Best motorcycle locks to keep your motorcycle safe and secure

One of the first lessons you learn when you get a bike is to use motorcycle security of some kind or else it might not be there when you return. However, that ‘might’ from 20 years ago has become ‘likely’ today. Motorcycle crime is rampant and we have to take security seriously if we want to keep hold of our bikes.

As a lock and chain are top of the list for cyclists, so it is for motorcyclists — just on a larger scale. The theory is simple: if your bike is locked to a solid object or ground anchor with a meaty lock and chain, hopefully, it will deter thieves or make them move on to the next bike with a smaller, or indeed no, chain.

The best measure to take though is to use more than one defence device to make your motorcycle appear to be more risk and hassle than the next persons. Other options you can use in conjunction with a lock and chain are disc locks, lever locks, motorcycle covers, GPS trackers and alarms.

We have gathered a selection of motorcycle locks and chains from the big players in the market to see what sort of protection they offer, combined with their usability and portability. Clearly, the larger the chain, the greater the protection it will offer but conversely, the less easy to use it is and as for portability — well, look at some of the weights and you’ll get an idea of how that works.

The best motorcycle locks:

Diamond rated

Price: $223.95 - $321.95
At the top end of the strictly home security scale are massive options like the Oxford Beast. With its 22mm chain links and enormous cylindrical lock, it's serious kit.

Find the Oxford Beast lock here

Tested by Rich Newland for 11 months:

"The trend for heavyweight locks built to meet the Sold Secure Motorcycle Diamond standard, has resulted in some monstrous products and Oxford's Beast is one of them.

"At over 15kg this is home security only. The fat barrel lock weighs 3.6kg, boasts a 30mm hardened locking pin, measures 12.5cm by almost 9cm and would make for an effective sledgehammer if you stuck a handle on it.

"Meanwhile, the 1.5m chain weighs 12kg and uses 22mm links. As well as being Sold Secure Diamond rated, it gets an ART 5 ranking for its ability to resist attack and is rated as Secured By Design.
 
"The sheer bulk means it won't work at all with some bikes and if you have wire spoked wheels you may not be able to get the chain through the gaps. But, physical demands aside, it's a serious deterrent - and well worth the investment if you can make its size work with your bike."

Pros

  • Would take a very long time to attack
  • Maximum security rating

Cons

  • Very heavy
  • Not compatible with all bikes
  • Quality
    5.0
  • Value
    5.0
  • Ease of use
    4.0
  • Overall
    4.0
Weight 12kg - 15.5kg
Size 1.5 - 2.0 meters
Construction Hardened steel
  • Oxford's largest and strongest ever chain
  • Black painted 22mm links
  • Compatible with Beast lock and ground anchor

Expert rating:

5.0
Tried and tested by Ben Clarke for one year

"In practical terms, the X3 is incredibly easy to use and has a lot of classy design touches that help to justify the price. The rubberised finish on the metalwork to protect your wheels and fairings from scratches, the self-sealing silicone keyhole cover and even the neoprene carrying pouch to keep the other contents of your motorcycle backpack clean are all beautifully thought through."

"I haven’t personally attacked the LiteLok with an angle grinder, but plenty of independent sources I trust have done so and reported that it is incredibly tough to cut through. I’d be happy to spend my own money on one and it’s become my security of choice whether I’m out and about or at home."

Read Ben's full LiteLok X3 Moto review

Pros

  • Compact and light enough to carry with you easily
  • Repels angle grinder attacks
  • Can’t be easily bypassed like a disc lock
  • Has to be cut twice to be removed

Cons

  • Bigger and heavier than most disc locks
  • Your bike could still be lifted into a van
  • At the more expensive end of the security market
  • Ease of use
    5.0
  • Security
    5.0
  • Portability
    4.0
  • Value
    4.0
  • Overall
    5.0
Type Motorcycle D-lock
Sold secure rating Diamond (Powered Cycle
Weight 2.1kg
Internal dimensions 100mm x 190mm
Lock type Arbloy Sentry lock and key
  • Barronium fused composite armour
  • Anti-rotation feature protects against twisting attacks and single cuts
  • Soft, plant-based eco-rubber outer layer
  • Engineered for smooth and quiet operation
  • Self-sealing silicone keyhole cover

Chains tested to destruction by RiDE Magazine

Test result Overall score
Link cut 1: 28.8s Protection: 14/20
Link cut 2: 41.4s Ease of use: 5/10
Combined time: 1m10.2s Portability: 6/10
Lock cut: N/A Total: 25/40
Price: $185.76

Oxford's 16mm chain and D-lock is a hefty product that looked like it should do well. Like its smaller cousin, the Nemesis combination can be used with the lock on its own as a disclock. The silver chain is reassuringly heavy but its size meant it only went through the larger of the two ground anchors. Going at it with the angle grinder, it was very easy to feel the harder outer skin give way to the softer, more pliable inner section before encountering the harder section again. We attacked the lock but unlike the smaller Oxford, we had to go through both sides, as it wasn't possible to get the chain off with just one cut. Semi-circular keys also make picking almost impossible.

Certification: Sold Secure Gold
Link shape: Circular
Link size: 16mm
Chain length: 1.5mm
Weight: 8kg
Material: Hardened Chrome-Moly steel
Lock: D lock
Keys: 3
Test result Overall score
Link cut 1: 28.6s Protection: 12/20
Link cut 2: 26.7s Ease of use: 7/10
Combined time: 55.3s Portability: 7/10
Lock cut: 54s Total: 26/40
Price: $50.95 - $76.99

Oxford's smaller chain combination comes with a separate D-lock that can be used on its own as a disc lock - handy. However, the plastic cover on the lock looks and feels cheap. It is, however, Sold Secure approved at Silver level for scooters, offering some reassurance. It fitted through both ground anchors, wasn't overly heavy and was very easy to use. The cutting disc went through the chain in just over 30s for both sides but as the lock shackle was exposed, we attacked that as well. It took 28 seconds to go through one side but once cut, we could twist the shackle enough to get the chain off without cutting the other side.

Certification: Sold Secure Silver
Link shape: Square
Link size: 9.5mm
Chain length: 2m
Weight: 4.6kg
Material: Hardened steel
Lock: D lock
Keys: 3
Test result Overall score
Link cut 1: 14.2s Protection: 7/20
Link cut 2: 16.3s Ease of use: 8/10
Combined time: 30.5s Portability: 8/10
Lock cut: 28s Total: 23/40

Why we need security kit: how easy is it to steal a motorcycle anyway?

You might be thinking that all this motorcycle security kit seems like a lot of faff, and an extra expense that could be avoided. After all, that’s what insurance is for, and your bike has a steering lock on it already – isn’t that enough?

Well, unfortunately, motorbikes are one of the easiest vehicles to steal, beaten only by bicycles for how quickly thieves can snatch them away. A 2021 study by the Motorcycle Action Group found that motorcycles were 11 times more likely to be stolen than a car, which made them the number one target for vehicle theft by a country mile.

Although most motorcycles have steering locks, these are easily snapped off with a quick kick of the handlebars, allowing thieves with minimal experience to roll away with your ride in mere seconds. Even if steering locks were stronger, it only takes two or three burly blokes to lift a motorbike into a van and be gone just as quickly.

A stolen motorbike is loaded into a van

The fact that unsecured motorcycles are so easy to steal is only magnified by their relatively high value, which makes them the ideal gig for crooks of any calibre to quickly cash in on – at your expense. All this makes it important to keep your ride locked up safe wherever you go – especially when parking up outside your home for the night, where most bikes end up being stolen from.

Of course, no security measure is completely bullet-proof, and you can’t expect to stop the cartel from ‘donating’ your bike for their ‘charitable’ causes if they really want to. But that is what insurance is for. Motorcycle security products will help you keep your ride where it belongs, so you don’t have to worry about your bike being stolen any more than you would for your car.

How MCN tests security

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles. We don’t usually test our security to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions, while also being on top of the key safety and security regulations. That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on.

Each of our writers has an in-depth understanding of the needs of today’s biker… because they are one.

To find out if a security is worth spending your money on, our testers use them in the way you will. That means riding in them in whichever conditions they are designed for.

If you can’t see a review against an item on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet. These items will only be included if we think they’re important and relevant in the market, and rest assured, we will be working on bringing you a review as soon as we’ve done the miles.

To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

What our star ratings mean

When we review a product, we award it a score out of five. In the ratings tab of a given product, you may also find more specific scores for the different aspects of a product’s performance to help you make an informed decision. Here’s a guide to what each number score means:

  • 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A product with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
  • 2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A product with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement.
  • 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A product with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
  • 4 stars – A product has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A product with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
  • 5 stars – A product has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A product with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.

– Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections – read why you should trust us.

– Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections – read why you should trust us.

- Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us.