alarms... do you use them?

[joyinc]

I ran a search to see if I could find this answered already, but didnt see anything...

I'm just wondering if you use alarms on the ninja 250?

Is it a bike that's often messed with or stolen?

AND, do alarms drain the battery? I heard that 2way alarms will drain a battery quickly.

Just thought I'd get this out of the way now, because if i buy a ninja this week, i may as well get an alarm and have them install it when they assemble the bike

I'm not worried about where i live... i have a nice locked shed, and my work is in the middle of nowhere, so it'd be ok out there... but sometimes i think i might like to ride the bike downtown toronto... and it would scare me to leave a bike on the street there.

just curious! I hope that wasnt a silly noobie question!

[Méké]

Alarm is not required here because l live into the wild

[miks]

Like all thief deterrents, they're all useless for any determined thief. Your best bet is full comprehensive insurance (unsure what you guys call this).

BUT, having something to slow down/deter 'noob' thieves is always better than having nothing, things like disk locks etc. With alarms, make sure you get one that notifies you (I think they're called pager alarms(?)), as most by standers - from stories I've heard - tend to turn a blind eye.

[Daeldren]

From experience most of the deterrents like disk locks and alarms do nothing for you when three burly guys in a van get out a pick up the bike in less than a minute. Your best bet for security is to keep it locked up indoors, anchor it to hard objects (not wood, they will saw through that ****).

Make it as difficult as possible for them to steal it. And of course comprehensive coverage. If you buy it new from the dealer you may also want to ask them about gap coverage (believe me it comes in handy when your insurance company only pays partial).

[bdavison]

I use the two-way alarm from internatrix.com

I've had no battery draining problems, but then again my ninja 250r doesnt sit long enough unridden to let it drain the battery.

The alarm has already allowed me to catch quite a few people getting too frisky with my bike.

It works great, and internatrix is a fantastic company to do business with.

[joyinc]

Thanks 4 the info! i think i'll just get it if i get my bike from the dealer thats offering the deal on them.

i know it wont deter theft, but it might be nice to stop people from sitting on my bike?
Posted via Mobile Device

[want1sobad]

bought my bike used, original owner installed an alarm with shock sensor. basically if someone touches the bike it will go off. don't think it would keep a few guys from "lifting" it, but does keep "onlookers" at bay. i've seen people touch or actually jump on a bike that wasn't their's..........s**theads.

[joyinc]

thats kinda what i'm thinking now... i dont want people in parking lots messing with my bike!

[Postiez]

its probably the newb thieves that try to steal the 250 over almost any other bike in the area lol xD

I dont use anything on mine, there are about 12 or so r1's and 10 or so nice other supersports that dont mine leaving their arais sitting on their seat so I figure I don't have much to worry about. The one advantage for living in utah!

[joyinc]

yeah i dont live in the greatest place.
i'm not so much worried about theft as i'm worried about punk kids scratching it or sitting on it...
Posted via Mobile Device

[ninjabadger]

I bought the Scorpio i800 and will be installing it over spring break along with my BM tail light (figure I might as well do all the tail light wiring at once). I got it mostly to deter people sitting on or otherwise monkeying with my bike and maybe theft. I also get a discount on my insurance for having it so that offsets the cost. I couldn't bring myself to pay the difference for the i900 when I'm often far enough away from my bike (or inside a heavy building) that the two way function probably wouldn't do much good.

http://www.scorpioalarms.com/product...cycle/sr-i800/

[joyinc]

i cant decide on an alarm.. are they easy to install yourself? the shop i just bought my bike from only had $500 ones

i told them i'd heard of gorilla 2 way pagers, and they said i'd have lots of problems with them

[Flow]

Originally Posted by want1sobad

bought my bike used, original owner installed an alarm with shock sensor. basically if someone touches the bike it will go off. don't think it would keep a few guys from "lifting" it, but does keep "onlookers" at bay. i've seen people touch or actually jump on a bike that wasn't their's..........s**theads.

Oh wow, I should get one. People did that to my bike all the time at my last place. Sitting on the bike and the like.

As for an alarm, I've just got lojacks in both my bikes.

[Mista Bob]

Yeah, keeping random strangers from sitting on my bike is pretty much the only reason I would ever have an alarm on a bike of mine.
I wouldn't expect a bike alarm to accomplish much of anything else besides that.

[Momaru]

I'm in a (reasonably) nice college town, so usually don't feel the need for an alarm. However, I had my bike tipped/dumped by an "onlooker" one evening last Sept while I was visiting my girlfriend. Never have I kicked myself so hard for not having an alarm.

Considering an alarm from Scorpio. Let us know how you like yours Corey.

[Greg_E]

The Scorpio shows a wiring harness for both the pre and new gen ninjettes, that should make it fairly easy to install if you have some common tools to remove things like the body work and cut cable ties.

[Apex]

Yeah I use an alarm. You will see it about 20 seconds into this clip....

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Apex]

Then there is the car alarms...

Link to original page on YouTube.


And by the way, everyone needs to watch Kentucky Fried Movie at least once.

[addy126]

Originally Posted by joyinc

i cant decide on an alarm.. are they easy to install yourself? the shop i just bought my bike from only had $500 ones

i told them i'd heard of gorilla 2 way pagers, and they said i'd have lots of problems with them

I've used a Gorilla alarm (without pager) on all 3 of my bikes and 1 friends scooter. We have not had one issue or problem with any of them. They do not discharge the battery if you use the bike regular and not put it up for 3 months. It has selective sensitivities, it has warn away, it has an alarm indicater, it has a paging system, it has a "level" alarm. Seems he was wanting to sell you the 500.00 and put the pressure on you by planting the seed of doubt. Like I said before, I don't want one that splices into any wiring, or have lights blinking and horns blaring if it goes off. The Gorilla has been a very steady piece of equipment and has done its job well. Listen... its a guy talking to a woman about motorbikes. They take advantage of the fact you may know nothing about them..... trust me the Gorilla vs. his 500.00 alarm..... has the same end result - a level of security and surprise. Its just the usual sales ploy with Men vs. Women.... don't fall for it. Look at all systems available, read the reviews from users, then make the decision that fits you and your pocket book.

[Greg_E]

Talon comes with a wiring harness for both series of Ninja and for my buell, I might just get one since the price is pretty low compared to some other systems.

[Greg_E]

Talon review:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...300-review.htm
Talon install:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...stallation.htm

[Greg_E]

Forget the talon for the moment... I was getting ready to buy one when I noticed that they are listed as "out of stock, new model coming soon". I just sent them an email to see if they can define coming soon and offered to buy the new version as a tester as long as I eventually end up with a working system.

[caliente103]

I use a xena disc lock alarm xx6

[gogoKawi]

I have the Gorilla 2-way paging alarm on the 250, and will have the same for my ZX6. You can get it off ebay for 125 bucks. It works great. The tilt sensor is a little iffy. But, the shock and starter sensors are fine. The alarm itself is about the size of 1/2 of a Rubik's Cube. It connects directly to the battery. Little to no power drain. The bike sat for almost 2 weeks because of the 2 foot snow storm. Started right up.

A lot of people are saying that an alarm is not worth it. It is! It's a deterrent. People have attempted to sit on my bike and got caught off guard when the alarm went off, especially kids.

The other reason for an alarm, and probably the main reason why I got it, is to know if someone hits or knocks-over the bike. I've heard many horror stories of people hitting motorcycles trying to park and not finding out about it until they see their precious bike laying there. I've read a couple of those stories on this forum. Some people leave a note, most don't. I want to be notified if something like this happens.

Not to mention, it lowers the insurance rate.

[backinthesaddleagain]

I think most passersby hear an alarm and either ignore it, or hear it and look then continue on their way.

Speaking of alarms I have been abusing the snooze button on mine these days.

[gogoKawi]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

I think most passersby hear an alarm and either ignore it, or hear it and look then continue on their way.

Speaking of alarms I have been abusing the snooze button on mine these days.

I had to laugh at this. I can't seem to wake up to my alarm clock. But, I am wide awake when the alarm on the bike goes off. Yes, it seems that my priorities are in line...

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by gogoKawi

I had to laugh at this. I can't seem to wake up to my alarm clock. But, I am wide awake when the alarm on the bike goes off. Yes, it seems that my priorities are in line...

The days I ride to work I get right out of bed. The days I drive to work I drag and drag. I guess its for 2 reasons, 1 - looking forward to riding, 2 - not wanting to rush and take chances on the bike.

[joyinc]

thanks so much everyone! i think i'm gonna get one of the gorilla alarms... they arent that hard to put in are they?

[gogoKawi]

Originally Posted by joyinc

thanks so much everyone! i think i'm gonna get one of the gorilla alarms... they arent that hard to put in are they?

Nope. Will take about 40 minutes, if that. If you want the led light installed, you will have to drill in the dash. Pretty easy. Just make sure you pre-drill with a nail. It will make drilling much simpler.

The hardest thing for me was to find a place for the box to go. I can't remember if you have to take the fairings and gas tank off. I installed mine when I was shimming my carb needles. But, you want to make sure your wires are hidden if you install the led. If you are not installing the led, you don't have to take all of the fairings off. Just the seat. PM me and I will tell you where my box is located.

[joyinc]

that sounds complicated already! lol

[gogoKawi]

Originally Posted by joyinc

that sounds complicated already! lol

If you don't want to install the LED, it will take less than 10 minutes. Installing the LED adds another 30 minutes. Anything other than disk-locks or U-locks with alarms will take a similar amount of work.

As someone who is just learning to work on motorcycles, I will say that it is very, very simple. I will take pics over the weekend so you can see how it looks.

[joyinc]

really? thats so nice of you! i appreciate that so much

[addy126]

Joyce.... I did not want to drill into my fairings at all just in case the bit slips or the force cracks the plastics. I ran my LED wire up one of the cable wires and used a zip tie to secure it. Positioned it just high enuff on the cable so that you can see it blink when its armed. This allows me to remove the whole alarm later when I sell or trade in my bike and transfer it to another bike. No holes to worry about If u click on pic it will zoom.

[cnichols79us]

Originally Posted by Apex

Yeah I use an alarm. You will see it about 20 seconds into this clip....

Link to original page on YouTube.

That is the COOLEST alarm I have EVER seen!

[Greg_E]

The Gorilla alarms look pretty simple to install since they don't flash the lights or kill the ignition.

[joyinc]

Originally Posted by addy126

Joyce.... I did not want to drill into my fairings at all just in case the bit slips or the force cracks the plastics. I ran my LED wire up one of the cable wires and used a zip tie to secure it. Positioned it just high enuff on the cable so that you can see it blink when its armed. This allows me to remove the whole alarm later when I sell or trade in my bike and transfer it to another bike. No holes to worry about If u click on pic it will zoom.

oh that looks really good! how much of the bike do you have to take apart to do that? originally i was just thinking that i'd skip the led

[ninjabrewer]

I have a gorilla alarm on my bike and it has prevented it from being stolen at least once. 2 or so in the morning it goes off, it was stored on the carport, wakes me and my wife up and while I running downstairs my wife hears a truck drive off. There was a big motorcycle theft ring that got busted in Hawaii a few years back. My commander, while I was still in the Army, had his bike stolen out of his garage and got a good look at the truck. They stopped and put his bike out on the sidewalk a few blocks away.

nb

[joyinc]

well i did it! lol... bought it that is. I got the gorilla 2way alarm today. The bike I'm picking up next week! i think i'm going to try to install it when i do my 1st oil change, just to make things easier

[bdavison]

Seriously...Id get the internatrix one before the gorilla one.
The internatrix alarm is actually a little better than the Scorpio in my opinion. Rock solid two-way alarm, and unlike the cheapo gorilla.....it has ignition disable, and blinking lights...and it also has a hijack disable. Its just a much much better alarm system, and the price is dirt cheap at $149 bucks.

The internatrix alarm is real simple to install....I did mine in under a hour in the ninja 250r.
You've got a + battery wire, a - battery wire, one wire to each of the turn signals in the tail, one wire to the license plate light or acc on the ignition (the acc option for auto arming), and the wire to the ignition relay to disable it. Its a piece of cake to install.

The really cool thing about the internatrix alarm, is its like a pitbull. Ive tried...believe me. Ive tried all sorts of the usual tricks..... In order to defeat it youve got to be able to at least get to something on the bike to use....
like shorting the antenna, or clipping it, which you cant do if its mounted inside the tail
or shunting to blow the fuses, which you cant do because its on a independant circuit. Or microdusting the controller box, because its hermetically sealed........but you cant get close enough to the bike because that microwave sensor will scream bloody hell the minute you try to violate it. Its without a doubt the best alarm out there that Ive seen.

[Greg_E]

I've shifted focus to the Internatrix too. The Scorpio i900 has some great features, but there is a zero percent chance that I can shell out that amount of coin right now.

The old Talon looked good, but still no reply to the email I sent. Internatrix has replied 3 time since I sent an email Friday morning, and all those replies were on Friday, so I think they have a better support system in place. I just need to look at my bike again to make sure everything will fit where I can keep is secure.

[edit] Just ordered the Internatrix TW-1000.