A TRACKER is the only thing that really actively helps you get your bike back if it gets stolen. And the baddies don't like them - they'll often park a bike up with a cover on for a few days to see if it gets recovered, so even they believe in them.

And Honda UK's taking a big step forward, by teaming up with Datatool and its TrakKing device to fit free trackers to all new road-going Hondas from July 2 2018. Existing Honda owners will also get a discount on fitting at a Honda dealer. With the free fit to new bikes, all you pay for is the subscription service price, currently about £10 a month.

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We've covered the Trakking before - it's a GPS enabled unit which keeps you updated with your bike's position online, and sends alerts if the bike is moved without the ignition coming on. It works well, and gives proper peace of mind against theft.

Here's Honda's release on the story - we'll have more on this when we get it.

"Honda Motorcycles UK has joined forces with Datatool in the first partnership of its kind to offer tracking equipment fitted free-of-charge to riders of every single on-road Honda motorcycle. Available on purchases from Monday 2nd July 2018*, the initiative is part of Honda’s ongoing commitment to advance motorcycle safety and security.

New Honda Motorcycle customers will have the option of receiving Datatool’s innovative Thatcham-approved tracking solution - TrakKING Adventure system, supplied and fitted at no extra cost by Honda dealerships. Honda is also offering existing owners a discount on purchase and installation costs. The only cost to the customer is the ongoing 24/7/365 monitoring subscription.

In addition to the automatic theft monitoring and instant notification, Datatool TrakKING Adventure provides a detailed journey history with every journey automatically uploaded to the cloud for later review, as well as the ability to provide location and event-based alerts.

Once activated, the TrakKING Adventure software allows riders to record and review their routes with friends online and via the free iOS or Android smartphone apps.

This mapping technology and the tracking capability covers the whole of Western Europe, allowing Honda owners to take their bikes abroad with complete peace of mind.

The UK’s top-selling motorcycle brand, Honda has thrown its support behind the recently-announced MCIA Secured** initiative and is keen to highlight the role that manufacturers can play in ensuring riders have access to the tools which will keep them and their bikes safe.

As well as being Thatcham Quality Assured, TrakKING Adventure is also accredited as a Police ‘Secured by Design’ product, which means it meets the high standards set by police forces around the UK to reduce and prevent crime.

Neil Fletcher, Head of Motorcycles at Honda UK, said: “This ground-breaking safety and security initiative is a long-term Honda commitment to ensuring peace of mind for riders of Honda’s on-road range.

“Fitting a tracking device such as TrakKING Adventure is a significant deterrent, looked on favourably by insurance companies and can lead to around 90% of bikes being returned to their owner if they are unfortunate enough to be stolen. For riders, dealers and insurers, it’s a win-win scenario, speeding up the process of getting back on the road and ensuring customers retain their Honda motorcycle.”

Dave Plummer, Datatool Brand Manager at Scorpion Automotive, commented: “Tracking technology is increasingly important for riders looking to protect their motorcycle or scooter, particularly within urban areas. It’s an incredibly positive step from Honda UK to commit to providing our TrakKING Adventure hardware to its customers free-of-charge. We’re keen to work together to develop the product to meet the needs of Honda riders throughout the UK.”

Tony Campbell, CEO at The MCIA, added: “Following the announcement of the MCIA Secured scheme due to be rolled out over the coming months, it is great news to see Honda take this important step in fighting Motorcycle & Scooter Theft which has become a growing problem in recent years. The MCIA Secured programme has been introduced to make it clear to customers which anti-theft security is fitted as standard to New Motorcycles and Scooters and at the same time encourage manufacturers to invest more in security for the customer. The MCIA and Industry has been working tirelessly hard with Government and Authority to tackle the problem of Theft and therefore we are extremely pleased to see Honda introduce TrakKING as a standard fit security item on all new Hondas.”

Datatool TrakKING Adventure is available on all new Honda scooters and motorcycles sold after Monday, 2nd July 2018. Honda dealers are also offering discounted purchase and installation prices for existing owners, typically £349 fitted. Monthly subscription costs come in at less than £10 per month, with the option to pay for the year upfront.

For more information, visit: www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles