they were there”!

I recently messaged a man on a group I am in, after seeing him post a picture off his beautiful new motorcycle in front of his liveried work van. That was a really easy find. I Googled his company & there’s his address!

Thus far, two Facebook profiles which lead me directly to someone’s home address. If I was a bike thief & had seen those motorcycles & they were on my shopping list; how easy would it have been to simply go & collect them?

Other things that are worth noting. Be careful not to leave your garage door open if you are working on your motorcycle. Be mindful about where you wash your bike & that loud exhaust that “saves your life” can also attract the wrong type of attention.

Now I know sometimes even the most secure motorcycles are stolen, but let’s not make it too easy for the low life scum who want to steal them. Think about how much of your life you share on Social Media channels & how easy it would be for someone to find you!

Therefore, what can we do?

Well apart from what we have already mentioned, think about where & when you take photos of your motorcycle, your pride & joy. Is it in front of your business? your house?

Assess your internet presence, sadly you need to think like a thief & be careful where you tag yourself.

Then there’s the physical security. Locks & chains will slow thieves down & they will make a racket cutting them off. A ground anchor will also help.

Cover it up. If there are covers over a motorcycle, again this can stop prying eyes & slows potential thieves down.

Alarms sadly are not worth anything. Nobody takes any notice of them so really they are not worth the money. Data tag is only any good if your motorcycle is stolen & then cloned & this is not going to bother a thief.

The ultimate protection is a Motorcycle Tracker, not a cheap unit off eBay, but one with a monitored subscription. 

The police won’t be interested if you call them & tell them you can see your bike moving off an app on your phone. However, if a call centre with live a GPS fix can advise the location of a moving motorcycle, then the Police have an opportunity to catch the criminal in the act & there is a greater chance of retrieval.

There are really only 3 or 4 monitored trackers on the market, with the leaders in the field being Datatool & Biketrac. Both offer superb reliable service & are able to be installed within a few hours at our workshop. Datatool & BikeTrac are both Thatcham approved & both will help with your insurance premiums. Some insurers are now requesting Trackers be fitted as part of their insurance packages & insurance will only be forthcoming with a relevant fitting certificate.

At £369 (supply/fit) for the latest Datatool Stealth tracker & £399 (supply/fit) for the Biketrac unit & a monthly subscription of £10 per month, it’s a worthwhile investment. With insurance (& everything else going up!) a £500 investment at the front end of a motorcycle purchase is a lot cheaper than your insurance is going to be next year if your new Ducati is stolen from your garage.” Note: Finance options are available directly through BikeTrac

Here’s some facts & myths around Trackers. 

Most bikes with Trackers installed are stolen from garages in a van & never ridden. Fact!

90% of stolen bikes with trackers are found normally within the hour. Fact!

“If its stolen and put in a shipping container it won’t be found!”  Wrong! In alert mode a Tracker sends a GPS fix every two seconds. So even the act of moving the bike from a van into the container would have a fix good enough to find the bike.

“If my bike is stolen, I wouldn’t want it back.” 

Most motorcycles with trackers, are recovered so quickly they often have no damage.

“I don’t want my speed logged.”

Do you own a mobile phone? Do you have it on you when you ride? Well I’ve got news for you… you are being tracked all of the time. Your mobile has more data than any tracking app!”

Written by Daniel Morris – Proprietor mono motorcycles

If you are interested in security options for your motorcycle, then please do contact us at mono motorcycles for more information. T: 01243 576212 / 07899 654446 E: monomotorcycles@gmail.com or contact us through our contact page.