A motorbike tracker is one of the most effective ways to protect your bike in the UK. Motorcycles are light, easy to lift into the back of a van and quick to strip for parts, which is why thieves target them. A good lock slows a thief down; a motorbike tracker helps you get the bike back if the worst happens. In this guide we explain how a motorbike tracker works, the difference between insurance approved and live GPS trackers, and how to choose the right one for the way you ride.
Most riders already use a disc lock, a chain or a ground anchor, and they should. Physical security makes a bike harder to take. But a determined thief with a van and two helpers can lift a bike and drive away in seconds, locks and all. Once it has gone, a lock does nothing to bring it back.
A motorbike tracker fills that gap. It sits hidden inside the bike, reports its position over the mobile network and, on monitored models, alerts a UK team the moment the bike moves when it should not. That gives you, your insurer and the police a real chance of recovering it quickly, often before it has been broken up.
Independent testing bodies such as Sold Secure rate locks and chains, while trackers for insurance purposes are certified by Thatcham Research. Using both layers together is the approach most specialist insurers recommend.
Every motorbike tracker we supply uses the same basic idea. A small GPS unit is wired into the bike’s electrics out of sight, usually under the seat or behind a panel. It works out its position from satellites and sends that position over the 4G mobile network to a secure server. You then see the bike on a map in an app on your phone or on your computer.
What happens next depends on the type of motorbike tracker you choose:
The first question to ask is whether your insurer requires a tracker. Insurers often ask for an approved motorbike tracker on high-value or high-risk bikes, and some offer a lower premium when one is fitted. If your insurer specifies a Thatcham category, you will need an approved tracker with an insurance certificate.
If tracking is your own choice rather than an insurance condition, a live GPS motorbike tracker gives you most of the peace of mind for a lower monthly cost. Many riders also fit a live tracker on a second bike or a project bike in the garage.
The Motorbike Tracker S7 is our entry point to insurance approved tracking. It is Thatcham approved, monitored 24/7 by our UK team and alerts us if the bike is moved without the ignition, towed or tampered with, or if it loses power. For many riders it is all an insurer asks for.
The Motorbike Tracker S5 adds automatic driver recognition. You carry a small tag; if the bike moves without a tag present, the system knows it is not you and raises an alert. That stops a thief simply riding away with a cloned key, and it is the category many insurers ask for on more valuable bikes.
The Motorbike Tracker S5 Plus is our most secure option. It does everything the S5 does and adds engine immobilisation: without your tag present, the bike will not start at all. It is the choice for riders who want to stop theft, not just recover a stolen bike.
For live tracking without monitoring fees, the Motorbike Tracker TM701 is wired in and reports from the ignition, so every ride is recorded. The Waterproof Motorbike Tracker TM880 is sealed against rain and road spray and has just two wires to the battery, which makes it easy to hide on a bike where space is tight.
A motorbike tracker works best as part of a layered approach. These seven steps make your bike a much harder target:
The police-backed Secured by Design initiative publishes further advice on securing vehicles and homes.
With a monitored motorbike tracker, you are not on your own. Our UK team is alerted the moment the bike moves without authorisation. They call you to check it is not you, and if the bike has been stolen, they track it and work with the police to recover it once you have reported the theft and have a crime reference number.
With a live GPS motorbike tracker, you receive the alert on your phone and can see where the bike is going. Report the theft to the police straight away and share the tracker’s location with them rather than trying to recover the bike yourself.
Thieves look for opportunity. The riskiest times are overnight on a driveway or in a shared car park, outside a workplace where the bike sits in the same spot all day, and at busy events or rideouts where many bikes are parked together and nobody pays attention to a van pulling up.
Garages are safer than the street, but they are not immune. Break-ins often happen in the early hours, when the noise of a forced door is least likely to be heard. Lighting, a solid lock on the garage itself and an alarm all help, and a hidden tracker means that even if the bike does leave, it does not disappear.
Winter brings a particular risk. Bikes laid up for months are checked less often, so a theft may not be noticed for weeks. With alerts on your phone, you know the moment the bike moves, whether you last saw it yesterday or in October.
Once it is fitted, you hardly notice it. The free app shows where the bike is now and keeps a history of every ride, which many riders enjoy looking back on after a trip. You can draw a zone around your home or garage on the map and be told the moment the bike leaves it, and you can share access with a partner or family member so that someone else can check on the bike when you are away.
On approved models with driver tags, keep your tag on your key ring or in your jacket so it is always with you when you ride. If you lend the bike to a friend, give them a tag too, or let us know, so that a legitimate ride does not trigger an alert.
If you sell the bike, call us. We can move the tracker to your next bike or transfer the subscription, so the cover goes with you rather than with the machine you no longer own.
Approved trackers must be fitted by an approved engineer for the insurance certificate to be valid. With I Track Direct, fitting is free anywhere in mainland UK. After you order, a member of our team calls you to book a time, and the engineer comes to your home or workplace. Your insurance certificate is issued as soon as the motorbike tracker is fitted.
Live GPS trackers can be fitted yourself if you are comfortable with motorcycle wiring, or you can book our nationwide mobile installation when you order.
There are two parts to the cost: the tracker itself and the subscription that pays for the mobile data and, on approved models, the 24/7 monitoring.
Lifetime subscriptions are also available on the approved range, which many riders prefer for a bike they plan to keep. Check our motorbike trackers page for current prices.
To narrow it down quickly, answer three questions:
If you are still unsure, call our UK team on 01622 234510. We have been in vehicle tracking for 21 years and will help you choose the right motorbike tracker for your bike and your insurer.
Every motorbike tracker we supply is backed by our UK support team, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. For a stolen bike, our 24/7 line is the same number: call 01622 234510 and select option 1. You can also see all of our insurance approved trackers in one place.
I Track Direct has been protecting vehicles for 21 years. From our base in Maidstone, Kent, we supply and fit insurance approved trackers, live GPS trackers, immobilisers, dash cameras and tool trackers for drivers, riders and businesses right across the UK.
Every approved tracker we sell is fitted by an approved engineer at your home or workplace, free of charge in mainland UK, and monitored by our UK team around the clock. Our live GPS trackers come with a free app and web login, unlimited logins for family and colleagues, and plans with no contract.
When you call us, you speak to real people who know vehicle security, not a script. We will help you choose the right product for your vehicle and your insurer, book your fitting at a time that suits you, and look after you for as long as you have a tracker with us.
Call 01622 234510, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or email enquiries@itrackdirect.com. For a stolen vehicle, call the same number at any time and select option 1.
Only if your insurer asks for one. Many insurers require an approved motorbike tracker on high-value bikes, and some reduce your premium when one is fitted. If tracking is your own choice, a live GPS tracker is a lower-cost alternative.
It is wired into the bike’s electrics and hidden out of sight, usually under the seat or behind a panel. Our engineers choose the best place for your model so that it is hard to find.
Our trackers are designed to use very little power. If your bike is laid up for long periods, a battery conditioner is a good idea anyway, and the S7 will alert us if the tracker loses power.
Yes. Call us when you change bikes and we can arrange for the tracker to be moved and your account updated.
Most fittings are completed in a single visit at your home or workplace. You need to be there at the start to hand over the keys and at the end, when the engineer checks everything works with you, shows you the app and gives you your tags. Your insurance certificate follows as soon as the installation is confirmed.
Yes. You can log in on as many phones, tablets and computers as you like, and give family members their own login, so whoever is at home can check on the bike when you are away.
Our trackers use a multi-network SIM. Speak to us before you travel and we will confirm cover for the countries on your route.
Give us a call on: 01622 234510 or email enquiries@itrackdirect.com
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