Motorcycle Security & Theft Prevention from mono motorcycles
Motorcycle theft doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing down, with an average of 60 bikes a day being stolen in the UK.
Despite the best efforts of our over stretched Police services; motorcycle thieves seem to be making an awful lot of money out of bikers misery.
However, motorcycle security options & precautionary measures are one way for motorcyclists to try & ensure that their motorcycles are safe & secure. There are many ways to protect your motorcycle & in this blog we are going to look at some of the security options available & other precautionary measures you can take to keep your motorcycle safe & secure.
Trackers
DATATOOL TrakKING Adventure S5, is currently the only Thatcham approved tracker in the UK. Trackers are becoming a more & more popular deterrent in the fight against bike theft, as you are 4 out of 5 times more likely to have your motorcycle returned to you, than if you did not have a tracker fitted.
Although some people are dubious about wanting their bikes returned once it has been stolen; if in the case of a theft whereby no security options were present & the motorcycle not returned, this can & will affect ongoing insurance claims & future insurance premiums. In the case of some high value motorcycles, insurance companies are refusing to insure them without proof of a tracker & in some cases a tracker & alarm combo having been fitted.
DATATOOL TrakKING Adventure S5: The theft protection activates automatically as soon as the vehicle ignition is switched off and monitors the vehicle for signs of unauthorised movement.
At the first sign of movement TrakKING Adventure will send an SMS text message to the customer advising the bike is moving.
If the movement continues and the bike is moved away from where it was parked, TrakKING Adventure will enter full alert mode and notification will be sent to the dedicated 24/7/365 Vehicle Monitoring Team who, if the bike or scooter is confirmed as stolen, will liaise with the Police to aid recovery.
Please be mindful that trackers bought from independent sources & not fitted by registered technicians, are often times sold without the benefit of a monitoring subscription.
Alarms
Alarms are a great audible deterrent & the DATATOOL S4 Red alarm, certainly lets you know when a motorcycle has moved without the owner’s permission!
The flagship alarm in the Datatool range, the renowned Datatool S4 Red. This Thatcham Category 1 approved alarm immobiliser system offers the ultimate in protection with dual circuit immobilisation, independently adjustable shock and movement sensors and customisable automatic arming.
The S4 casing is one of the smallest Thatcham approved products available, designed with the limited space on modern ABS equipped bikes in mind and features a metal nose cone to protect the siren in the event of an attack.
The only downside to using an alarm, is that often if there is no one to hear it & or as often is the case, the siren is ignored; thieves have got wise & can sadly often cut the circuitry & or have been known to pull alarms out of a motorcycle & discard them.
Physical Security – Locks, chains, covers
The mono motorcycles ethos about security, is that if you can slow a thief down, make their job difficult, then do it! Again, if you hear a biker say “Oh well, what’s the point of putting a chain on, they only go through them with a disc cutter” then that person is opening themselves up to risk.
Whether you have a ground anchor, chain, disc lock, cover or lever lock; these are all physical deterrents designed to try & slow a would be thief down.
Our advice is to always make sure you have some form of physical security on your motorcycle whether at home or when out & about. With the hidden bonus of a tracker & or alarm; you are then trying everything in your power to ensure the safety of your motorcycle, something every biker wants to do.
Precautions
- If you do have a tracker & or alarm fitted to your motorcycle, avoid telling people you don’t know & or those in a group that you have a tracker or alarm. Don’t take a photo of your motorcycle, put it on social media & then rave about the new security devices you have had fitted. News sadly travels very fast & you never ever know who is watching or listening & who fancies a challenge!
- Do not under any circumstances tag yourself on social media at your home. Not only is this a basic safety precaution to protect your home & possessions; but if you tag yourself at home with your motorcycle, it can lead thieves direct to your door.
- If you are going to take photos of your motorcycle & put them on social media feeds or in groups online; avoid including the registration plate of you or your friend’s motorcycles. It is ridiculously easy to track & trace a registration plate to someone’s home.
- Try & avoid riding through theft hot-spots by yourself. The inner cities still have problems with 2’s up riders, pushing people off (often times violently) at traffic lights & stealing bikes with the engines running & the keys still in them.
- Keep your keys well hidden & not in view when you are at home. A common theft tactic, is to smash & grab keys (for any kind of automotive vehicle) which are on view in homes & while people are asleep & before you know it your beloved machine is gone.
Don’t think “it won’t happen to me”
As bikers we are all susceptible to theft, no matter the age, CC, brand or colour of your motorcycle. It doesn’t matter if you have the very latest sports bike, a cruiser, a loved & restored classic, a 125cc or a moped; there is a market for stolen motorbikes with many of them being broken & sold as parts to unsuspecting Ebay buyers or being sold as an entire bike with false documentation.
Therefore, we all have a responsibility to ensure we take every precautionary measure to avoid the theft of our motorcycles. Sadly, with the epidemic of bike theft in some of our inner cities & in particular London; insurance underwriters have already upped insurance policies nationally in response to this.