Ex-Harley Executive Steve Piehl Partners with Monimoto
A former executive of Harley-Davidson (founder and developer of the highly successful Harley Owners Group, or HOG) has just partnered with an anti-motorcycle-theft company, signing on to help with their current ‘series A’ fundraising – and Steve Piehl is excited to see what the brand will bring to the Western Hemisphere.
Monimoto sells a device that Yahoo! Finance says is “designed to be secured to high-value and collectible motorcycles or bicycles. When the device senses movement and the owner are not within range, it provides exact location tracking to the owner’s smartphone, allowing authorities to secure the return of the bike.”
Source: YouTube
Think Apple’s airtag, but with more range and less outreaching alerts to nearby Apple users.
It’s important to note that Apple sends notifications to anybody followed by an unrecognized tag. As much as something so small and cheap might be a superficially good idea for your own bike, any Apple-using burglars could be notified they’re being followed.
Sure they might be scared off, but the alert could also cause the opposite effect – bike vandalism and a potentially damaging search of the machine.
“Most standard solutions, such as locks, fail to prevent theft, and just a small fraction of stolen motorcycles and bicycles are returned to their owners,” says Andrius Bruno Rimkunas, one of Monimoto founders.
“Our tracker allows owners to immediately work with authorities to recover their stolen bike or motorcycle.”
Source: Bennetts Insurance
“The current device, Monimoto 7, uses the latest worldwide eSIM, 4G/5G IoT technology, and upcoming versions will leverage yet to be announced hardware and software improvements to further security and connectivity to owners and authorities.”
Source: Radio Rider
The report mentions that the Monimoto7, when sensing a bike is being stolen or moved without the owner authorizing the movement, alerts the owner immediately, at which point authorities can be notified, making the whole recovery process that much more efficient.
“Monimoto is raising US$5 million to accelerate R&D and continue its expansion in the U.S. motorcycle and e-bikes markets. The company is profitable already, but additional funding will help drive growth in this new market and segment.”
That’s where Piehl comes in.
Source: WPR
“I’m delighted to partner with Monimoto to help them with this round of fundraising,” Piehl says.
“I’ve been working with the company for nearly a year, and I’m impressed with what they’ve already accomplished and their vision for the future. As our world moves toward more two-wheeled transportation in an increasingly urban environment, their product makes practical and emotional sense.”
“It gives motorcycle owners a feeling of confidence that their investment, and their passion, has an extra level of protection.”
Source: CycleNews
Stay tuned to see what happens when the company’s series A fundraising is complete – odds are, with H-D’s help, we could see this product hit the American markets as soon as the next series of funding is completed.
Want to see what you’re getting when the Monimoto hits US markets? On top of the purchase of the Monimoto 7 itself, the unit comes with services that are purportedly “free for two months with device purchase, and…approximately $49 per year after that.”
Let us know what you think in the comments below, and as always – stay safe on the twisties.
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