Alarm or no alarm
 

Im wondering whether to fit an alarm to my XT600E...

Not an imobiliser, just a siren alarm.

Worth it ???


All views welcome. ta

Yeh! The kids will love it:thumbup1: I prefer a good lock and chain, than flat battery:censored: , it depends on where you intend parking the bike. I personally hate the things, but are a must have in some parts of the UK:thumbdown:

Trophymick

For south America.. just thinking for when the bikes on the street and I cant keep an eye on it.

Big YES from me
 

I put an $80 gorilla alarm on my bike and am now a huge fan. In those places where bikes are a novelty and people don't understand the whole private property thing it works a treat. All over the middle east I've had people handle the bike to make space for a car - gets rid of them quick smart. Park in front of restaurants/cafes etc (esp in south Asia) and people will use the bike to sit/lean on while they drink their tea. I recently ran down to my shared garage (where someone else's bike was recently tampered with) when the siren went off to find no-one about (run off no doubt). The best thing is the piece of mind when you leave the bike fully-loaded to duck into a shop etc and you don't want to secure all your stuff.

The alarm is ear-splittingly loud and attracts heaps of attention. It (like many alarms) is set to run for only 60 seconds and so it won't run down your battery (but will re-activate if the bad guys return). I fitted it myself (took about 30 minutes).

The down side is it is quite sensitive and there is quite some fiddling to correctly set it up. I once returned to the bike to find shop owners complaining about the alarm which kept going off through the day - it was a particularly windy day and this kept setting it off. Another issue was the lithium battery that powered the remote was tough to come by when I was in northern Syria so I didn't have the alarm for a while.

When I travel I use a disk-lock, one of those stainless steel nets that fits over my panniers and holds my riding gear (can't remember what it's called), a full bike cover, and I flick a cut-off switch. Might seem like overkill but I hate worrying about the bike when I am supposed to be having fun while on a trip.

Hope that rant helps.
Brett

+1 on the gorilla. so cheap, and still so good. can't believed it lasted our last (very bumpy) trip. Still going....

Be alarmed!
 

I go along with what Brett says above. You can't have enough security unless you're permanently away from 'civilisation'.

I'm currently using a strong chain and an Oxford Boss Alarm Disc Lock in the garage but I'd also like to install an alarm for the reasons Brett gives. The big chain and padlock are too big to carry permanently although the Disc Lock works either as a padlock on the chain or straight on the brake disc.

The Gorilla seems to be good for its price. Is there anyone out there who can help me decide by giving feedback on a Chatterbox which is a similar price?
Stephan

My alarm also cuts the ignition, which is ok when in Europe and near to a service centre, but I would be concerned about it failing in the middle of Africa, and totally imobilising my bike. The wiring look complicated and took an engineer several hours to fit.
That gorilla sounds a much better option, with just a motion detector, and self-fit as well. If it fails, it won't leave you stranded.
Why did I have the 'complicated' one fitted? - it cut my insurance costs enough to justify having fitted.
Bill

+ 1 on the Gorrilla alarm. I put one on my bike before my RTW trip and it was very handy.

Yo

Can you tell me which one it was specifically and how much it was ??

Direct to battery.. Does that mean that its not wired into the loom anywhere and can be easily disconnected ???

Cheers

Ed

I have an extra fuse box wired into my bike to cope with all the extra crap I have connected. But there is no need to do this. The alarm can be directly wired to the battery terminals (it has its own fuse). My alarm is mounted (with velcro) in the area under the seat where the tools would normally be kept. Of course the alarm is easy to disconnect once the seat is off, but that's tough without the key. It's true someone could lever the seat off and quickly disconnect the alarm while it's screaming - but then it would cost a lot more money for a alarm that is more securely wired. I bought mine online (can't remember where) but they are widely available from bike shops.

I can't praise any further than this.

You'd be stupid not to get it for the price.......

Gorilla Remote Alarm :: Security :: Prevent Or Repair :: Aerostich/RiderWearHouse Motorcycle Jackets, Suits, Clothing, & Gear

They look good but i'v recently been stung by customs from buying from the US

Alarm $97
Shipping $55

Customs bill = £30

Thats £105 total.

Sod it... iv just ordered one. :D

Build your own...
 

I think a alarm is very handy in un-developed countries. Even if your bike is
parked inside the hotel, the hotel-guy's or other guests will still "mess" with it.
Touching and trying all buttons and naturaly, dropping it while trying to sit on
it.:(

So, I made a highly sophisticated, state-of-the-art alarm from a siren (10 U$)
a 12 volt car-relais (1 U$) a mercury-switch from a heating-thermostat (3
U$), a small switch (0.5 U$) and some wire.:eek2:

The mercury-switch (a small glass tube with two contacts and a drop of
mercury) makes contact when in upright position. When the bike is on the
side-stand it does not make contact.

The small switch (in a hidden place) switches the system on and off.

If the bike is lifted of the side-stand the mercury-switch makes contact and
powers the relais. The output of the relais goes to the siren and goes back to
the coil-inut, keeping the relais on even if the merucry-switch is disconnected
again.
The only way to switch the siren off, is via the hidden switch.

The system is so simple it can not fail or break. It does not use any batery-
power when "armed" (so it an be on for months). and it can not have "false
alarm" (unless the wind is so strong it throws over the bike).

Only down-side (besides waking up the entire hotel:whistling: ) is that you have to
switch it off manualy. I am looking for a simple "time-delay-relais" but that is
not easy.
When I asked radio-shack they had no clue what I was talking about and just
wanted to sell me some batteries or a phone. (progress???)

Maarten:mchappy:

Diy
 

In the UK you can buy a motorcycle alarm module for £4! - Motorbike Alarm Module

Jut wire it into your horn circuit. :thumbup1: (with a switch:oops2:)

John

Hi Ted,

I got an Acumen alarm from Hein Gericke for £40. It connects straight to the battery and goes of if anyone knocks into the bike. It can be set for sensitivity.
OK so if you knew it was there it would be very easy to undo, but I got it to ward off opportunist theifs who might try and break into my boxes while I'm in a shop, or even just throw the thing on the back of a truck.
It was a great help to my piece of mind when travelling and continues to be now, when I go and have my lunch when I'm off up north camping, and don't want anyone to nick my boxes.
The fact is that alarms seem to be pretty rare on bikes, so few people expect them to be fitted, and it's this that helps the effectiveness. If someone is tinkering with your bike and gets a sudden unexpected blast of sound it's pretty sure to stop them in their tracks.

As to kids setting it off repeatedly; I've never experienced it myself, but if it did happen somewhere, you can always turn the thing off!

Definately one of the best £40 I've ever spent!

Matt

Just had a look at that, that's a real bargain! :)

Not bad is it! They used to do DIY kits for all sorts of applications including alarms.
They would give you all the parts and a diagram but they have become a bit more "supermarket" like... tend to only stock fast movers.

This little modul fills the gap though :D

That is the mercury switch
 

That is the mercury switch I took out of a heater-thermostat. I would not call that a bike-alarm. Just a part of it.

Maarten:mchappy:

Still looking for a time-delayed-relais...:closedeyes:

my pennorth
 

I know a thing or two about security and can say there's nowt better than a big chain and proper lock. Thick chain is good but heavy however works anywhere. Chain your bike to something or another bike at least, if nothing else round back wheel and frame. keep padlocks off the floor.

A bike alarm is great and I would suggest getting one, however be familiar with the extra wiring if it goes wrong andyou need to get rid of it. Ive been left immobilised due to this!

My present bike has no alarm but I put a £5 rape alarm under the seat and attach the pull out pin to the back spokes(use fishing wire so they can't see), anyone tries to wheel it away I can hear 100%
Alarm and batteries are only an issue if you leave the bke stood for a while, a battery will not drain over a week.

The Gorilla alarm does not tap into any existing wiring and is as easy to install as to put a heated vest on.

Gorilla Remote Alarm :: Security :: Prevent Or Repair :: Aerostich/RiderWearHouse Motorcycle Jackets, Suits, Clothing, & Gear

I bought the Gorilla alarm due to recommendation and at the moment im thinking its a pile of junk.

Even with the sensitivity at its lowest it just goes off all the time for no reason.

I have it on in my garage and nearly everynight it goes off for no reason :confused1:

Also, i have it on when I park my bike at work within sight. Again, randomly going off with no distrubance and no wind.

Can anyone help here ????? I have mine placed where my tools were on my XT600E

http://www.tedmagnum.com/gallery/alb...Large%29~0.jpg

Ted,
I don't have any answers for you, but I'm having the same problem with my Gorilla Alarm. I am about to take it off since I never turn it on anyways with all the false alarms. I have it mounted in the same location that you do on my DR650. Has anyone found that mounting the alarm so that the siren is facing up or down rather than sideways reduces the sensitivity?
Jeff

I was thinking of wrapping mine in thin foam or bubble wrap on all sides apart from the siren. I can not mount mine anywhere else :(

I dont know if its the knock sensor which is over sensitive or the tilt sensor.

I might give gorilla a call and kick off. I cant return it though, bought it from the US so not worth the hassel.

Other people seem to be happy with it.