Alarms
Something I considered (until I saw the price) is based on mobile 'phone technology. When your mobile is switched on your position can be triangulated to within a few metres by the signals from the nearest masts. Readers of news reports on Middle East conflicts may spot a connection - or people who have left their mobiles charging next to a radio. There's a distinctive beep-dabeepbeep dabeepbeepbeep (I made that up: you'll recognise it) audio signal that comes through on the radio. That's the mobile phone telling Vodafone where it is. There is a security system for vehicles based on the same principles but for benign purposes. My son used to sell them. At that time they cost around £400 pa, but the price may have risen or fallen since then.
They are akin to the private fleet vehicle management system that allow managers of fleets to know where everyone in the fleet is moment to moment within a few tens of yards based on the (I think) sinister blue roadside CCTV cameras. Those use number plate recognition technology. But there are obvious advantages to a bleeper that tells YOU where your bike is, without alerting the putative new owner.
Technically, concealing a mobile 'phone on your bike would allow Vodaphone (or whoever) to track it until the battery went flat. They might not however be prepared to part with the information unless paid.
I think the point that any lock can be bust by a determined thief is a sound one, and Ride magazine always seem to point out that the prime purpose of a lock is to persuade thieves to go steal someone else's bike rather than risk being nicked while spending 10 minutes nicking yours.
A decent lock backed up by a tracking system would seem a perfect solution.
