As Motorcycle Theft Rate Accelerates, LoJack Offers Global Motorcycle Recovery System

February 16, 2005

Easy riders concerned about how easily their wheels may be lifted have a new partner in the fight against theft.

The company that created the global stolen vehicle recovery system for autos and then applied it to commercial vehicles and construction equipment has announced a new product for motorcycles.

LoJack Corporation, in Westwood, Mass., said its new product, LoJack for Motorcycles, will be rolled out on a market-by-market basis where motorcycle thefts are highest. It is now available in LoJack ‘s home state of Massachusetts and will be ready for sale in the greater Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area in March, followed by Texas and California later this year. LoJack operates in 22 states and the District of Columbia, with concentration in areas with greatest population density and high vehicle sales..

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, motorcycle theft is a growing problem, up 55 percent from 2002 to 2003.

“Quite simply we believe this is the right product at the right time,” said Joseph F. Abely, chief executive officer of the company. “Motorcycle riding is once again an increasingly popular past time, as evidenced by skyrocketing bike sales, which are expected to rival those from the Easy Rider days of the 1970s.”

LoJack for Motorcycles includes a small wireless radio frequency transceiver that is hidden in one of several locations on the bike. Once the motorcycle is reported missing, state law enforcement computer match the vehicle identification number to the LoJack address. After this match, the LoJack system is automatically activated, emitting silent radio signals from the small radio transceiver. Law enforcement vehicles with LoJack tracking computers follow these signals, which lead them to the stolen bike.

LoJack’s radio frequency technology can detect through garages, steel containers and dense foliage. The systems are also covert, hidden on the bike so that thieves do not suspect they exist.

LoJack boasts a 90 percent recovery rate in stolen cars and trucks.

The motorcycle product will retail for $595, a one-time installation fee paid to the installer dealer. It comes with a limited two-year warranty and money-back guarantee if a stolen bike is not received within 24 hours.

Topics Auto Fraud

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