Best Motorcycle Tracker Guide: GPS, RF and GSM Options Reviewed (2023 UK Edition)

If you’re anything like me, you rarely let your prized machine out of your sight. However, we can’t be with it 24/7, leaving us two options when it comes to motorcycle security:

1. Adopt security features or a garage defender to either slow down thieves or move them onto easier pickings
2. Invest in a tracker and potentially retrieve your machine once they’ve absconded with your bike

Most thieves are tracker savvy and often hide a stolen motorcycle for a few days in a quiet spot until the coast is clear. This gives you a potential opportunity to retrieve your bike.

Read on for our guide to the best devices available on the market right now.

Best Motorcycle Tracker Reviews

Let’s dive into our top picks.

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Monimoto – Best All Rounder

After paying a £169 purchase cost, and a small £3 monthly subscription (via a supplied sim card), the Monimoto is the only device on our list that requires practically no installation skills.

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Even a cack-handed idiot with a spanner allergy can install the device within their bike. However, it’s not teeny-tiny, so hiding it in a discreet location isn’t necessarily possible on every bike model.

The device is always working unless a deactivation fob is placed near the bike (which would be secreted on your person). If the bike is moved, the device sends an immediate alert to your phone via an app. It also alerts you to ‘tampering’ if anyone nudges or sits on your bike.

It isn’t Thatcham-approved, so there are no insurance savings, and it does have tracking limitations (basements, buildings, and areas with limited cellular coverage). However, the Monimoto offers a cheap, effective theft solution that could still allow you to retrieve your bike if thieves have stashed it somewhere to cool off.

Comes with a full 2-year warranty and free shipping direct from Monimoto.

Read our full Monimoto review.

Pros

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TruTrak FMT100 – Budget Pick

The cheapest tracker on our list, the TruTrak, is a Sim-based GPS device with a low upfront cost and a reasonable monthly subscription.

It’s not going to lower your insurance, and it’s aimed more at car fleet owners. However, it offers a surprisingly feature-packed budget option for the Motorcyclist via a decent-looking app.

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The small device (9.2 x 5.8 x 1.4cm) is wired directly to your battery terminals which may offer challenges in hiding, although, for some bikes, this will be pretty well hidden. Once installed, the device can be set up to provide several tracking options and alerts.

A key feature is the unit’s Geo-Fencing option which allows you to get an alert if your bike is started/moved out of a specified location.

The device will also track and map your routes, speeds, and a host of other data more akin to car fleet management (such as harsh cornering/accelerating).

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Datatool Stealth S5-VTS – Premium Pick

Datatool offers the ‘Stealth’ and ‘Adventure’ models in their range (the Adventure offers route data maps). Both are motorcycle-specific S5-certified trackers.

The Stealth costs an initial £395, but installation is included in the price, unlike the Bike Trac device. Subscription is then £9.95 a month or £109 for a year.

The Stealth is a feature-packed device that connects directly to the vehicle’s battery, which monitors and alerts to low charge levels. As well as 24/7 monitoring (linked to the police), the device’s key feature is its ability to create a Geofence around your bike.

If the supplied ID tag isn’t present and the bike is moved outside the Geofence, the bike contacts the monitoring centre, which calls the owner. It can also be configured to send SMS notifications.

It can also detect the difference between a bike drop and a proper crash (a feature known as ‘G Sense’), enabling a 999 alert if you have an accident.

You can also set up location alerts, e.g., a warning if you get too close to your Mother-in-law’s house, accident blackspots, etc.

Check Prices on DataTool

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Bike Trac

A premium device, the Bike Trac, has an initial £299 upfront cost and requires professional installation, which will set you back a further £350. There’s also a further £9.99 monthly subscription charge (or a £99 annual payment).

For this price, you will get a stealth installation and a fully monitored Motorcycle covered by a 24/7 operations centre that will also liaise with local police forces.

The device also has features such as ‘bike down’ alerts and the ability to record and review your journeys. Biketrac has a separate battery supply, but this only lasts for 30 days and will drain your bike battery after this time (if stored for a lengthy period).

Check Prices on Biketrac

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Tracker Retrieve – Battery Powered

This Thatcham S7 device (see Thatcham Categories) is a ‘one-time use’ stolen vehicle recovery tracker that costs £249 (including installation) and a further annual subscription of £149, which reduces with a two or five-year upfront subscription.

Although £249 for a ‘one-time use’ sounds a lot, let’s be honest, how often are you expecting to get your bike stolen? So this tracker could offer an excellent solution for remote or lengthy storage.

The device offers top-spec UHF tracking technology linked directly to all UK police forces. It allows them to pinpoint recovery on all but the most hidden locations (even containers and basements). It also has a self-contained power source lasting up to five years.

Check Tracker Retrieve

Buyers Guide

Considerations and costs

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Other than budget, your tracker requirement will depend on many obvious factors. Do you want a ton of features? A reduced insurance premium? Or simply guaranteed vehicle recovery?

Whatever you decide, here is a simple guide explaining some of the critical elements and functions to consider:

Device Power

Many devices are connected directly to your bike’s battery. This is convenient as the device will always have a power source.

However, they are known to slowly drain and flatten your vehicle’s battery, which could potentially damage it and require replacement. This is a serious issue for those who mothball their bikes over the Winter.

Most trackers will alert you if a low battery is detected. Still, a device with its own battery supply is easier to install and less problematic for battery anxiety (remember, it will still require periodic battery replacements.)

Thatcham Categories

Many insurance companies offer policy discounts for certain S5, S6 and S7′ certified’ tracking systems. They turn to Thatcham Research, an organisation that has set vehicle security standards for over fifty years.

Since the 1990’s Thatcham has assessed and assured vehicle security devices, using the following categories:

• Cat 1: High-end Alarms and immobilisers
• Cat 2: Electronic immobilisers
• Cat 3: Mechanical immobilisers
• Cat 4: Wheel locking devices
• Cat S5: Post theft tracking and recovery systems
• Cat S6 and S7: Stolen vehicle and location systems

Tracking Types and Signal Strength

Tracking devices utilise one or more tracking technologies, with the more premium devices using a combination allowing greater pinpointing accuracy:

• Global Positioning (GPS): Utilises satellites to triangulate location, but the signal can easily be lost in buildings or containers
• Radio Frequency (RF): Probably the most accurate technology, but the range can be limited, often used in conjunction with GPS/Cellular in premium devices
• Cellular (GSM): Sim card devices that utilise the mobile phone network, limited to areas with mobile phone coverage and as with GPS signal, can be obstructed

Some signal types are also easier to ‘jam’ where savvy thieves can prevent the device from sending a signal. However, this is much harder with premium trackers that use multiple signal types.

Geofencing

Allows you to plot a virtual fence around specific locations using map software. The system can then send alerts when entering or leaving these locations. Some trackers automatically create a Geofence around the vehicle when they are armed.

Placement and Installations

Premium trackers often require professional installation as these devices are hard-wired into integral bike systems. These stealth installs make it harder for thieves to spot a tracker and difficult for them to de-install them.

Adversely, cheaper devices are often simpler to install but easier to be seen and removed by thieves.

Placement can also affect the efficiency of some units, which can cause a significant reduction in signal strength if they are not located or installed correctly. Some GPS devices, for instance, must be located at the top of the motorcycle’s structure.

Other Features

• Bike Down: Many systems offer a feature that will alert predetermined numbers or emergency services in the event of an accident
• Monitoring Services: Premium services include 24/7 monitoring where call centres will contact you during an alert and also liaise with police/recovery services if required
• Journey Tracking: Some devices enable you to record and review your journeys which can be helpful if you ride an inspiring route and want to record/ride it again (also see our guide to the best motorcycle dash cams.)

Conclusion

Although this guide only mentions a few available devices on the market, the buyer’s guide will arm you with the knowledge you need to find the best tracker for you.

Tracker choices are often dictated by bike value and insurance costs, but there are plenty of options to suit most riders’ wallets and purses.

As this technology evolves, there will undoubtedly be further technological improvements with devices getting smaller and cheaper.

Personally, I hope that most manufacturers will eventually install factory devices, as we see with GPS mapping systems appearing on many new bikes.