Datatool were founded in 1985; an era in which car security products were only available in car accessory shops, on the shelf behind the polish. Motorbike security items were basically unheard of; the philosophy behind this being the belief that bikes and cars were too different to share the same alarms and immobilisers systems on the market and they required a completely different design, manufacturing process and operation. With this in mind, Datatool set about establishing the only dedicated motorbike security manufacturer.

Almost 25 years on, they remain the market leader and almost daily we take sales enquiries from customers demanding nothing else. Today they are ranked as one of the world’s largest and most successful motorcycle accessory companies, with new product lines including battery chargers, Sat/Nav and gear indicators. However, security remains their core product line and their most recognised.

Perhaps what makes their product successful is the biker mentality or train of thought during the design stage. It seems they have a line of 'most popular' features, like the remote control casing of the alarm system, which can actually house the ignition key and thus removing the need to carry a key ring for a separate remote control. It even has a lanyard so the remote can be worn around the neck when not being used.

Additionally, the current drain on the battery is very cleverly reduced by having three stages of sleep mode. First it drops the drain if the bike battery reaches 11.5v, with LED then flashing only every 10 seconds; next at 10.5v the LED reduces to flashing every 30 seconds and the siren will sound a very low audible beep every 60 seconds to warn the owner that the battery is slowly dying; finally at 9.8v the LED turns off completely along with the battery back-up system. So, for anyone that leaves their bikes for longs periods of time, the alarm will never be the cause of a flat battery; moreover, it will actually help you prevent one!

Another string to the Datatool bow is their Trovan RF (radio frequency) tagging system, which comes with the new Thatcham approved S4 range. Trovan is a transponder chip, which when the bike is scanned by the police (this happens at major gatherings of bikes, car parks and when stolen bikes are recovered) it provides all of the data on the bikes real owner. The scanning equipment is used by every UK police force and is well respected and proven successful.

Protection itself comes in the form of dual circuit engine immobilisation, which prevents hot-wiring and tilt/motion sensing, which detects movement. The movement sensor can be deactivated if the bike is being transported on a ferry for example, but only by the owner/user. Panic facility, bike locator and a 120dB battery back-up siren are also standard features with all of the current range. Datatool even comes with a secure over-ride which can be used should the remote control fail or get lost (you get a pair) and a diagnostic LED, designed to inform you by flashing in a sequence, if the alarm has been triggered and what was the cause.

All in all, it doesn’t get any easier than Datatool and for certain, nothing comes close.