Having a car alarm or motorcycle alarm is something that people take for granted. Without a doubt, every car made and sold today has an alarm fitted inside it. It’s an important deterrent for potential thieves and serves as an effective way to alert the owner to a possible break-in through its emission of a high pitched sound that can be heard at great distances. Most alarms are activated with the click of a button on a car’s key and are deactivated the same way.

As motorcycles do not have any outer casing as protection, they can be even more vulnerable to potential thieves who may think they can just climb aboard and drive away. This is why a motorcycle alarm is an important part of motorcycle ownership, just like a bike lock is imperative for a bike owner who parks his push bike in a public place.

Although car alarms are quite easy to comprehend, motorcycle alarms are not. People may think that although having a motorcycle alarm is necessary, it is not straightforward. This could be because many car alarms work through motion detectors inside the body of the car, and this is how house alarms work too. However, there are ways to equip bikes with motion sensors and there are a few different types of alarm that do not require motion sensors at all.

Immobilisers, tagging and tracking systems are all security methods that can be used in conjunction with a car alarm or motorcycle alarm.

Typically, motorbike alarms, (and a lot of modern car alarms) come with immobiliser systems. An immobiliser disarms the engine and prevents it from running. This also helps prevent the vehicle from being hotwired, and certainly makes stealing the vehicle a lot trickier than it would otherwise be.

Some motorbike security systems come in the form of a tagging system, which is recognised and connected to police all around the UK. This means that if the vehicle is stolen, the police will be notified and the tagging system will make it easier for them to trace the motorcycle. Tracking systems also serve this purpose and make the job of finding a stolen vehicle a much easier job than it would be without a tracker.

These tracking systems can also prove a good alert system if an owner is far away from their vehicle and cannot hear the siren from the motorcycle alarm. This is because some trackers send a text message to the owner’s phone, alerting them to the fact that their bike has been disturbed. Some trackers can also provide tracking via the internet for a small extra fee.

For certain models, especially older bikes, motorbike alarms may need to be bought separately and subsequently fitted by a professional. An alternative to an alarm is a lock and chain, not dissimilar to one used for bikes. However, if an owner wants the maximum protection for their vehicle, a specially designed alarm would provide a lot more protection from thieves than a chain that can be broken if weakened with the right tools.

After spending many years, saving up to buy the motorcycle of your dreams, it would be a shame to leave it vulnerable to thieves looking for easy pickings. A motorcycle protected by only a lock and chain is more likely to be stolen than one with an effective alarm fitted, so it is advisable to install a quality alarm in order to keep your pride and joy out of harm’s way.