The electronic security products we sell are
designed to meet the strict criteria laid down by the insurance
companies. They are then tested by Thatcham, an independent test
and evaluation company, before being passed for approval. If an
electronic product fails any of the tests it is sent back to the
manufacturers for modification. The cost of testing these products
is in excess of £10,000.
Finally, having passed the product, it can only be
fitted by approved, officially trained installers. No insurance
approved electronic security device can be sold 'over the
counter'; they must only be fitted by an approved installer who
will provide a certificate of professional installation to the
customer.
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An immobiliser has to isolate two separate
components that are required for the motorcycle to run, i.e. fuel
pump, starter motor, ignition unit or any of the control relays.
It also has to passively set itself once the ignition has been
turned off.
The switching device for the immobiliser must not
be able to be bypassed by any means other than with the original
'keys' supplied with the unit.
An alarm system has to do the same as an
immobiliser but have a battery back-up siren, be able to sense
movement, hot wire detection and have a negative input facility to
protect peripherals like panniers etc. It also has to have random
coded radio keys to control the system.
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No. Under normal circumstances, if your battery is
in good condition, your bike can stand idle for weeks without
causing any problems. Many of the systems today draw less than
three miliamps and will isolate sections of the circuit board, if
unused for a period of time, to further reduce their current
consumption. The trend is to make bike batteries smaller thus
their capacity has been compromised. For those who use their bikes
infrequently we suggest attaching a Datamate battery conditioner that
we can supply.
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Not if the system has been configured correctly
when it was installed. It is possible to adjust the sensitivity of
the unit for optimum performance. Obviously if the bike is parked
in a howling gale it is likely to trigger. Movement sensors can be
turned down or off dependant on the model and they will all
operate as an immobiliser only if required.
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In the event of losing an alarm radio key, the
system can be switched off using your confidential code (known only
to the owner). The Meta Systems come with a preprogrammed code (found on the orange code card). The Datatool Systems (Three and Four) come with NO overide code preprogrammed. It can have a pin code of the
customer's choice. This MUST BE programmed into the unit, BY YOU the customer using your instruction manual. This pin code is strongly recommended and is essential to enable overide for a system Four.
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You will know the sound your alarm makes and
that's what makes the difference. Sure, car alarms go off all the
time but if your bike is parked outside or in your garage during
the night and it goes off, you will recognise the sound. The siren
sound can be changed on later Datatool Systems to make it more
distinctive and we can also fit a Snitcher to let you know, if you
are out of earshot.
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It may be possible to take your alarm off of one bike and
fit it to another depending on make, model and condition (of alarm and bike!). If you're spending
£300+ on a system, it makes sense where feasible.
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We guarantee all systems for three years. It's
worth getting the system checked annually, even just to check the
functions and make sure you've plenty of life in the radio key
batteries. If you're one for pressure washing your bike there's a
good chance you'll kill the alarm and that's not warrantable!
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Radio keys are licence exempt; they must not
transmit a signal over 30m. Various factors influence the useful
range, such as large metal objects in the vicinity scattering the
signal, other powerful radio signals swamping the air waves; Taxi
ranks, air traffic control, radio mast's etc. It's not a common
occurrence.
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Nobody actually knows. Last spotted shipwrecked (run out of 20c pieces!) somewhere around Almeria harbour.
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Look and learn - 'The Master' gets his knee down
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