I had my R1 stolen this time last year, but because it has a Tracker, the Police recovered it and 5 other bikes less than 48 hours later.
What with the high number of bike thefts a year, I believe that manufacturers should now start fitting tracking devices to new bikes as standard, even if the customer has to pay extra for it.
This is now done with many performance cars like Porsches, and althoulgh the margins on bikes are a lot less, they are much easier to steal.
What do you think?
Would you be willing to pay a one time fee for a Tracker subscription for the duration that you owned the bike.
I will forward the results to the big 4 bike company UK representatives.
The duration subscription (no yearly fees) for the basic Tracker (Tracker Retrieve) is £99 on top of the unit supply and installation fee of £259. This subscription must be purchased within the first year of fitting the Tracker, otherwise there is a yearly fee of £60.
Sherrie, they don’t do a transferable subscription…Something to do with fraud and terms of getting Police backing, but I would like to see that in future too.
I would be happy to pay extra, but wouldn’t want anything fitted ‘as standard’ because as soon as manufacturers start adding these things as part of the build then the theives would learn how to defeat it, and know the same approach would work for all bikes of that model. Part of the appeal of the tracker is that it is not a standard fit and consequently is unexpected.
I had Tracker Monitor the top model. Unlike the Tracker Retrieve where you have to report the theft to Tracker before the Police begin tracking, with this one you get a phone call asking to confirm whether your bike has been moved and stolen, or if you have just moved it like into the garage. If it’s been stolen, then the Tracker is immediately activated.
It costs £399 for supply and installation and 1 years subscription.
If you pay an extra £225 within that first year of having it fitted, you get the lifetime subscription (lifetime of bike ownership). Otherwise, it costs £125 a year.
The cheaper Tracker is still a brilliant device and is very cost effective (see above).
I don’t understand people that spend thousands on a new bike and don’t get a Tracker, but just a crappy alarm that costs the same and is useless cos no Londoner gives a toss about alarms going off, even if they can see guys dressed in black and white carrying a bag with SWAG written on it.
If you continue to buy second hand bikes in future, eventually the one you buy will have a Tracker installed. Then it’s just a case of reregistering it in your name.
This can be done now too, but what can’t be done at the moment is taking your paid subscription to another bike with Tracker.
I take your point but surely if the bike is being stolen for parts, it’s a mere inconvenience that the ECU is going to be useless. Presumably its the same now for bikes with immobilisers.
you cant transfer an exisiting subscription to a new bike, it has to stay with that bike…so if you sell your bike with it the new owner has to have the new subscription, life time or not, or let it lapse, if you buy a bike with tracker then you get it,or it becomes dead weight…I think factory fit is the answer but thieves do know how to beat them. The good news with a factory fit unit is that it could be active even when removed from the bike and this could then make detection possible for a longer time…and make it even harder to sell on parts…
Its a great idea that needs to be included now…asap…editied it to make it more precise
Ive got the same one youve got. Even if the wind blows it i get a mobile call asking if i know its moving and is it secure…i recommend this one compared to the other option of the Retrieve. When i was going to a mates and knew i would be out a few hours i saw some guys in a white van pull up and were just sitting there, not getting out? i stayed in my car a while and decided to give Tracker a call, told them my address and that i was off out for the evening and told them if my bike is moved in that time, it meant someone was stealing it as i was out. They even called me at my mates place to say it hadnt been moved !! I DID have some probs with Tracker, near to boiling point but they ironed it out in the end and gave me the lifetime subscription, so im happy.
Plus whenever ive got a prob,eg i had a slide on my bike last year while out with Shewolf (hit diesel in the road, ha ha, SHE sailed right over it, dopey b***cks here, hit the patch full on!)…anyway, called them up, they sent someone and he told me that someone had tried to pull the unit out of my bike…now, i dont know…but they changed the unit for me anyway !!
Edited by Afro:Thought there was a bit too much sensitive information there mate
