Scooter theft has rocketed recently, both classic and modern machines are being pushed, lifted and ridden away in ever increasing numbers. That’s because by their very nature they’re fairly easy and quick to steal.
We’ve shown CCTV footage of a Lambretta being painfully thrown into the back of a transit van. We also saw 82-year-old Chuck Swonnell’s Lambretta theft cause an internet storm and subsequently get recovered, albeit in boxes stripped and ready for sale on eBay. Protect your own scooter whilst you can.
A tracker of this type isn’t any use on a non-battery classic scooter but if your pride and joy has got a battery fitted potentially a Datatool TrakKING can be fitted.
Although there’s no substitute for using a heavy-duty lock and chain to secure your scooter to an immovable object modern tech can give added peace of mind. Including fitting and a subscription a tracker is still less than the cost of a new exhaust (especially with our exclusive SLUK discount offer).
The TrakKING Adventure costs £229, fitting is around £100-150 and a year’s subscription is £99. However Datatool have teamed up with ScooterLab to offer a 33% discount on the first years subscription for dedicated SLUKers who are interested in top level protection.
TrakKING Adventure
I had a prototype Datatool TrakKING Adventure fitted to my Vespa GTS a year ago. I wanted one for a few reasons. One I was going to Vespa World Days in Croatia so my scooter would be left outside for two weeks in various countries. The second reason was I’d been keeping an eye on the amount of stolen GTSs I kept hearing about, granted most of them were in London but I still wouldn’t rest if I parked mine in a city and left it for the day. Thirdly the tracker offered the option for me to allow guest users to log into my account and track my 2500-mile journey, live in real-time. The kids back home could suss out where we were, friends could be made jealous and if anything was to happen to the scooter it could be found pretty quickly. To illustrate the point, our daughter phoned us one day to ask why my scooter was being pushed down a hill at the top of the Stelvio Pass. I was actually just freewheeling it down into an underground garage at a hotel with the ignition turned off.
Fitting
Fitting a hard-wired tracker isn’t a DIY job and because it’s Thatcham approved it needs fitting professionally. Thankfully Datatool have fitting centres around the country and also a man that can, Pete ‘the alarm man’. Pete is mobile and covers the whole country, so before our trip he came round to fit the unit.
For obvious reasons we’re not showing the fitting process or location of the unit so these photos are for illustration purposes only. Safe to say the Trakking Adventure unit was wired in and carefully hidden away from prying eyes. It took Pete around two hours to fit the device, if you’re having it done you’re looking at around £150 to have one fitted.
Features of the TrakKING Adventure
- Thatcham approved and uses GPS/GSM tracking
- Location tracked using GPS and GLONASS for better accuracy
- Full history of your journey
- Auto protects as soon as the ignition is turned off, monitors for unauthorised movement
- Sends text message to the owner if the bike/scooter is moved
- If the bike continues to move full alert mode sends notification to the dedicated 24/7/365 Vehicle Monitoring Team
- Police notified if confirmed as stolen
- Vehicle position monitored every 20-seconds
- Points of interest on your route can be saved and shared
- All of Western Europe and many other countries are covered
- Battery monitoring and alert, also alert sent if battery is disconnected
- Dedicated secure website to access and view history
- Optional ‘G Sense’ alert (impact detection)
- 36 month warranty
- Location based alert – can be set to remind you to pay a toll for instance
Our trip to Croatia gave a perfect test of the tracking capabilities and was bang on for accuracy. In real time the kids knew exactly where we were and what time to get the house cleaned up before we got home.
Since then I’ve tested (accidentally) the capabilities of the unit by taking the GTS in the back of a van on a couple of occasions. Within a few minutes the Vehicle Monitoring Team have been on the phone asking if my scooter is on the move. The phone call is one area for criticism; it comes up as an unknown number (many of us ignore these type of calls to keep away from PPI and accident claim sharks). A ‘proper’ phone number would be a better option, although text alerts are also available (just not on my early version).
If you are planning to move the scooter without the ignition being turned on you can go on to the TrakKING dashboard on your computer/phone and let them know to ignore that particular journey. Although I did that just before one trip with the scooter in a van and still got a call, better to be safe though. You can also set up a geofence to enable you to move the scooter around at your home address etc. without triggering the alert.
A year later and I’ve had no problems with the device, it’s a fit and forget security solution. Don’t become complacent though, any electronic security device should also be used alongside a mechanical deterrent. The aim of the game is to make your scooter as safe as possible wherever you park. If it does get pinched at least with a tracker fitted there’s a good chance you’ll get it back. There’s also more of a chance of the thieves being caught.
ScooterLab offer
Whether you’re a new or existing TrakKING customer you can take advantage of this special offer for a limited period. Arrange to have your TrakKING fitted either by the approved mobile fitter or at a local fitting centre, for your nearest visit: TrakKING dealers
Once fitted call the Subscription team on 01257 249928 and quote ‘ScooterLab offer.’ The first year’s subscription (or renewal for existing customers) will be discounted to £66 (usual price £99).
