Datatag/Smart Water/Alpha Dot

[bsidethecside]

Are these still current and do the police have the relevant kit does anyone know?

I'm looking for a cost-effective deterrent to add to a disc lock and don't want the financial commitment of a tracker. I'm aware that nothing is 100% thief-proof, so want the more casual thief to think I can't be bothered and move on.

Looking around all seems to have gone a bit quiet on these, so I was wondering of they still are of use in terms of the police having kit to read them. There's a bit of anecdotal evidence on tinternet that the cops don't have the kit and so not much use really.

[RemaL]

They still exist, I have used them on all my bikes. all pretty much the same.

[V8RX7]

Carol Nash sent me a couple of kits out with my insurance

I don't think they deter anyone, but they may help convict someone

Ebay type trackers are very cheap these days, most without monthly costs but again they don't deter, because so few use them

[Timbo_S2]

I have most bikes datatagged, as is my trailer, and I have a couple of kits on the shelf for future purchases also. Have trouble getting insurance for non-road bikes without it.

[bsidethecside]

Okay, thanks all. Looks like it’s still worth a go. Not so much to prevent theft, but make a less attractive proposition.

[sooty61]

I bought my bike at 6 months old and it has a Datatag sticker on. The dealership said it would send paperwork but nothing arrived so I assume it is meaningless

[V8RX7]

sooty61 said:

I bought my bike at 6 months old and it has a Datatag sticker on. The dealership said it would send paperwork but nothing arrived so I assume it is meaningless

I had similar with a Jet Ski

When it was stolen I called Datatag - turned out the PO had never registered it

[bsidethecside]

Did a bit of browsing and both the Met and my local Hants refer to securedbydesign.com as the site for UK Police accredited products. No sign of datatag etc there. Not so sure anymore...

[TimmyWimmyWoo]

I'm pretty sure Ducati UK dealers Datatag all new bikes - mine certainly was.

[wa16]

some polices come with a clause/warranty requiring you to send in your membership of any such scheme that you declare at the time of policy proposal
if you have a theft claim.

ticking or un-ticking the box on the online quote form made no difference to the price but as i cannot find the information and the sticker has worn off with the code on, its too much of a fag to try and resurrect the forms i just ticked no,

i'm not sure it makes any difference anyway to the attractiveness of the bike, plenty of new bikes with factory fitted tagging/dotting go missing never recovered and I've yet to read someone got nicked as a result of any scheme - except smart water and that was none bike related

[Bungleaio]

All 4 of my bikes have been datatagged. The dealer for my GS gave me the bottle so that if I added any accessories to the bike I could datatag those too.

[Salted_Peanut]

While I guess many people use trackers nowadays, I can’t see the harm in adding Alpha Dot, Smart Water or Data Tag, too. Any thoughts on the different systems’ pros and cons? Or are they much of a muchness? Or an RFID tracker?

Forgive the thread resurrection!

[podman]

You may well find the commitment of getting a tracker easy repays itself.

As much as I didnt want one, it cut my premiums in half and repaid itself immediatley.

Worth doing a comparison anyway.

[mgv8]

It is only useful if there is no other way of identifying you bake (maybe in bits). But the the low cost is still worth doing IMHO.