Alarm specifically for motorcycles - Should I?

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Should I manufacture these alarms, and is the price reasonable?

  • Yes, good price. I'll be interested.

    Votes: 5 62.5%
  • No, too expensive.

    Votes: 2 25.0%
  • Yes, if it gets cheaper.

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Total voters
    8

OomD

Grey Hound
WD Supporter
Joined
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Location
Centurion
Bike
KTM 690 Adventure
An alarm is like insurance - a grudge purchase. Nobody likes getting the latest and greatest alarm, and then you need to remember to arm and/or disarm it, worry about it killing your battery, and try retrofitting a cheap car alarm because motorcycle specific alarms are few and far between.

But what if all that could change? What if you could get an alarm designed specifically for motorcycles, that
  • Arms by itself, you can never forget to arm it.
  • Optionally disarms by itself.
  • Will not kill your battery
  • Will not invalidate your warrantee
  • Installs in a few minutes, with no modifications to existing wiring

Last year motorcycle thefts appeared to be rising, especially for bigger adventure bikes. The GS seems to have become a sought after bike, one member here woke up to find his bike pushed out of his garage. A house in my neighbourhood had the palisade fence cut and his bikes pushed out, and stolen. These cases are numerous.

Due to the spate of thefts reported here on Wilddogs, and elsewhere, I started developing an alarm for motorcycles. I have completed development, with prototypes running in a few bikes. This alarm works quite well. It is not an immobiliser, it is simply an alarm that makes a very loud noise. It is triggered by any movement of the bike. The idea of the alarm is to notify you of the attempted theft, and hopefully scare the thiefs away.

While the alarm works very well for its intended purpose, I am unfortunately not a manufacturer in China that can make these things by the 1000's for very cheap. Production cost is most economical when I produce a 100 or more. This requires quite a sizeable investment from my side, which I am willing to make... if I know the alarm will sell. Unfortunately I am not a marketer, I have no marketing skills.

With this thread I hope to gauge the interest in such an alarm, and so help me decide whether I should go ahead and manufacture a 100 of these, or if I will be wasting my money.

Sale price will be around R1250, and it will be a self-install.

Some technical info:
  • Connect only to your bike's battery.
  • Intelligently learns your battery voltages to know when your engine is running (alternator charging)
  • Self learning algorythm that determines when you park your bike (at any angle/slope)
  • Built-in inertial movement sensor to detect bumps, movement, and tilts (lifting off the side stand, for example)
  • Draws approximately 300uA, even while active.
  • Screams at 100dB+
  • Can be configured to disarm itself when you start the bike.
  • Normal disarming is by way of a secure ID tag you insert into a receptacle.
  • S.O.S feature - If you fall or have an accident the alarm will emit standard S.O.S morse code until it is lifted upright again, helping your friends locate you

I'd appreciate any thoughts and expression of interest.

Edit: Here's two photos. Glasses for scale. Main unit size is 55 x 40mm, cylindrical. Next to it is the tag, and to the left is the tag recepticle. Shown without wiring. All the electronics built into the back of the siren.
 

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