GPS Tracking

Wucked

Wucked

Wucked

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Joined
19 Nov 2010
Posts
2,028
Hi,

Does anyone here have experience with GPS trackers for bikes? I'm thinking of getting one fitted to my machine, but they're quite expensive... I'm not sure if its better to try and recover a stolen bike or just let the thieves have it and get my insurance to deal with it. Insurance premiums go down a bit with one fitted, but it won't be much fun if they trash the bike before its recovered. How good are these things? Is the recovery time quick after reporting the theft? It seems that if they're connected to the battery a 'pro' thief will only have to trace the wires and rip it out, then throw it in a hedge somewhere? And that would only take a few minutes...?
 
Unless you "need" one to bring your insurance down to sensible levels I wouldn't bother, the time to recovery would still be long enough for them to completely thrash the arse off the bike or damage it enough for it to never feel right again.
 
Who goes after the bike when the tracker goes off?, if it's the cops good luck with that, by the time they get off there fat ass the bike will be stripped


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better off investing in a top quality lock n chain,or a camera if parked at home

even then they can pinch it in a few minutes,i always try and park up in busy well lit areas

alarms are decent but can be problematic at times
 
It was a toss-up between alarm and GPS but allot of people seem to ignore alarms, or hear it and run towards it with their mobiles out to post lols on youtube. Neither of which really helps much and gives me "this is why we can't have nice things..." syndrome. Still, so far GPS isn't getting allot of votes here.

It has an immobilizer and disk lock, getting a U-Lock too, but what's the best option to enhance it? Camera's at home is a decent idea, even fake ones will be a deterrent. But balaclavas are an easy counter to that. Nothing is 100% I suppose, just looking for opinions on best balance for home and away parking.
 
The GPS will be defeated by any professional thieves who will lift your bike into a shielded van. They'll have it broken and on eBay or something before it even gets to establish a satelite signal.

Alarms are great... for letting YOU know if someone is messing with the bike. The noise can deter some thieves, especially if you can emerge from the house with a baseball bat the instant it goes off.
That's the reason I liked having one. In fact I have a normal one plus an alarmed disclock as well!

Chaining your bike works exceptionally well.
Put the chain through part of the frame that isn't easily removed, NOT through a wheel. Lash it to something immovable like a wall anchor or solid railings.
Ground anchors are OK, but it's best to keep the chain well off the ground so they can't use it to brace bolt croppers.
Use a decent chain like the Almax ones and try to avoid locks where the keyway looks like the Yale one on your front door (I can rake/bump those open in under 5 seconds!).

Immobilisers are OK, but I've known several to fail and either leave the rider stranded or in a couple of cases actually cut the bike out mid-corner. It can also drain the battery if not properly wired and will even prevent bump-starting.
Alone it also does nothing to stop a thief simply lifting your bike away.

A bike cover is a surprisingly good idea. Most thieves will steal to order and so scope out an area beforehand. If they can't see what's under the cover without being spotted interfering, they'll usually just go look elsewhere.

Ultimately, if they want it they'll have it and may even use a plasma torch/thermic lance or whatever to cut through most physical security... but that is what your insurance is for.

You'll mainly want your security to stop someone from stealing your ride and leaving you stranded miles away from home!!
 
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