From BrakeBright to Watchman: bringing premium security to every motorcycle

If you’ve ever parked the bike, pulled off your gloves, and still kept one ear tuned to the machine behind you… this story is for you.

The itch to build a smarter garage

My mission is simple: bring high‑end safety technology to all motorcycles. My first device, BrakeBright, was step one - a tiny, tough, single‑minded smart brake‑light controller. It worked so well (thanks in no small part to rider feedback) that I started looking at the next gap: locking and alarms. Those features live on some premium bikes, but I wanted them on my bike - and on yours, at an affordable price.

Which raised a bigger question:

What if your bike had a small, polite brain that watched over it when you weren’t around - one that didn’t require a subscription, didn’t drain your battery, and didn’t make you carry extra keys or fobs?

That itch became Watchman.

Then there were the numbers: tens of thousands of motorcycles are stolen each year in the US, and thousands more across the UK. That’s enough to keep anyone’s ears pricked; it certainly had me worrying about my own bike. If someone REALLY want to steal your bike they will, but I didn't want to give them easy time doing it. 

Watchman isn’t flashy. It’s a quiet guardian that lives under the seat and minds its own business - until it doesn’t.

What Watchman does (and why it matters)

• Knows when you’re near: Walk up and it recognises you; walk away and it arms itself. No rituals.
• Warns, then escalates: A nudge gets you a heads‑up. Continued tampering ramps to a full alarm. No crying wolf.
• Talks directly to your phone: Pure Bluetooth. No cloud middlemen, SIMs, or logins.
• Updates safely over the air: Signed firmware, integrity‑checked, resume‑safe. No drama.
• Indicator whisper: If you enable it, Watchman can mirror your turn‑signal tick through your helmet headset via your phone - so you don’t forget to cancel.

This isn’t another gadget screaming for attention. It’s the opposite: fewer hassles so you can ride more and worry less.

How Watchman works

Presence that feels natural

Watchman keeps a soft watch for your phone over Bluetooth. When the signal crosses your chosen near/far thresholds, it switches modes: disarmed when you’re close, automatically armed when you leave. You can always override it from the App.

Motion sensitivity: you decide what counts as movement

You’re in full control. Watchman uses a three‑axis motion sensor to tell the difference between tiny nudges, rocking, and real attempts to move the bike. In the app you set sensitivity with a slider. Change it any time. Each notch maps to tested thresholds, so one click tighter or looser always behaves predictably - exactly at the level you choose.

A proper warning phase

Bikes get bumped. Watchman sends a brief Heads‑up alert first. If movement continues or escalates, it switches to Alarm and based on your setup, activates a siren or horn output while pushing a high‑priority alert to your phone. Once triggered, the alarm stays active until after the movement stops (or you dismiss it).

Local, private, dependable

• Local‑first: Everything runs on the device and your phone. No external servers.
• Secure pairing: One‑time passkey pairing with device bonding; only trusted, bonded devices can control it.
• Signed updates: Firmware packages are signed and verified before install. If anything off, the device refuses the update.

Power‑friendly by design

Watchman sips power. It sleeps lightly, wakes when it needs to, and avoids constant chatter - so you can leave the bike secure for long periods without worrying about a flat battery.

The App

A clean, glanceable screen with:

• Near / Far status
• Armed / Disarmed state
• Lock status (if you wire the output to a lock or siren)
• Recent alerts you can tap for detail

See the demo below of unlock when phone is nearby, phone can be locked and in your pocket for this to work just fine.

Installation in 20 minutes (give or take)

1. Mount the module under the seat or a side panel with pads or a bracket.
2. Power from a fused 12 V source (switched or unswitched). Ground to chassis.
3. Optional output: Wire the alarm output to a siren or horn relay, then set behaviour in the app.
4. Pair with the app and set your near/far thresholds and sensitivity.
5. Check with a bump test, a tilt test, and a walk‑away arming test.

Privacy & security

• No cloud: Your data stays on your bike and your phone.
• Explicit ownership: Only the paired, authenticated owner device can arm/disarm and change settings over an encrypted link.
• Cryptographic updates: Firmware is signed and verified before installing.
• Minimal data: The App does not collect or store any sensitive information related to you.

See full specs and user manual here

Availability & what’s next

• Android app: Ready, you can download and ride.
• iOS app: Next on the roadmap; bringing the same rock‑solid background behaviour within Apple’s rules.
• No subscription required: set it and forget it.
• Designed and assembled in Scotland.

Support my work

• Install the app, enable Background Mode in Settings, and go for a ride.
  
• If something feels off, send a report or email - there’s a human on the other end who rides, too.

📣Special Discount📣: Free 12v Siren plus discount code BLOG20 for additional 20% off your order!