The value of fitting a motorcycle tracker was shown again last month when British tracking firm BikeTrac announced the recovery of 25 stolen bikes. Only one of the bikes found in a container of stolen machines was equipped with a BikeTrac device, but it led police to the entire haul at a yard near Tilbury Docks.
Part of the success was due to BikeTrac’s added radio frequency (RF) signal system, which is more difficult for thieves to defeat than the more common tracker setups using GPS and mobile phone signals. Using the RF kit, BikeTrac first tracked down a BMW R1200 GS, previously stolen in Richmond, South West London, to a yard in Essex.
BikeTrac’s Bill Taylor said: “Initially, this recovery looked like a fairly conventional scenario, but the bike was moving around, which meant we had to keep tabs on its location before it eventually stopped in a large container yard.”
“Gaining access to such a facility is extremely difficult, and without absolute cast-iron proof that a stolen machine is in the area, access is rarely granted. Thanks to our RF technology, which we can remotely activate, we were able to prove to the authorities that not only was the bike there but exactly which container it was in.”
However, both BikeTrac and the police discovered more than they expected: the GS was sharing a full-sized container with stolen bicycles, cars, and 20 stolen motorbikes. Further investigation turned up another five bikes at one of the previous locations visited by the stolen GS. The bikes had been taken from locations across England, including London, Essex, Sussex, Dorset and Cambridgeshire.
Summing up the operation, Taylor said: “We have been attending the scene of recoveries for more than 15 years now, but this one was without question the biggest we’ve ever witnessed. The number of bikes, the value of those machines and how they had been hidden and loaded, ready to leave the country, was immense. We’re incredibly grateful to the authorities for having faith in our product to allow access. This is very much down to our RF technology. It’s incredibly gratifying that just one bike fitted with a BikeTrac unit has led to this.”