Solalarm SLA 835T Review

Overall Rating

Thatcham Cat 1
Cheaper than other equivalent alarms
Does what it says on the box

Poor fitting kit
Inadequate fitting instructions
Tilt switch has limited use

Solalarm SL835T Motorcycle Alarm

This review is in three parts:

Part 1

The spec:

Thatcham Cat 1
2 remote keyfob transmitters, encrypted code
Immobilises 2 separate circuits (eg ignition plus starter motor)
Internal battery back-up (powers alarm if main DC supply is interrupted)
Active or passive arming (user programmable)
Integral shock sensor
Integral tilt switch
User programmable modes (either just immobilisation, or immobilise & alarm)
Selectable audio arm/disarm alerting (it chirps at you, or not)
Voltage sensing - detects any attempt to hot-wire
Ignition holdoff - cannot be armed whilst bike is running
2 year warranty
Low current draw (5mA in armed or standby mode)
User programmable sensitivity level
Audible attack alerting (it tells you if the alarm has been triggered)
'Panic' mode - you can override the alarm and just turn the siren on.
Indicator flash on arm/disarm (pretty)
Additional external trigger sensor wire - for accessories, seat access, etc.
Flashing alarm status LED


Things they don't tell you:

It must be installed by an approved installer to qualify for insurance discounts - costs an additional £100

You can only have the tilt switch work with either the side-stand or the centre-stand, not both; if the alarm is configured for a side-stand and you use the centre-stand the tilt-switch automatically disables, and vice versa.

The dimensions of the unit don't include the substantial waterproof boot on the wiring loom where it exits the unit - can make installation awkward (it did in my case). It adds anpther 20mm to the length of the unit.

Once installed the alarm automatically immobilises the bike - this cannot be deselected (this is a Thatcham requirement). Doesn't seem to cause any problems though.

The 2-year warranty is a 'back to base' job. If, like me, you've taken the time to do a proper installation you'll be less than impressed at having to take it all to bits again.


Part 2

In-service experience

It's been in use on a Triumph Sprint for a few months now with no significant problems. I chose to have the tilt-switch work with the side-stand, and it works fine. I have the sensitivity set to 4 out of 5 (5 being most sensitive), which seems to work for me. Setting the sensitivity is easy (just don't lose the instructions, whatever you do!) and appears sufficiently sensitive to detect the smallest movement of the bike.

I also set this one up for manual arming - didn't want the siren going off just as I was emptying the panniers. I do find that the keyfob transmitter can be easily operated in a pocket - the manufacturer recommends you keep the keyfob dry, so attaching to the bike key is probably not a good idea - hence it ends up in your pocket.

Washing the bike: the alarm is waterproof, allegedly, but avoid using a jet wash near the alarm - as if you needed telling. I'd also shy away from installing the unit with the alarm sounder facing upwards, in case water then stands on the surface and causes problems.



Part 3

Installing it.

Don't even think about installing this yourself unless you are very competent at automotive electrical engineering - you need to be able to read a wiring diagram, trace a circuit through, and make connections to your bike wiring loom that are at least as good as the OEM. If you think that twisting a couple of bare wires together then wrapping with insulation tape is a good connection, please stop reading now, find another £100 and get a professional to do the job.

Time: it took me, start to finish, about 6 manhours, spread over 2 days. This included having to fabricate a mounting bracket (not included with the alarm), and running round like a headless chicken when the alarm armed itself then triggered while I was connecting the wiring, and then defied all attempts to get the thing to shut up.

Highlights:

The instructions say that you MUST NOT use any existing, pre-wired alarm connector. Rubbish. Provided you can trace the circuit you have nothing to fear. The Sprint has such a connector, the wiring is shown in the Haynes manual, and I could trace the circuit. So I used the existing wires without difficulty. I have used a different immobilisation circuit, just to make life a little more difficult for any scum that fancy their chances. I prefer a pound of Semtex beneath the seat, but, alas, this is not an option I could find in the SolaLarm accessories list.

Physically bolting it to the bike: the supplied fitting kit is useless. You'll need to knock up a bracket of some kind (I used 2 small right-angle brackets from Screwfix). The instructions should contain a drawing of how the alarm should be orientated, but they don't. I ended up ringing SolaLarm for advice, and they were extremely helpful and knowledgeable - they even had experience of the Sprint installation. The alarm should be installed with the long axis aligned across the bike, and with the siren sounder either pointing up/down or forward/aft. You must decide whether the tilt switch is to operate on the sidestand or the centerstand. Whichever you choose, the top surface of the alarm must be horizontal with the bike on the stand. So if you want the tilt-switch to work with the bike on the sidestand, the top surface of the alarm must be horizontal with the bike sat on the sidestand. Use a spirit level to get it right.

Obviously, wherever you fit it, there has to be a way for the noise to get out - no point fitting it in a waterproof seat hump, you'll never hear it!!

The alarm wiring loom is called 'stealthy'. They mean black. The wires are black. They do have numbered ident sleeves, which is handy. The instructions advise removing these sleeves, but I reckon that's gonna cause a few problems in years to come, so I left them on but concealed them from sight.

I strongly recommend that you disconnect the bike battery during installation - I didn't, and as soon as I connected the earth wire the alarm armed itself then triggered as soon as I touched the bike. In a small workshop the siren is LOUD. On top of which I couldn't turn the damn thing off.

I don't propose to go into the mechanics of making the connections here - if you need advice on making these connections you really shouldn't attempt this install.

Other stuff: the fuse holders supplied (one for the indicator flash output, one for the permanent 12vdc input) are overly large and are difficult to hide - no point having 'stealthy' wiring if the fuse holder is the size of sherbert dab (OK, I exaggerate, but you get the idea). And be careful if you have to remove a fuse, the holder contains a small spring which will fall out and promptly disappear (like mine).

The alarm has an external trigger wire - connect this to any switch on the bike to trigger the alarm when that switch makes a circuit to earth: the kit contains a very cheap plunger switch which you can fit to trigger the alarm if the seat (for instance) is lifted whilst the alarm is armed. Or you can install switches on panniers, or a top box, or anything else you want to protect. You can connect as many of these additional switches in parallel as you like, just so long as the other side of the switch goes to ground. I would obtain better quality switches than the one supplied, though.

It also has a flashing LED which can be installed wherever you like to provide a visual indication of alarm status - I chose not to install this though the wiring has been connected. Not sure it's a good idea to advertise the presence of an alarm to a potential thief - in my case the visual deterrence is a large padlock and chain wrapped round the rear wheel.

And if you do choose to install yourself, can I suggest that you make the connections to the bike loom as deep into that loom as you can manage? A mass of connections all adjacent to the alarm are going to look unsightly, be difficult to hide, will prove unreliable, and are a sure pointer as to the location of the alarm.

Members' Comments onspock's Review

• Bertie on 4th Feb 2005

  A beautifully written and most informative review.
  Live long and prosper, Spock!

• De Vore on 10th Apr 2006

  I agree, the alarm was much cheaper than some of it's competition - does all I needed and if you do get into any bother then the folks at Solartrack are very knowledgeable and helpful.

• Rubin 215 on 2nd Dec 2006

  I bought the Solalarm SLA 835T alarm off Ebay, and I got a friendly professional to fit it "on the side", and less than six months later the alarm went on the fritz.
  It was nothing that the fitter did; the alarms own internal battery has leaked and fried the circuit board, leaving the whole unit "beyond repair".
  
  The "friendly" people at Solalarm want nothing to do with me (apparently, buying it off Ebay is not an "official stockist"), so at the "very best" they will sell me a new alarm at "cost price", ie. £30 more than I paid for the full kit in the first place.
  
  I have since discussed the alarm with my local main Honda dealer (who just laughed at the idea of fitting such a piece of cheap rubbish to anything worth more than a few hundred pounds), and the advice is to remove it completely and start again with something decent. The professional verdict? High current drain, poor reliability, easy to bypass both alarm and immobiliser circuits, poor water resistance from casing and cable boot, circuit board not resin coated, so vulnerable to water / battery leakage, poor soldering inside alarm...

• imster600 on 19th Feb 2007

  I recently left my bike for a long period of time and the alarm ate my battery which was expected!! In between trying all desperate attempts to start the bike via make shift jump leads etc some how I have managed to disengage my alarm fob and can not start my bike.