I have TWO insurance companies, Progressive and "Glock of Omaha".

 

OK...we bought a Kriptonie lock and chain the together. thanks for the great ideas/comments. i would like an alarm, though in the near future. THANKS again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I had my Banshee stolen two years ago while it was less than 30 feet from me. For this reason, I put an alarm on each of my three ATV's.

The unit I bought is sold at K-Mart, made by Bulldog and is nothing more than a small squarish box (about the size of two cigarette packs) that has the electronics, speaker, etc. all built inside. There isn't even a cone sticking out for the siren, but holes in the box acting as a speaker grill (the siren is completely built inside).

There are models out there that are similar in price, application, etc., but they have a large cone speaker that sticks out of the box.

It is a very, very basic setup. I mounted it directly under my Banshee seat, underneath the plastic opposite of where the tool kit space is. Don't use two-way tape, glue, etc., when mounting it to the plastic. Use only wire (zip) ties pulled very tight. The rubber from the other items provides a "cushion" between the ATV and the alarm, thereby, decreasing its motion detecting capabilities.

I mounted it here for three reasons:

1) It is located directly under the plastic, under seat, thereby is centered on the bike. This provides the best motion detecting position you can get.

2) It is completely concealed from plainview, even if you remove the seat.

3) The small tool compartment is a perfect place for the cell phone battery. I simply ran the wires from the cell phone battery, through the plastic, with a male/female connector so I can remove the battey and charge it.

If a person knew where it was, they could take the seat off and cut the wires. But by then, the alarm would have sounded for at least a few seconds and hopefully scared them off (nobody expects an alarm on an ATV).

What is really neat about this unit is that the alarm is turned on and off with a remote control key fob just like a car. You should see the looks I get from people when I step off my Banshee, point the key fob at it, push the button to activate the alarm (the alsrm beeps) and walk away. Same thing when I return to it and turn it off with the key fob.

The bottom line is simple, most thieves are probably gonna try sitting on it, moving it, walking away with it, picking it up, etc., before they look for alarm wires to cut. With this in mind, my alarm setup should be beneficial in situations where you leave your ATV alone for short periods of time (go into store, in back of truck, etc.).

Anything above a 6 volt cell phone battery will operate the siren at full volume. I recommend a lithium cell phone battery with at least 1200 mh. The mh (milliamps) is an indicator of the length of time the battery will last. I can get about 48 hours of non-stop monitoring with this battery (this time is reduced if the siren is activated).

Another great option for an inexpensive battery source is to get one that powers all of these inexpensive remote controlled, electric cars our kids use. These batteries are normally 9.6 volts and 1440 mh. You can get them, with a charger for about $25.00 at Toys R' Us, Radio Shack, K-Mart, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.

The alarm works exceptionally well! In fact, I have one on my son's Blaster and my wife's Sport 400 (didn't need a cell phone battery for this).
Let me know if you have questions!

 

does the alarm come with a battery? or is yours an extra hook-up. how do you activate it...with a key? i may check these out.
by the way..how is the trailor working out? i have a friend who wants to get one...he is looking @ the pros and cons of an enclosed trailor vs a flatbed.

 

The alarm has two wires and is made to hook up to the positive and negative sides of a car battery. I just bought a connector at Radio Shack and hooked them to a small 6v lithium cellular phone battery. It works perfect. You can also use a 9.6v radio controlled car battery.

The enclosed trailer is the only way to go. Get a fold down ramp door, put an alarm on it and forget about it. I am very happy with my enclosed trailer.