View Full Version : Alarm or Not to Alarm!!
Samurai
22-02-06, 02:17 PM
looking to buy a a mew bike and wondered what people thought about alarms,
i had a meta alarm on my old bike and the new one doesn't have one.
Is it worth getting a Datatool System 4 fitted for £300 or just get something that makes a noise, solo alarm etc. :?:
Thanks :D
wyrdness
22-02-06, 02:23 PM
I'd go for an alarm, but I'm not convinced that the datatool is worth the money. I've got a datatool 3 on my bike and don't like it as much as the spyball on my previous bike.
just spend the money on a big ****-off chain + padlock,much btr ,alarms are bollox :wink:
wyrdness
22-02-06, 02:33 PM
just spend the money on a big f*ck-off chain + padlock,much btr ,alarms are bollox :wink:
Disagree. Check this thread:
http://forums.sv650.org/viewtopic.php?t=32903&highlight=stolen
They had three bikes stolen. The thieving scum left two others with alarms.
I'm also certain that if I'd had an alarm/immobiliser on my SV it wouldn't have been nicked by joyriders. Now I have an alarm, big padlock & chain and ground anchor.
Samurai
22-02-06, 02:37 PM
definatly going to get an alarm after one of my old bikes was stolen and that was locked up etc.
just don't know whether to spend loads on good alarm or get a cheap one that just makes a noise
If you get a chain, get an almax one.
wyrdness
22-02-06, 02:43 PM
definatly going to get an alarm after one of my old bikes was stolen and that was locked up etc.
just don't know whether to spend loads on good alarm or get a cheap one that just makes a noise
I just posted this to the other alarm thread: http://www.roadracers.co.uk/alarms.htm
Samurai
22-02-06, 03:39 PM
I just posted this to the other alarm thread: http://www.roadracers.co.uk/alarms.htm
Very useful mate,
cheers :wink:
northwind
22-02-06, 04:20 PM
If you get a chain, get an almax one.
Or a dirt cheap one by anyone else. There's no effective difference between a £10 Oxford 10mm chain and a £150 one, they're both useless when attacked with decent croppers. There's just 2 chains on the market that aren't croppable- the Almax that Thor mentioned, and the new English Chain Co one. ANythign else, you might as well use the cheapest one you can find IMO.
Alarms though... Definately don't get an immobliser only, waste of money. If yoyu get an alarm that'll repay your excess in the event of a theft, that's a much better option I reckon.
stewboy
22-02-06, 10:25 PM
get an alarm mate ...
you can get a data tool system 3 alarm on ebay for £140 ....
thast what i have done twice
the guys name on ebay it poppythedog
Biker Biggles
22-02-06, 10:32 PM
I hate alarms.If they don't leave you stranded by imobilising the bike they will drain your battery or go off for no reason in the middle of the night.Failing that lot it will fail to go off when some scroat nicks the bike.If you gotta have it you gotta have it but I'd avoid it if poss.
Anonymous
22-02-06, 11:18 PM
It's difficult to find any real evidence that alarms are effective. It's easier to find evidence where they haven't had any effect at all.
Immobilisers are good on cars, but I don't think there are a lot of cases of bikes being hot-wired and driven away.
Truth is, if someone wants your bike badly enough, they'll have it....bolt cropper on chain, sling bike in back of van. Away. Good-bye.
I had a Abletronics alarm which cost me £600 fitted, worked fine for a year or so, gave me nothing but problems after that, now i got a cheatha alarm from E-Bay, cost me £30 just to make a noise and wake me up if someone trys it............then i spent £15 on a big heavy baseball bat which is next to the door :twisted: :twisted:
petevtwin650
23-02-06, 08:42 AM
I don't like alarms on bikes.
However When I bought my Sv 3 years ago it had a Datatool 3 on it. Never had a momoents problem and thats in 45,000 miles. Best bit is being able leave outside the house and hear the alarm go off if the local kids try and sit on it. It's also easy to deactivate the alarm for when it's indoors so the cats don't set it off. Incidentally, the bike is still on the original battery too.
Just bought a newer curvey though and it's got a Neta Alarm. So far not impressed. Have to actively prime the motion alarm otherwise it's just immobilised, and it only goes into sleep mode after a couple of weeks or something.
So there you go.
From an insurance perspective - do any particular alarms reduce premiums more than others?
I would not be without an alarm. At the end of the day if they want your bike they will take it. However an alarm will make it a lil more difficult for them and also alert u if kids try sitting on the bike. I had a car reverse into a previous bike and set the alarm off while i was in a shop and when i came out someone had taken the car reg down. The car had drove off but my alarm had got the attention of the witness :D
lukemillar
23-02-06, 09:54 AM
From an insurance perspective - do any particular alarms reduce premiums more than others?
This is an interesting point. I park my bike outside, but on a driveway and have an English chain and alarmed disc lock. I looked into spending 350 on a datatool, and then checked to see how much it would knock off the premium - 15 quid!
From an insurance perspective - do any particular alarms reduce premiums more than others?
This is an interesting point. I park my bike outside, but on a driveway and have an English chain and alarmed disc lock. I looked into spending 350 on a datatool, and then checked to see how much it would knock off the premium - 15 quid!
I use an English chain (superlink), alarmed disc lock (Xena), Oxford boss disc lock and still went with the alarm :D
From an insurance perspective - do any particular alarms reduce premiums more than others?
This is an interesting point. I park my bike outside, but on a driveway and have an English chain and alarmed disc lock. I looked into spending 350 on a datatool, and then checked to see how much it would knock off the premium - 15 quid!
I guess I wont be spending money on an alarm then - as it sits locked in my garage and comes out on the weekend jaunts
wheelnut
12-03-06, 05:48 PM
I have been asking myself the same question as the original poster.
Has anyone got any experience of the Suzuki alarm? any problems foibles etc?
I have a Meta 357T on my old bike and its a tidy job with a proper key and button. Never had a problem with the alarm although I did get the key wet through at Donington last year and it wouldnt disarm
Just wondering what type to order
Meta and Suzuki are similar in price
i have the meta alarm.
its slightly louder than the datatool alarm.
only had trouble with it when i got the key fob wet and wouldnt disarm.,
but thats what the override code is for, its worth learning the override code incase it ever does play up.
but 2 years of owning my bike, the alarm has never been triggered by theives or kids or anyone.
Tbh, when I looked into it, the insurance company is more interested in the fact the bike is in a garage or on the road. To me, its not worth spending £350 on an alarm when it only makes £30 difference in the insurance premium. I have the bike chained to a tree, that will do.
If you get a chain, get an almax one.
:thumbsup: money well spent in my opinion.
kwak zzr
13-03-06, 03:39 PM
i dont do alarms either, ive had trouble with 2 of them and both have left me stranded when the imobilizers wouldnt turn off.
as for a big lock and chain, i dont do them either :?
if a proffesional theif is going to steal your bike he will take some stopping!
few big lads, merc sprinter, bolt croppers, they aint too bother'd if its making a noise it will be gone in 60 seconds.
northwind
13-03-06, 04:56 PM
Can't crop an Almax series 3 with hand crops though.
kwak zzr
13-03-06, 05:22 PM
Can't crop an Almax series 3 with hand crops though.
i think that was the one they had at the NEC trying to cut through it on there stand, it was the prob the best ive seen.
tomjones2
13-03-06, 08:30 PM
[quote=lukemillar]
I use an English chain (superlink), alarmed disc lock (Xena), Oxford boss disc lock and still went with the alarm :D
I have one of those alarmed disc locks and i cant get on with it, when it rains the water seems to pour into the sensor and it just keeps going off, its also gone a bit rusty in the months before winter started. The chain that come with it looks effective but i bet someone could get thorough it if they tired, but its better than nothing.
northwind
13-03-06, 09:22 PM
Can't crop an Almax series 3 with hand crops though.
i think that was the one they had at the NEC trying to cut through it on there stand, it was the prob the best ive seen.
The very same- it's the only one they sell now. Very hefty, though.
Can't crop an Almax series 3 with hand crops though.
i think that was the one they had at the NEC trying to cut through it on there stand, it was the prob the best ive seen.
The very same- it's the only one they sell now. Very hefty, though.
Yep, they are heavy! I've got a couple of them and use them to chain my bike to a tree.
Can't crop an Almax series 3 with hand crops though.
i think that was the one they had at the NEC trying to cut through it on there stand, it was the prob the best ive seen.
The very same- it's the only one they sell now. Very hefty, though.
Yep, they are heavy! I've got a couple of them and use them to chain my bike to a tree.
So they would probably cut the tree down then !!
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Hey Kate, number of bikes you've got outside yours you'll have to talk the local council into having more trees put up outside yours, big fully grown ones mind :wink: :lol:
:edit: I got about £3 off my insurance for my alarm, so was glad the last owner absorbed the cost of fitting it, as it adds nothing to the retail value of the bike!
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