Motorcycle theft is a reality that many riders are far too familiar with. Three thousand motorbikes are stolen every year in the UK, robbing riders of both their bikes, and most importantly, of the chance to practise a much-loved sport. What’s more, we can predict that the lifting of coronavirus restrictions will increase the risk of motorbike theft, a risk that is already worryingly high. The reopening of public sports events such as The Devitt MCN Festival of Motorcycling and BIG Bike Ride is exciting. However, the sheer quantities of expensive bikes at these events make them literal goldmines for criminals, who seize the opportunity to steal vehicles whilst their owners are distracted by the commotion of the event.
Graham Solder has developed the Axxess28 security system— ProtectMotox— as the answer to motorcycle theft. Axxess28 partners with award-winning security company Ajax to combine the best optics, fast processor and advanced software algorithms to set the benchmark in terms of motorbike security systems. The system includes a wire that is to be attached round the bike for protection. When the wire is broken, an alarm is activated in a central control panel. This panel is a web-based user hub, that takes less than a minute to detect the loss of communication with the detector, and inform a central monitoring station and users about the problem through sending notifications to any connected devices. This gives the product an advantage over other security products, through ensuring that the user is immediately notified about potential threat to their bike. The affordability, compatibility, and immediacy of ProtectMotox sets it miles ahead of other products in the field.
ProtectMotox is able to protect any type of bike on the market. In this way it is able trump other security products. Bikes designed specifically for travel— such as the Tourer, Off-road, and Adventure Road bikes— are particularly vulnerable to theft. When travelling off the road, or in new places, it can be next to impossible to find safe and secure locations in which to store a bike. It can often feel like you must have eyes in the back of your head to ensure the security of your bike. The 12-volt DC version of ProtectMotox solves this problem, as contains a roaming sim card. The rider is notified via app in the case of theft, meaning that it isn’t necessary to have the bike in eyesight at all times. The transportability of the product also makes it perfect for the travelling cyclist. Unlike other products which require the rider to chain the bike to the ground, ProtectMotox is easily transportable. The cable is the perfect size to fit into a backpack, making it an essential part of any adventure cyclist’s travel kit.
ProtectMotox is capable of securing a range of sports bikes. If you are the proud owner of a Sports Bike, Sports Tourer, or Naked Bike, then the Ajax system is the ideal way to protect your bike. It goes without saying that motorcycle sporting events attract a high quantity of sportsmen, and by extension, sports bikes. However, this also means that they attract a high quantity of criminals. It is far too easy to steal bikes when the owners and audience are distracted by the thrill of the competition. The lucky news is that it’s possible for the Ajax system to be fitted with a siren and smoke detector that are activated in the event of a robbery. This makes it impossible for a bike to be stolen in silence or secrecy. The commotion the siren and smoke would easily alert anyone in a crowd to the theft, even if their backs were previously turned.
The rarity of certain bike types makes them a catch. This includes Cruiser bikes and Classic bikes. The former are bikes modelled on 1930s-50s motorcycle brands (e.g. Harley Davidson), and the latter are traditional bikes that have been built over 25 years ago. These bikes are outstripped in style only by Custom motorcycles, which are designed with aesthetic or structural differences to commonplace, mass-produced bikes. If you own a Cruiser bike, Classic bike, or Custom bike, you out of all people know that your bikes carry a high risk for theft due to their beauty, rarity, and high price. It is exactly these qualities that make the Ajax system perfect for protecting your bike. The affordability of the product makes it a small price to pay compared to a price of a stolen bike. What’s more, is that the novelty of these bike types means that they are almost priceless. For instance, you will not find two Custom bikes that are the same. So, ProtectMotox is an invaluable way of making sure that your prized possession is not lost forever due to theft.
We spoke to motorcyclist Gary Hillier who has been using ProtectMotox to protect his bikes. Gary has been riding for forty odd years, and in 2005 was crowned British champion in the British Classic Championship. In recent years, motorcycling has become a bit of a family legacy, with his son taking up his love for the sport. ‘My son has now got into it, and we’re in the process of getting a few bikes ready for him. It’s something that’s always been in my blood and now hopefully is in my son’s blood as well.’
Gary is adamant that motorcycle theft is a growing concern. ‘It happens every single day’, he says, ‘and has happened to many of my friends. I know people that have actually had the back of their workshops actually taken out by thieves who come in through the back to avoid cameras when stealing bikes’. Gary highlights that the economic and personal loss from motorbike theft is a double-whammy: ‘The price of a bike nowadays comes to six and a half, to ten, to twelve thousand pounds. If my bikes were stolen, it would ruin me and my son from ever riding again’.
Gary calls the lengths riders go to protect their bikes ‘ridiculous’. Despite securing the vehicles with CCTV, alarms, and padlocks, ‘you still see people posting on Facebook that their bikes have been stolen in the early hours of the evening’.
Gary cannot praise the ProtectMotox enough. He reasons that the product far outshines other security mechanisms. The product is easy to use: ‘you can arm and disarm it on your phone, and you can also alert family to it as well.’ Due to this, the product outstrips other products in that it immediately notifies the rider of a theft. ‘Even though it can be a supposed comfort to have disc cutters and padlocks and things, you would never know that your bike had been stolen unless you had one of these AJAX system set up, because as soon as the their breaks the wire, they’re going to be unaware that it will activate an alarm. Unlike other products, Axxess28’s ProtectMotox means that you can be alerted from anywhere in the UK— or anywhere in the world— if the circuit was broken. As you’d get informed by an alarm, at least you would then be able to call the police.’
On top of this, Gary praises ProtectMotox as cost effective. ‘It’s a small price to pay to protect your cherished items you’ve worked hard all your life to get. To insure motorcycles can come to £400-£500 per bike, and then you need to buy chains and locks. This item is a fraction of the cost. If you’ve got four, five, or six motorbikes, then this further brings the price of the alarm system down’.
Overall, Gary gives ProtectMotox a glowing review. He states, ‘I would recommend it to anybody’. When asked to rate the product out of ten, he gives a resounding ‘ten out of ten. Definitely’.
If you’re interested in learning more, visit the Axxess28 website at https://www.axxess28.com/
You can also contact Graham Solder at gs@axxess28.com
Technical for Editors
The base system consists of a main ethernet hub. The hub is home or office based. It uses 230VAC power, and is plugged into a broadband router using an ethernet cable, a wireless 119bd siren and a wireless transmitter. The hub is fitted inside a custom designed waterproof housing coupled with a low volt electrical cable with a waterproof connector that allows for authorised removal. Furthermore, it has a battery life of at least four to five years.
We can also provide a 12-volt DC version with a Roaming SIM card that can be used to protect motorbikes in transit and at meetings. This version can also be used from home, as it would be supplied with a 230VAC – 12VDC Transformer. Both versions are controlled via a free smartphone app which is used to set and unset the system. The app will alert via push notification of any unauthorised removal of the protection device.
The main concept of the system is that the wireless transmitter cable is looped either through the frame or wheel and connected to a static device (ground anchor or vehicle etc). The system is then armed using the smartphone app. Any unauthorised tampering, either by disconnecting the plug or indeed cutting the cable will activated the remote siren and send alerts via the app to the user’s smartphone.
It is possible for additional devices to be added. This includes externally rated motion detectors— with or without photographic snapshots— that act as a means of further protection.
The Ajax system is a professional grade wireless system that can also be used to protect an entire building as well as motorbikes and, of course, quad bikes. So, even if you are at a weekend event, you will sleep soundly in your tent knowing full well that your pride and joy will not be wheeled off during the night. You will be able to relax and enjoy the event without the fear of all hell breaking loose.