Alarms

[rsvmilly]

BobM said:

rsvmilly said:

You need to ask what you want the alarm for, though. It won't reduce your insurance premium by more than about 5-10%, which means a long payback for a £300+ alarm.

Quite, which suggests either the risk of theft is relatively low (probably not true) or that alarm immobilisers only give a relatively small degree of protection.

I do like the facility to leave the alarm on - mainly against tinkerers. And a few years ago you'd struggle to insure bikes without an alarm.

But it is quite telling that when Oggs was speccing his bike, the dealer pretty much talked him out of putting an alarm on. He said that they have little effect on the premium and they are a maintenance liability - pretty honest, I thought.

[rsvmilly]

barry sheene said:

I recently bought a new 955i tiger and insured it with CN.

CN said "you must fit an alarm otherwise your policy will be void"

OK, so I buy their Datatool 4 and wait for a fitting date, and wait, and wait.
They finally give me a date, and I set about booking tickets/time off work etc (as I work abroad)

Two days later they phone me back.

"We can´t fit the Datatool as Triumph say it will void your warranty, but if you pay an additional 8 ukp we will amend your policy so you don´t need an alarm"

My sister recently bought a new 675 and was told the exact opposite. Triumph were queried about the alarm and confirmed that it wouldn't invalidate the warranty.

[Mad Dave]

Just make it's Cat 1 and pro fitted - they should give you a Certificate which you photocopy and send to your insurers.

[barry sheene]

Fnnngghghh, why am I not surprised.

Still I´m happy with the 8ukp and a feckin big chain

[hiccy]

rsvmilly said:

But it is quite telling that when Oggs was speccing his bike, the dealer pretty much talked him out of putting an alarm on. He said that they have little effect on the premium and they are a maintenance liability - pretty honest, I thought.

My dealer said the same thing when he could have charged me £300+ for fitting one. I tend to think that if someone wants it the alarm will do nowt anyway and it'll be into the back of a van and away without any onlookers batting an eyelid.

[sjtscott]

I had a Datatool System 3 on my gixer6 its motion sensor was way to sensitive and I was told that I couldn't be adjusted to make less sensitive. In any case it made zero difference in the bike being stolen.
I've never been that keen on datatool stuff and this just added to it. I had a duo immobiliser on my falco that copped out with a faulty circuit board and used to randomly strand me and the bike usually at filling stations. In any case the AA guy once got round it by jumping the live from the battery to the starter with his booster attached it just fired up!!!

My CBR600 has HISS with a chip in the ignition key and this is insurance recognized and perfect as there are no poncy movement sensors to wake me and my neighbours up by false alarms caused by wind. Also my f-off almax chain can do a better job at home thanks. So no chip no start even with the correct key.. just like pretty much all car systems.
Personally all bikes over a certain cc should have factory fit immobilsers that are insurance recognised standard. I know more and more are getting them but I'd say everything 400cc plus should have it.

[Carl-H]

Why only have bikes that are 400cc plus. I think the manufacturers should do it with all bikes.

[BobM]

Bit more info now. Found both Carole Nash and Bennett's are only charging £100 and £80 more respectively for insuring the bike with no alarm. But according to Carole Nash's online quote system I can self-fit the Datatool system 4 and get the same premium as dealer fitted. I can but a Datatool System 4 for £150 and the Datatool tagging kit for £25.