Observation regarding battery drain.
I have my bike on an Optimate 4 Canbus and those of you that are familiar with theses will know that it has the two green lights on all the time, then when it detects a top up might be required the amber 0.2 amp light flashes for a short while, topping it up.
Prior to removing the Datatool Stealth 5 the amber light was on virtually ever time I went in the garage, to the point where I was the thinking the new battery they’d fitted might be duff.
Since I removed it the orange light is hardly ever on, leading me to conclude the tracker definitely uses a fair amount of battery.
Not scientifically measured, I know, but it’s convinced me.
Thanks for the info guys i spent an hour or so removing mine, been meaning to do it for a while but wasn't sure where it was and what it looked like
I took mine out completely but really I could have just unplugged it I suppose, it’s just sat on the shelf in the garage now.I wasn't sure either, but easy enough when you know.. Was actually unsure whether just unplugging it was all it needed, but appears so.
Disconnect mine today, I will reconnect it when I sell the bike.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yes, the socket on the right has a cap that goes into the bikes socket.
I must be one of the few who has never had a problem with anything significantly draining my bikes battery.
I have the Datatool tracker and a Denali canbus system fitted and with no Optimate connected it will go for at least 2 months without a problem (the longest I have left it).
As for the tracker, I have just returned from a long weekend in North Wales. My bike was locked and chained to my mates bike in the hotel enclosed car park when not being used.
In the bar one evening I had a text message and phone call from the Scorpion monitoring service to lete know they had received an alert from the tracker.
I rushed out to check it and found it all safe but one of the hotel workers had been looking at it (he had a Triumph 1200, and had knocked against it.
Me and the Scorpion guy were happy all was OK.
For me at least the system is well worth the annual fee.
I think the main culprit is the battery in the actual tracker. It degrades over time and as it does it starts to draw power all the time from the bikes battery. In the tracker bumf it does say the tracker battery life is limited. It looks like you can buy new li ion batteries for about £15 but changing one out might throw the alert system into meltdown!
Just over 100 quid a year is worth it for the peace of mind it brings. Someone moved my bike at work the other day and scorpion were straight on the phone to alert me. It's not going to stop your bike being stolen or fiddled with but it gives you a head start particularly when combined with a substantial chain and lock and the tracker in sensitive mode, might give you the time to intervene before your bike disappears in a van
I will pay the annual subscription to re-activate the tracking and then put the bike on my CTEK (which the dealer recommends), if it stays on a permanent trickle charge I can then buy a new Li Ion battery for the tracker unit rather than have it untracked
Wise move - a stolen and recovered bike is better than a total loss against your policy.