Alarm systems

[TT120]

Well, I'm going to have to get a paging alarm system so I can sleep at night so I was wondering if anybody has any insight to share.

I was looking at the Intermatrix TW-400 here http://internatrix.com/. It looks like a decent deal.

[AKA AllyKat]

Doesn't look to bad. I just spent 80-90 for a basic Gorilla. The Gorrila with two way paging was $200. So for $140 to get two paging, ignition disable, lights intigration, vioce reminder doesnt seem like a bad deal.

[Nero]

The only thing I wouldn't want is that annoying perimeter crap. No one likes to gear that "Get the f*** away from my bike!" stuff. -I also want silent paging so I can get to the bike and start blasting motherf**ckers before they have a chance to roll away with my bike. -But that's just wishful thinking, I guess.

Gorilla's a good name. I've never had a problem with their car alarms...

[The CyberPoet]

The only real thing I have to add is the power-draw: if you don't ride your bike at least once a week for 15+ miles (or take frequent, very-short trips), you could easily be in a net power-loss situation that can kill your battery (permanently). If you connect a float/trickle charger to the bike (Or solar panel), that's not a big deal as long as you connect the charger regularly.

BUT the unit draws .02 amp per hour. Given the 98+ stock battery (Yuasa YTX-9BS), the battery has a 8 Amp-Hour [8 AH] rating, and will normally suffer storage-capacity damage if it reaches 40% discharge. Given a brand-new, fully charged battery, you have about 10 days before the battery drops to the point of losing storage capacity permanently, and insufficient power to start the bike within 15 days. Throw in an used battery that's already half-way through it's service life, and those numbers can easily drop to 5 and 9 days respectively.

If you go this route and end up with a dead battery, there are a few things you might want to consider:
1. Start using a float/trickle charger, or if the bike is parked too far from an outlet (such as in an apartment parking lot), consider getting a motorcycle cover (Dowco) and a solar charging panel (Harbor Freight) to attach to the cover, so it'll keep the bike charged up.
2. When replacing the 98+ Battery, replace it with a Yuasa YTZ14S instead, which is the same dimensions left-to-right and front-to-back, but 5mm taller, and has an 11.2 AH rating. It will buy you extra time, and it also has almost twice as high a CCA rating as the stock battery (which means it's more likely to still be able to start the battery when partially drained or cold).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Timbercreek]

I have this one! plugs into existing conectors with Kat adapter.

http://www.scorpioalarms.com/

[TT120]

Power drain wouldn't be an issue since I cant stay off my bike for more than a few hours. It's my daily commuter as well.

Looking at the Scorpio and others I can't help but wonder why the Intermatrix one is so much cheaper than the other ones with the same features.

[Timbercreek]

I went through 2 cheap ones before I bought the scorpio. You get what you pay for!

[madkatana]

Scorpion unit looks great and it has the "right" connectors...I hate cutting into stock wiring...

[Specter]

Which Scorpio do you have, the 1-way or 2-way? Do you think the 2-way is worth it? How easy was it to install and how long did it take?

[Timbercreek]

I have the 1 way. Had no need for the 2 way. Where I work there are 5 thousand people. I have the perimeter sensor. Got tired of looking out and finding some A-hole sitting on my bike.

[TT120]

Why do people think It's ok to climb up on someones bike? They wouldn't like it if I just walked up to their car, got in and started pretending like I'm driving it.

My brother just got a bike, he had it for about 2 hours. He went to the store for smokes and when he came out, there was a dad with his kid and the kid was climbing all over the bike and dad was just watching him. Brother told the kid to get of my F%$#@^&* bike and the kid knocked the bike over when he got off of it. Dad was like, "oh well".

[The CyberPoet]

Looking at the Scorpio and others I can't help but wonder why the Intermatrix one is so much cheaper than the other ones with the same features.

85% marketing costs, 15% product differences.

I get bombarded on an almost daily basis by Chinese electronics firms (mainland China) trying to sell me alarm systems. The Intermatrix's identical clone (or virtually identical clone) runs around $18 each at quantity 500 -- the actual shipping costs and customs import taxes are higher than the product cost (like another $20). See this example:
Zhongshan Hongmao Electronics Co Ltd - HT-2005A

The Scorp on the other hand, is designed specifically for Scorp, and is probably built in Taiwan instead (better electronics quality in general, and lead-free solder). If I had to hazard some guesses, I would expect the Scorp has thicker plastics in the casing, higher quality neoprine buttons sticking through and a higher degree of water-resistance, plus a much higher quality LCD screen & back-lighting. In actual bulk manufacturing, aside from the screen and the circuitry to drive the screen these probably add less than $3 to the total cost (the better LCD & support circuitry probably adds another $10-15).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Timbercreek]

Spector Wrote: Which Scorpio do you have, the 1-way or 2-way? Do you think the 2-way is worth it? How easy was it to install and how long did it take?

Easy to install, if you buy the $20 Kat adapter it just plugs into existing wiring. If you want the turn signals to flash you have to splice into them but was real easy. Took about 30 min. Installed the module in the compartment under seat and put the sensor on the frame in front of the battery. It is pretty small and does not take up much space. it is very well sealed and appears to be well made. The cheap ones I had on my other bike, did not last long. They were not sealed good and I think the abuse from vibration and road was hard on them. The scorpio has worked great. Been on there since last august. I keep mine in the garage but if you store it somewhere unsecure then you would probebly need the 2 way.