Meta M357T

My R1 had one fitted when I bought it, it has a built in limited life battery that when it fails causes no end of trouble, my bike died whilst in motion due to this piece of **** and it cost me to get it taken home, when I looked into replacing it they wanted £175 because the newer version needs a loom adaptor, I found cheaper on ebay but with only a 1 year guarantee I decide not to risk it so I changed to a much better and more affordable NCS, also when I contacted Meta they gave me the phone number of a "bloke they know in my area" who specialises in their flawed alarm/immobiliser (loads fail apparently and all of them will eventually), this guy never answers the phone but has a very long tedious answer phone message, I think it may be because he is never in as he is always out looking at motionless bikes that have been stricken by the blight of a Meta 357T, my advice is don't buy one unless you are someone who enjoys pushing motorcycles.

Just had my M357 replaced by Abacus as the internal battery finaly failed after well over 10 years of faultless service. Never let me down once how anyone on here can give less than 4 stars is beyond me, if the alarm lasted only a couple of years then fair enough but to give one or two stars for a 10 year old alarm is a bit much, get a life you guys this alarm rocks! By the way I replaced it with a simple plug & play replacement took all of 5 minutes to swap over.

The Meta M537t is in my opinion dangerous.Mine failed whilst riding,fortunatly at low speed.had it disconnected,there is a battery within the unit which cannot be accessed what is that all about? I would suggest having this item removed before one causes an accident.

the meta357t well the cost of 90 pound to have it removed is worth every penny as you simply cannot trust this alarm;i mean just because your battery loses some charge the alarm should recover not go to sleep never to wake up again shame on the manufactures of the biggest pile of rubbish ever made i will never purchase anything made by meta i called there chap today to tell him and hey got his answer phone guess he was asleep aswell;anyway you have been warned.

Firstly let me state I fit Meta alarms for a living & without doubt these are the most reliable electronic bike security systems on the market today. Its true these alarms can start too give problems at around the ten-year mark, I still know of the earlier model fitted in 1998 which are still going strong today. Now before the moaners out there say ‘10 years is that all’ I'll let you into a little secret that in my experience similar Datatool products on average gives problems after 5 or 6 years as do many other makes including Acumen. I fit these Meta’s day in & day out they are very high quality superbly designed & manufactured security devices.

Every poor report here on the review pages is about an alarm that was discontinued in 2002 (M357T replaced by the TV2 version in 2003), that makes this alarm around 10 years old now, come on reviewers wake up to yourselves, when’s the last time you saw a review about a 10 year old TV or kettle. Oh and before someone mentions they have a 30 year old Sony Triniton TV still working (as I do) note the conditions this product has not lived in such as massive heat variations, dampness, water spray, excessive vibrations, owners messing around with the bike's electrics etc etc. These are the conditions these alarms must endure.

To cut down on many of the problems mentioned here are a few simple tips about buying a bike with a Meta alarm fitted.

1/. Always make sure you get the red code card from the previous owner, this contains the 16 digit code & the over ride code, without this you will not be able to purchase replacement remotes and most importantly override the immobiliser should the remotes fail to operate. If missing sooner or later the only option will be to remove or replace the alarm should a problem occur. This is the single most reason Meta alarms are removed/replaced - if the codecard is missing negotiate with the owner for a replacement which will cost around £150 plus fitting (the TV2 is not directly plugable into the M357 loom but adapter looms are now available which makes replacement simple & cheaper)

2/ Make sure the LED functions, by counting the flashes this is used enter the over ride code. This is a cheap component to replace but a very important part of the system. By the way if the LED is fitted in the taillight I suggest it be moved so it can be seen while operating the ignition switch. I just do not know why fitters mount the LED in the taillight unless of course they think their customers are gorillas with extra long arms.

Took my 2002 XJR 1300 out of the garage this morning for a de-cobwebbing session, alarm beeped off ok, bike started ok.....then noticed smoke pouring out the side of the bike ( tailpiece )...seat off and instantly saw smoke coming from the Meta box of tricks...terrible smell of electrical burning too...now ringing round to find someone to strip it out of my bike........

**********************" DO NOT BUY THIS ALARM "***************************

we had one on my other halfs gsxr, we were trying going out for a run and would not start and had " SMOKE" pooring out of the alarm / immobiliser unit with a strong smell of melting plastic even after the fuse blew, dangerous or what!!!!!!....... you tell me.

Just bought a Kawasaki GPZ 500s with this system already fitted, took it round the block for a spin and turned the engine off at the petrol station to fill up and it wouldnt respond to the key fob when i tried to start it, the bike was totally immobilised and I had to wheel the thing home up a hill to my house, complete waste of money, avoid at all costs, save yourself a lot of hassle. Thankfully I lived close-by, if you were out on a sunday run somewhere and stopped and this happened, you'd be in trouble.

Bought my BMW R1150 RT in 2008 with META M357T already fitted by 1st owner.

Have had one or two minor operational niggles where the system wouldn't "wake up" after the bike had been unused for a few weeks, and found the only way of definitely getting results was to disconnect, then re-connect the battery, which as owners of this bike will know is a heck of a chore owing to inaccessibilty.

However, worst scenario has just happened...heavy rain, Normandy, day before due to come home, alarm completely immobilises bike, and won't reset, resulting in RAC re-patriation to UK, one very angry other half, and a consequent loss of confidence in the product. Can't really recommend.

Hadnt had any problems with the bike but it should be a lot more sensitive to movement, you could easily steal a bike with a 357t fitted if you were careful with the tilt sensor.

It has however immobilised my bike on a corner at 50 before when the tilt sensor has kicked in, when i took it to get the immobiliser reset the mechanics said they have had other issues of this happening on motorways so im getting it removed ! i wouldnt recommend anyone with this alarm keeps it fitted, its a dangerous product with a fraction of the development invested that a bike immobiliser needs, a thick chain is a much better investment.

Alarm will be going back to meta with a product liability claim.