Why you should combine a chain lock and a GPS tracker on your motorcycle

Combining a chain lock and a GPS tracker means covering both key moments of a theft. The chain slows the thief down on the spot and forces him to make noise, the tracker alerts you from the very first vibration and locates the motorcycle if it is carried off. Neither is enough on its own: the chain warns nobody, the GPS tracker puts up no physical resistance. Together, they deter, alert and help you get the bike back.

What is a chain lock really worth against thieves?

A quality chain lock is still useful, on one condition: secure it to a fixed anchor point. Locked to a ground anchor or a bolted-down post, the chain stops the motorcycle being carried off outright and forces the thief to get out noisy tools, in the middle of the street, under people's windows. That is exactly what he hates: time lost and attention drawn.

You do have to be clear-eyed about its real resistance, though. An approved U-lock gives way in around fifteen seconds per cut against a modern battery-powered angle grinder. The famous "two minutes of resistance" comes from certification testing, carried out with a hand saw, a tool no thief uses any more. So the chain does not make theft impossible: it makes it longer, noisier and riskier for whoever takes it on.

The anchor point changes everything. The average theft is estimated to take 2 minutes 30 seconds, and less than a minute when the bike is not secured to anything fixed: two people lift it, chain and all, and load it into a van. A chain laid on the seat or wrapped around the wheel without an anchor protects against almost nothing.

Why is a lock alone no longer enough?

Because it never warns you. While your motorcycle is leaving in a van, you know nothing about it: you discover it is gone hours later, sometimes the next morning. And after 48 hours, the chances of recovery are ten times lower according to police data.

Thieves have their method down to a fine art. They do not start the motorcycle: they lift it, break the steering lock, load it up and hide it in a lock-up for a few days, long enough to check whether it is connected. The most common theft techniques nearly all rely on this quick, silent lift, including in shared garages and basements.

Thomas, GeoRide's founder, went through it himself in 2017: one morning as he was setting off on a road trip, his motorcycle had vanished, with the lock secured to a fixed point and the disc lock both cut through. His alarmed disc lock had been useless, as he lived two floors above and could not possibly hear it.

"It drove me mad to think we were using sound to warn about a problem, when we all have a phone in our pocket." Thomas, GeoRide founder

The scale of the problem is huge: 15,975 powered two-wheeler thefts reported and compensated in 2025 according to GIE Argos (the French insurers' vehicle body), and a real estimate of 55,000 to 60,000 thefts a year, or one powered two-wheeler every 10 minutes. Without a tracking device, the national recovery rate tops out at 24.3% (2025 Argos Barometer): three out of four stolen motorcycles never come back.

What does a GPS tracker bring that a chain never will?

It gives you the information at the moment it is still useful: during the theft, not after it. From the first suspicious vibration, a unit like GeoRide sends an alert by notification, email, phone call or iOS critical alert that rings at full volume even in Do Not Disturb mode. You know something is happening while the thief is still standing next to the bike.

Then comes the location. Where a conventional GPS beacon sends a position every 5 minutes, GeoRide transmits up to 10 per second in corners, with accuracy down to less than a metre thanks to Galileo. If the motorcycle is carried off despite the chain, you follow its route in real time and post-theft Assistance, available 24/7 in mainland France, calls you back in under 5 minutes to coordinate the operation with the police. To understand exactly how these units work, our guide motorcycle GPS tracker: how it works and how to choose covers it all.

Above all, the GPS tracker deters before it ever has to recover. That is the big lesson from the 2026 GeoRide Motorcycle Theft Observatory in France, run among more than 4,600 riders: in most attempts, the alert is enough to scare the thief off. As for the motorcycles that really are moved, the vast majority are found. You do not have to play the hero: knowing the bike is being tracked means you can react properly in the first few minutes without ever putting yourself in danger.

Your chain will never warn you. GeoRide will.Alert from the first vibration, real-time location, 24/7 post-theft Assistance.

Protect my motorcycle

How do the chain and the GPS tracker complement each other at every stage of a theft?

Each covers a moment the other cannot see: the chain acts before and during, the tracker during and after. Before the attempt, a visible chain on a fixed anchor sends the thief off to an easier target. During, it forces him to use noisy tools and take time, which is exactly what the tracker exploits: the alert goes out at the first vibration, and a connected alarm like the Live Alarm can even be triggered remotely to put 110 dB in his ears. Afterwards, if the bike goes anyway, only the GPS tracker can tell you the rest of the story.

This pairing also covers the most frustrating case: theft in a place you think is safe. Around half of all thefts happen in shared garages or basements, exactly where you let your guard down. The chain is still useful there, and a suitable unit keeps watch: GeoRide even lets you locate your motorcycle underground, where the conventional GPS signal stops.

How do you set up this double protection properly?

On the chain, three rules do most of the work. Always secure the bike to a fixed, bolted-down anchor, a ground anchor or a post, otherwise it will be lifted with its chain. Pass the chain through the frame or the rear wheel rather than the front wheel, which is easier to remove. And keep it taut and off the ground: a chain lying on the floor gives an angle grinder a perfect base. Our complete guide to protecting your motorcycle from theft reviews all the good parking habits.

On the tracker side, fitting GeoRide takes 5 minutes, with no trip to a dealer: red wire on the battery "+", black wire on the "−", and the unit tucked away out of sight. Its internal battery takes over even if the wires are torn out, and fitting has no impact on the manufacturer's warranty. All that is left is to download the app, set the alert sensitivity and choose your notification channels.

One last habit: tell your insurer. A GPS tracker can reduce your premium or your excess with some insurers, and many policies make theft cover conditional on a mechanical lock. You may as well declare both.

What GeoRide brings to this

GeoRide is designed for exactly the lookout role a chain cannot fill. The GeoRide 3s combines a GPS tracker, a connected alarm and underground radar detection: it disarms on its own as your phone approaches, detects jamming attempts and guides you to the motorcycle even in an underground car park. The GeoRide mini covers the essentials, location, real-time alerts and post-theft Assistance, at €199 or on rental at €9.99/month with no commitment. To choose between the two, see our GeoRide mini or GeoRide 3s comparison.

And to complete the arsenal against a thief already at work, the Live Alarm (€69, compatible with GeoRide 3 and 3s) adds a patented 110 dB alarm that you can trigger remotely from the app, wherever you are.

"The point of GeoRide is to act in an emergency, but to be relaxed the rest of the time." Thomas, GeoRide founder

Frequently asked questions

Do a chain and a GPS tracker do the same job twice?

No, they cover different moments of a theft. The chain deters and slows the thief down on the spot, the tracker alerts you during the attempt and locates the motorcycle if it is carried off. Remove either one and you leave a blind spot: with no chain, the bike is loaded up in under a minute; with no tracker, you will never know where it went.

How should you secure your chain lock properly?

Always to a fixed, bolted-down anchor, through the frame or the rear wheel, with the chain taut and off the ground. Without an anchor, thieves lift the motorcycle with its chain and load it into a van. A solid anchor point forces them to cut on the spot, making noise, while your tracker alerts you.

Does a GPS tracker work in an underground car park?

Yes with the GeoRide 3s, which takes over from GPS thanks to its underground radar detection and guides you precisely to the motorcycle, even with no network. The GeoRide mini locates the bike as far as the car park entrance, then post-theft Assistance coordinates the search with the police.

What should you do when the alert goes off during a theft attempt?

Never take on the thief on your own: it achieves nothing and puts you in danger. Trigger post-theft Assistance in the GeoRide app, available 24/7 in mainland France: you get a call back in under 5 minutes and the bike's real-time position is passed straight to the police.

Does my motorcycle insurance require a lock?

It often does: many policies make theft cover conditional on an approved mechanical lock, so check yours. A GPS tracker can also reduce your premium or your excess with some insurers. Declaring the chain and the tracker together means making the most of your double protection.