Alarm, is it worth it?

[snerkler]

I'm hopefully buying a GS Adventure, I've been looking at insurance quotes and it doesn't seem to make any difference whether an alarm is fitted or not so the question is, is it worth fitting one? Overnight my bike will be in a locked alarmed garage, and it will be rare that my bike will be left unattended for long period when I'm out on a ride. From my experience people don't seem to pay much attention to alarms, but if it's going to help then it's not breaking the bank adding around £10/month extra on the PCP.

I do have a disc lock too.

 

[glenn2926]

I'm hopefully buying a GS Adventure, I've been looking at insurance quotes and it doesn't seem to make any difference whether an alarm is fitted or not so the question is, is it worth fitting one? Overnight my bike will be in a locked alarmed garage, and it will be rare that my bike will be left unattended for long period when I'm out on a ride. From my experience people don't seem to pay much attention to alarms, but if it's going to help then it's not breaking the bank adding around £10/month extra on the PCP.

I do have a disc lock too.

I don’t have an alarm on my bike. I’ve not had an alarm on any of my bikes to date. Nobody ever takes any notice of vehicle alarms. Most just find them annoying and ignore them. I have seen numerous bike owners having to push their bikes off ferries due to the alarm causing the battery to discharge on the crossing.
So in answer to your question, no they aren’t worth it in my opinion.

 

[grantmac]

Agreed. My 2021 GSA came with an alarm factory fitted. After 18 months and after a recall to update some software all went pearshaped. The alarm unit had failed. They replaced it and frankly I find it an irritation more than anything so i have it turned off most of the time.

 

[Nin]

I think BMW bike alarms aren’t Thatcham approved, that would explain why.

 

[snerkler]

Thanks all, that's that then I'll not get one. I didn't realise they weren't thatcham approved

 

[Poncherello]

I'm hopefully buying a GS Adventure, I've been looking at insurance quotes and it doesn't seem to make any difference whether an alarm is fitted or not so the question is, is it worth fitting one? Overnight my bike will be in a locked alarmed garage, and it will be rare that my bike will be left unattended for long period when I'm out on a ride. From my experience people don't seem to pay much attention to alarms, but if it's going to help then it's not breaking the bank adding around £10/month extra on the PCP.

I do have a disc lock too.

No, thieves couldn’t care less so if it’s a preventative measure, save your money. Within 20-30 seconds it’ll be in the back of an insulated van (they like old refrigerated box vans) and you can’t really hear the alarm from then on.

 

[Nin]

Get some kit from David at Pragmasis https://securityforbikes.com/index.php


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[littleade]

I had the FF alarm on my 1st GS. As @Nin says they're not Thatchem approved and mine was not worth the money. You're better off investing in other security options to create a layered approach and being careful where you park. Chaining your bike to something, using the disc lock on the rear rather than the front and using a cover all help. If you want a tracker even these make little if any difference to your premium though some insurers may insist on a Thatchem approved one. I had a factory fit datatool stealth and cancelled my subscription at the end of the free 12 months subscription as it kept giving false alarms and drained my battery. Monimoto offer a good compromise but IIRC are not Thatchem approved, probably because the alarms come to you not a 24/7 monitoring centre. My garage is alarmed and I also have a gold standard lock and ground anchor. Might be worth contacting your local crime prevention officer if your force still has one to see what the level of risk is in your area and go from there?

 

[DJ123]

A tracker would be a better investment (vs an alarm) if you're looking at it from a security perspective (it'll barely make a difference on your insurance premium).

 

[The Other PaulG]

As far as I can see, alarms and immobilisers frequently frustrate bike owners, but never thieves.

I would not have either.

 

[MotoRevive]

An alarm is only worth it if you can hear it yourself and do something about the situation.

Don't expect ANYONE to give a flying f**k if you're bike is being attacked in busy street . And probably don't expect a neighbour to help out if they hear your alarm.

BMW alarms aren't even thatcham approved so most insurers won't give you a discount. However, they could invalidate your policy if you say you have a thatham approved alarm and they find out it's just the crappy BMW alarm.


You're much better off investing in a Grinder Proof U-lock like a Litelock or Hiplock. Or getting a WIFI camera/alarm for your garage like those from Eufy.

 

[snerkler]

As far as I can see, alarms and immobilisers frequently frustrate bike owners, but never thieves.

I would not have either.

Isn’t an immobiliser standard?

 

[Victor c]

For me, who does a fair bit of camping with the bike each year, the factory fitted alarm is cheap reassurance that I will be alerted should anyone try to move the bike. Being integrated with the bikes system, it arms and disarms automatically.