Data Taging

[leggins]

I have seen an advert in t+mx news offering this service for

[ruffrider]

Hi Leggins,

isn't tagging only useful for proving ownership ?

Personally, I recon if the bikes gone then you're not gonna see it again.

Better to stop em taking it in the first place.

[sherpatensing]

Hi Leggins,

RichardS is quite right, the datatag will only help to identify the bike, should it be recovered following the theft. However as a member of a Constabulary stolen vehicle unit, I am often frustrated when off road bikes and quads are recovered and we have difficulty in identifying them as no record for them can be found and even owners have no record of frame and engine numbers.

If you are unfortunate enough to have your bike stolen, always give the police the frame and engine numbers and ask for a 'police record' for your bike, to be created and put onto the PNC (police national computer). The bike does not have to be registered to do this and will be invaluable for the police in identifying your bike. Sometimes, recovered off road bikes have been severely abused, but if they were not insured for theft (as many aren't), you at least get something back and may be able to repair or even sell for spares.

Hope this helps, and tell your friends,

Sherpatensing.

[bikespace]

I did the Data Tagging training provided by the ACU, so here's my thoughts on it.

If Datatag want to make a killing on it, they need to sort their act out and get up to date with technology now, before all the other similar manufacturers wipe them out.

From my understanding, and I quizzed the instructor about it, there are a multitude of databases. There is more than one anyway. You can buy a road type, or an off road type, and I think there are more varieties, like jetski's etc.

For me to spend my hard earned wonga on it, I want there to be a fair chance of someone actually checking the bike after it's nicked. I have NEVER had my bike checked at an event.

I would be more than happy to be stopped at the side of the road and have my bike datatagged by the police, or anybody else for that matter, such as parking wardens as I stop for a bag of chips on the way home - just an example.

The chances of anyone scanning my bike are fairly slim, but to have the correct database loaded as well is virtually zero.

If I become a qualified operator, or whatever they call them, I may as well be able to check anything and everything. Why not make the policy a global one, so that if I'm at an event, I can check the bikes, but I could also wander round the car park and check cars/trailers etc, and I can lend it to my mate who does a mountain bike race the following week, and to my security staff, who can check the vehicles in the car park as they wander round. If my bike is going on a ferry, I'd expect that maybe it could be scanned then etc etc.

Also.... The technology needs to come up to date. The scanners we were shown had a serial connection which people needed to connect to their PC/Laptop. OK for those of us who use computers all the time, but some of the people at the meeting didn't even know if they had a serial port, and I'm sure some of them wouldn't have one. It's getting more difficult to find a laptop with one, unless you buy a USB adaptor.

Make the things USB connected, or even wireless, maybe not viable yet but future proof it with a slot for wireless integration. Provide a piece of Windows XP software which automatically downloads the database and installs it to the scanner.

Memory is cheap - make the memory big enough to take all of the databases. It's not a database of every datatagged machine, it's a database of all the ones which have been registered stolen. How big can that be? Especially if it's a rolling window. Five years after my bike's been stolen, I'm probably not bothered that it's on the database. You can buy a Gig flash card retail for under 15 quid.

Also..... Get some of the bloody scanners out there. I did the training. I believe we actually had to pay for it, but it was combined with the noise meter training so maybe it was that, and I'm getting mixed up.

I registered an interest, not because I'm on a power trip, or I fancy myself as a secret squirrel. I actually thought it's not a bad idea if it actually gets used, so why not try to get it used a bit.

BUT...having handed my name in and volunteering to do it, I've not heard a thing since. There were no forms available on the day.....What's the point?????

I'm not an ACU basher, never have been, but I wasted my time that day.

Be good if John Collins is around, just to give us an idea if there has been much take up on the scanners, or any feedback. It wasn't John doing the training by the way, or in any way connected as far as I know, but I know he's regularly around here and always knows what he's on about.

Edited July 7, 2006 by bikespace

[rabie]

the idea itself is great, especially compared to other alternatives forms of tracking "lost" bikes

if you only have

[leggins]

The jury has returned with the verdict .Its a huge padlock for Leggins . Thanks for the feed back.

[john collins]

Sorry guys - did try to reply to this post as asked - but wasw in Poland at time and it obviously got lost in the ether. Will try again - however must say that there is a huge amount of corespondence etc to catch up ( have been away last x number of weekends ) so I will try to just give brief update on Datatag.

Also I may not be up to date - but have a meeting in a few weeks time where I will make more enquiries.

The ACU joined in with Datatag - for a few reasons - one important one being that we felt we had a responsibility - regardless of any commercial matters to try to at leat make some efforts to be involved in anything that had potential to deter the numerous scumbags out there who now seem to prey on us.

At initial meetings - it was negotiated that KTM would fit Datatag to all new machines - which I must say I think was an excellent idea. It was obviously hoped that other manufacturers would come on board - and eventually most new UK bikes would be fitted with datatag - and then testing at events etcwould have more use etc.

Datatag supplied readers to quite a lot of people in the Centres - and provided training.

Bikespace has described all this - and I am sure his technical observations are sure to be valid - and while I do not really understand all this - I wil certainly get tghis passed onto the relevent people.

For me however the big problem - very much like noise testing - is that having someone trained and tested and aslo having equipment to do job - still requires a person to give up a Sunday morning and go out and do the job.

I am sure I saw testing done at he St David's ( but coukld be wrong) - perhaps others can post in if hey have been tested?

For sure - if we have people trained, and readers available - if they are just gathering dust in cupboards somewhere - this needs urgent attention - and again I will raise the matter i correct quarters.

The whole thing seems like a cheicken and egg scenario - if we get lots of datatags fitted and lots of testing - the thing works - if not it becomes futile.

There is another angle - which I do know about. My son has fitted Datatag to his last 2 new trials bikes - the one before having been stolen.

Like me - he is not that keen on spending his hard earned - so there must have been an angle - and this is that if a dataga is fitted etc - there is a discount available on the Anti Theft protection offered ( this was all detrailed in ACU magazine) He tells me - that the discount offered goes some way towards off setting the cost of the Datatag - so it seems to make sense

I will make further enquiries - and get Bikespaces views to datatag etc - but as stated may take a litle time befroe I make progress.