Par Quentin Marais
Published on
More and more bikers circulating in the Pink City. And the machines are sometimes targeted by thefts. That’s what happened to a resident of TournefeuilleWednesday, November 2, 2022. His two wheels were coveted by thugs, and the theft was indicated to him live… on his phone. A notification woke him up from his slumber. The 42-year-old man was thus able to warn the gendarmes. And his KTM was eventually found. Thanks to a device based on Toulouse.
Thank you GeoRide!
If the forties can get back on his two wheels, he owes it to this famous notification. The motorcyclist had equipped his vehicle with a gps tracker system, connected directly to his telephone. The name of this gadget? GeoRide, whose company is based… in Toulouse! And its founder, Thomas, 28, is also a biker. Originally from Lille, the motorcycle enthusiast launched the project in 2017, a few months after suffering the same misadventure…
“It all started with a motorcycle theft that I suffered in May 2017. I had two locks, but they had disced everything. I had put an alarm disc lock to warn me if something was happening. , but I was two floors above, so it was useless… At that time, I thought it was crazy that there was no solution to be notified live on your phone as soon as something is happening, if only to avoid being stressed.”
From Toulouse… to the United States
If history was born in Lille, it is in Toulouse that it takes shape, since Thomas moved there a few months after releasing the product, in June 2018. The team is filling up, and at the end of 2022, it is made up about fifteen people. And the project even goes beyond the Atlantic Ocean, since a person is working in Los Angeles, in the United States.
The gadget “connects super easily to the motorcycle, whatever the engine size, with a red cable and a black cable“. The connected box is thus linked to the biker’s telephone via the application. And it can thus ensure the famous triple function.
Three-in-one
The gadget has three essential functions : the GPS tracker, the connected alarm, and the fall detector. ” The goal of GeoRide, it’s to watch over the bikers and their bikes, but also to reassure the biker and his family, ”recalls Thomas.
“There is a fall detector built into the product: if I fall and I don’t respond, rescue is automatically deployed, and this in around ten countries in Europe. There is the motorcycle protection part, where we are notified instantly if anything happens on the bike, if someone tries to disassemble something, to shake it. And the GPS tracker part which allows you to locate your bike in real time.”
The creator of GeoRide gives an example: “I configured my phone so that even if it is in ‘Do not disturb’, he will let me know right away if something happens”. A 24-hour service is provided by the company. “Generally, the person who is the victim of a theft is panicked. She calls us and we tell her that we are going to put ourselves in relationship with the police, it increases the chances of finding the bike. »
The GPS tracker is also a great help for law enforcement. “Before, people told them that the motorcycle had been stolen from them, but of course, they didn’t know where she was… Now, thanks to the GPS tracker, we give them the exact location of the machine. “And to Thomas to concede, not without a smile:” It’s a nice revenge for the theft I suffered! »
A real fun aspect
But thanks to this gadget, which works in more than 200 countries, the motorcyclist can also count on a much more playful aspect. ” All trips are recorded. If you want to do it again, share it, put it on your GPS, you can”, confides the creator. “There is a whole aspect that is not linked to safety or securing the motorcycle, but which allows you to enjoy a unique motorcycle experience. »
“When we have had a nice walk, when we go home, when we have settled down, when we see where we have been, with the weather, all the cities, the altitude… And there is also a part of the maintenance of the motorcycle, which allows the rider to know when to do his overhaul, his oil change.”
A fresh mini version
The first product, GeoRide 3saw a version Mini disembark in November 2022. And Thomas would like to point out that “everything is made in or around Toulouse. The mold is made here, and the plastic near Montauban”. The company prefers to silence the number of users but also the trend on flights. “We try not to study it too much, because we don’t want communicate through fear. »
But these thefts, Thomas and his partners try to avoid them at all costs. “One of our latest innovations, it’s flight prediction. It warns the motorcyclist when he parks his motorbike in a risky area: it’s based on the history, the volume of pedestrians, the nearby metro stations, the volume of cars… We mix up a lot of data. »
GeoRide 3, Georide Mini: what’s the difference?
Two boxes are available. GeoRide 3, and the new one, GeoRide Mini. The first, sold at 329 euros, is “really for those who want to go further in detail. There is an anti-theft siren, which works even when there is no network underground. GeoRide works also in Bluetooth”, concedes Thomas. The second version, released in November 2022, is priced at 189 euros.
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