Which GPS tracker should you fit to your bike? The criteria that actually matter, and where HOROTAG GPS sits against a subscription tracker.
Sommaire · 5 parties
01Why fit a GPS tracker to your bike?
Bikes and scooters are a favourite target for thieves, and a good mechanical lock isn't the deterrent it once was: a determined, equipped thief gets through one quickly and quietly. A GPS tracker is the only thing that still tells you where your bike went after it's gone, and it's what gives the police something to act on.
Think of it as two different jobs: the lock buys time, the tracker gives you a location. You want both.
02What actually matters when you choose one
Battery life
A tracker that runs flat in a fortnight is no use if you're away for three weeks. HOROTAG GPS runs on a primary lithium cell for 3.3 to 5.5 years depending on how much you ride : it uses low-power 4G IoT (LTE-M/NB-IoT) rather than a permanent data connection, which is where the endurance comes from. Nothing to charge, nothing to wire in.
Being invisible
The tracker has to be hard to find. HOROTAG GPS is a small sealed box with no wiring, so it goes under the seat, in the electrics tray or behind a side panel: and it keeps working there.
Alerts you'll actually get
Position every 8 h when the bike is parked, every 30 min once it's moving. If the bike leaves a trusted zone without you, you get a push alert on your phone straight away, and you answer it in one tap: it's fine (whitelist this), keep watching, or yes: it's been stolen. Confirm a theft and the app generates a PDF theft report with the position history, ready for the police and your insurer.
There's also a "I'm riding" mode for when you're the one moving the bike, and close tracking when a theft is in progress — a position every 30 min while moving on HOROTAG GPS, every 10 min on HOROTAG ULTIMATE GPS.
No subscription
Most trackers come with a monthly fee that never stops. HOROTAG GPS doesn't: one payment of €299, with a 10-year 4G IoT SIM included in the box.
03HOROTAG GPS versus a subscription tracker
We deliberately don't publish a table of rivals' prices and plans here: they change every few months and any figure we print would be out of date before you read it. Check each maker's own page for current pricing. What's worth comparing is the shape of the offer:
| Criterion | HOROTAG GPS | Typical subscription tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €299, paid once | Lower up front, then a monthly fee for as long as you own it |
| Subscription | None: 10-year 4G IoT SIM included | Ongoing, monthly or yearly |
| Power | Battery, 3.3 to 5.5 years depending on use | Often hard-wired to the bike, or a battery you recharge |
| Fitting | No wiring, hidden anywhere on the bike | Wiring loom on many models |
| Maintenance logbook | Yes: sealed server-side; hours estimated from your trips, adjustable | Rarely |
| PDF theft report | Yes | Rarely |
One thing to be clear about: HOROTAG GPS does not certify your engine hours. They are estimated from your trips and remain adjustable in the logbook; it is the logbook itself that is sealed server-side. If you want hours counted at the engine: motocross and enduro, where hours drive every service interval: that's HOROTAG RUUVI (€129), the Bluetooth hour meter. Plenty of riders run both: RUUVI for the hours, GPS for the theft protection.
04Which HOROTAG box for which bike?
- HOROTAG GPS (€299) : the essential anti-theft tracker, for any bike including motocross and enduro
- HOROTAG ULTIMATE GPS (€399) : same anti-theft protection plus a detailed track log of every ride, for sports bikes, café racers, roadsters and demanding off-road use
- HOROTAG RUUVI (€129) : the automatic Bluetooth hour meter, for motocross and enduro
05In short
A GPS tracker isn't a luxury any more: it's insurance you actually control. At €299 with no subscription, HOROTAG GPS costs about what a decent pair of boots does, and it's the only thing on your bike that will still be talking to you the morning after.
Two questions come up around any comparison like this one. The first is about vocabulary, covered in our guide to the motorcycle GPS beacon. The second is about Bluetooth tags, of which the AirTag on a motorcycle is the best known, and which do not play in the same category.
A tracker and anti-theft for every rider: that is HOROTAG GPS.
A position every 8 h when parked and every 30 min on the move, passive anti-theft, a full maintenance logbook. Hours are estimated from the length of your rides, with no mileage. €299, 10-year 4G IoT SIM included, no subscription.
See HOROTAG GPS
