Best motorcycle lock: D-locks, chains, anchors, trackers, alarms. TOUGHEST BIKE SECURITY TESTED

After seven years and well over 100 items tested, this video gives you the honest, unbiased review of the best motorcycle, eBike, eMTB and eCargo D-locks, disk-locks, chains for home and away, ground anchors, trackers, alarms and more.
We find the BEST angle-grinder-resistant D-Lock from Hiplok, Litelok and Abus, and we’ll see just how effective diamond cutting discs really are.
This video is not sponsored by any lock brands, and there are no affiliated links. This is the security I trust.

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Link to all our product and security reviews: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/reviews/products

Manufacturer websites (NOT AFFILIATED) in alphabetical order…
Abus: https://www.abus.com/uk
Alphadot: https://www.alpha-dot.co.uk/
Apple: https://www.apple.com/uk/
ASEC: https://www.asec.co.uk/
Anchor-Man: http://www.anchor-man.co.uk/
BikeTrac: https://biketrac.co.uk/
BikeTrac Lite: https://biketrac.co.uk/lite
Chipolo: https://chipolo.net/en/
Datatag: https://www.datatag.co.uk/
Datatool: https://www.datatool.co.uk/
Hiplok: https://hiplok.com
Insight Security: https://www.insight-security.com/
Kovix: https://www.kovix-security.com/
Litelok: https://www.litelok.com/
Magnum: https://www.halfords.com/brands/magnum-plus.html
Milenco: https://www.milenco.com/
Monimoto: https://monimoto.com/uk/
Oxford Products: https://www.oxfordproducts.com/
Pragmasis: https://securityforbikes.com/
Sold Secure: https://www.soldsecure.com/
Squire: https://www.squirelocks.co.uk/
Selecta DNA: https://www.selectadna.co.uk/
Smartwater: https://detertech.com/smartwater-technology/
Roadlok UK: https://roadlokuk.co.uk/
Roadlok USA: https://roadlok.com/
Thatcham: https://www.thatcham.org/thatcham-security-certifications/
Y-Anchor: https://yanchor.com/

Link to the 3D Printed Roadlok carrier: https://www.printables.com/model/398673-roadlok-motorcycle-disc-lock-pin-carrier

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:08 Portable security for your motorcycle
04:29 Do motorcycle steering locks work?
05:01 Best motorcycle disc lock
09:22 Best motorcycle D-locks
14:13 Best portable motorcycle chains
17:48 Why you should try Calimoto for free
19:17 How effective are diamond cutting discs in theft?
23:22 Are alarms worth fitting to motorcycles?
24:13 Motorcycle immobilisers
25:13 Why you should use a bike cover
25:34 Is Datatag worth it? Vehicle marking systems
26:35 Best motorcycle tracker: BikeTrac vs Datool vs Monimoto vs AirTags
32:28 Home security for your motorcycle
33:25 Best ground anchor
37:41 Best heavy-duty motorcycle chains: 16mm, 19mm, 22mm & 25mm
39:57 Garage & shed security
40:45 What are the police doing about motorcycle theft?
49:53 Security choices and your insurance

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the best motorcycle security is the security you actually use goodbye I’m glad you’re still here because in this video I’m going to show you the security that I trust after 7 years of testing locks chains trackers and alarms it’s going to be a long one but I’ve broken it all up into chapters and it might help stop your bike being stolen invest in decent kit and it could last a lifetime and while nothing will stop the most determined and time-consuming criminal attacks locking your bike up does make it significantly less likely to be stolen and if nothing else it means a bike you park next to with no locks is far more likely to be pinched than [Music] yours you probably saw the paid promotion label come up and that’s because this video is sponsored by Coto but I’ll tell you about that later what’s important is that I don’t have any affiliate links to any of the products I’m going to recommend and I haven’t been paid or in any way sponsored by any of the brands I’ll mention and of course we don’t sell any of them so let’s get cracking as I want to cover as much as I can to help you buy what’s best for you now we’ll look at portable Security First but keep in mind that a lot of what we cover will also be really useful at home especially some of the angle grinder resistant delocks and yes we’ll be discussing diamond cutting discs too and the Met police campaign of lock chain cover is is totally right the more security you use the better two locks are always more hassle for a thief to defeat than one so if your budget is low you could still get a pair of Cheaper locks rather than one expensive one the Met suggests a disc lock on the front which stops a bike being pushed away a chain on the back which stops it being lifted into a van and a cover over the bike because it’s not immediately obvious what bike or security is under there now some important things to note when parking up though try to park your bike in a well lit area where there are plenty of people that’s not to say it will stop the most Brazen thieves but it will help don’t leave your security outside when you’re not using it chains have been known to be cut under the sleeve when not in use then the links zip tied back together and the cover put back on when your bike’s there it’s quick easy and Silent to snip the tie and also locks can be scuppered for instance by jamming up the keyway if you left your block out and arried to find it unusable do not leave your bike there as there’s a chance of Thieves are waiting for you to park up and be forced to use no secury when buying anything look for thatcham accreditation in electronic devices and sold secure motorcycle or powered cycle as it’s now called gold or ideally diamond on hard security with s secure only Diamond certified locks have been tested to withstand an ankle grinder attack however there is some good kit out there that hasn’t been certified by these two companies and we’ll cover some of it here if you’ve ever got a question about security you can always join our bike social Facebook group as I and the rest of the team are there as well as industry experts and thousands of other Riders and of course please do check the huge library of security products I’ve tested at bike social in the reviews section and finally don’t get too paranoid or scared to ride nothing is undefeatable and there are extremes but the typical attack is brute force and angle grinders I use a lot of Kit like 42-in bolt croppers drills pry bars and others in testing and I’ll never reveal it all but any security is always better than none and it does make a difference yep there are cord 22 mm croppers but they’re designed for rebar not harden steel there’s hydraulic too but their capacity tends to be limited but you could also argue for oxic etlin thermite nuclear please don’t use the rare and unlikely extremes as an excuse not to lock your bike oh and lock picking is pretty much Irrelevant in motorcycle theft locks are tested soic cure is part of the master locksmiths Association but there’s no evidence of it being any kind of real problem in motorcycle theft even with the specialist that are promoted for sale by some YouTubers the typical Thief is not a highly practiced lock picker bike thefts dropped over the last few years but they are creeping up again so please lock it and it says well that in this video you’ll see footage of me using a Main’s grinder and a battery grinder I use the mains one to ensure consistency in testing as it’s about comparing all of the locks I test not giving a definitive time to defeat however I do also use an upto-date DeWalt Grinder and have Benchmark this against the mains the most basic security and the one thing that all motorcycles and scooters come with but sadly it’s really easy to defeat thieves can snap many steering locks thanks to the leverage the bars give them some are stronger than others but generally they can be pretty easily and quickly defeated if someone wants to if you don’t have any other security then of course use the steering lock but there’s a lot more you can do quite cheaply and easily to make make your bike far less likely to be pinched I have tested one disc lock that I was able to pry open with a spoon but generally the weakest point is the disc itself which can be quickly cut with an angle Ginder you can see one here on this stand I made to take to shows but thieves will often be using Hammers and even rocks so as long as your disc lock is of decent quality it really can make a big difference you could use a padlock but decent quality ones might not reach over the disc oh and keep in mind that scooter discs are often a lot harder to attach a lock to so many scooter disc locks have a smaller pin that can pass through the uh vent holes rather than over the whole disc if well-designed they’re fine but they can be easier to break in some cases most scooters have storage space so I’d use something bigger like a delock or a chain on them anyway the 45 round lock from pragmatis is a great option as it’s practically impossible to defeat due to the way it’s designed so though the disc is the weak point this can also be used to secure a chain pragmasis actually offers it to suit 30 mm and 1990 mm chains so it can be used at home and out and about other disc locks i’ suggest are things like The 55b Squire Iger mini which can be cut more easily than the round lock but is Handy for attaching a chain at the same time to prevent the bike being lifted now the ABS Gra it power XS 67 is good too but it’s a bit overpriced at around 60 to 70 quid however it’s also part of some bundles including the bike track grab bag and chain but we’ll come back to that alarmed disc locks can be great the Abus detector X+ 077 is loud and effective but it’s £ 150 and tricky to use with a chain so not as versti is kit like some of the other alarmed locks out there the Magnum plus Titan Alarm disc lock from half did well in my testing but that won’t work with the chain and the same goes for the coix Kal 14 good but limited and there’s a Xena there now I haven’t tested any but Oxford products has quite a good range of alarmed locks that are mini shackles so we’ll work with a chain to and you’ll find them in most bike shops and when I say mini shackle that’s one there remember a disc lock alone won’t stop your bike being picked up and put in a van but the most common theft is it being pushed away and usually hidden for a while often chained up under a cover that where they leave it to check for a Tracker and don’t forget to take your disc lock off before riding away we’ve all done it but it can be an expensive mistake find a way to remind yourself like with one of these stretchy cables that you put on the lock and on your handlebar this brings me neatly to what I think is the best motorcycle disc lock on the market road loock now this isn’t salic cure rated uh it hasn’t been put through It’s actually an American company but in my testing it was very r resistant to attack much better than I thought it’ be even with a small pin and because it locks the wheel solid you’ll stall before riding off the design means that it’s very hard to defeat as you can’t get at the disc to cut it you you first you have to unbolt it to be able to do that and that’s more hassle if you cut the body of the lock it stays attached and smashing hell out of it with a hammer doesn’t work either this is the most effective disc lock I’ve ever tested so as long as you have radial calipers on your bike you should be able to fit it and it’s always ready to go disadvantages well it takes some setting up when you first fit it and you might have to pull on the bars to release it but for me it’s well worth it you need to keep the lock lubricated too but I’ve had this one over a year now and I’ve ridden off-road a bit with it as well so it’s getting crap thrown in there the other week I took the barrel out cleaned it up and lubricated it with graphite powder don’t lubricate any locks with WD40 it costs £210 is available in black red or gold and Suits most European and Japanese bikes with radial calipers all you need to carry around is the Locking pin but you can tuck it under the seat or I designed a 3D printed carrier for you which you can download for free at the link in the description if you want now with this or any of the locks I’ll be talking about here if you want to know more before buying them or you’d like to see the others I’ve tested visit bikesocial co.uk and head to the product reviews section right uh delock or UL loock depending how you hold it can be pretty versatile as it can go through the wheel or better still over it and you can often attach a chain to it too having a d loock that goes over the wheel is better as it’s less likely to have enough play to open up and slip over after one cut if it’s over one car spoke there might be enough play in the shackle to take it off without a timec consuming second cut oh and make sure that the shackle locks are both sides and I also wouldn’t use it over traditional spokes definitely buy one that will fit over the wheel for that you typically look for a delock with the minimum amount of free space inside to reduce the chance of a mini bottle jack being used to split it and pragmatis does offer different size shackles for its dib delocks but an angle grinder is the most likely attack and delocks have come a very long way in the last few years hip loock was the first out with an angle grinder resistant delock with the 250 d1000 it was originally designed more for push bikes so the shackles a little small but it of course fits overcast Spokes and I found that by taking the Silicon sleeve off it’d pass through the Hub of a lot of BMWs and this one took five abrasive discs to remove from the wheel yeah the cast spokes could be cut but on bikes with twin brake disc it’s rarely possible to get the grinder in to cut them now my d1000 looking well loved as I took the sleeve off it to fit it through a BMW Hub and I painted it as I wish these Brands would sell them in brighter colors to warn thieves off and to remind us we we put them on then lightlock came out with a 150 L X1 and the 250 L X3 and the x1’s great and I know some people use two of them which is a brilliant idea but the hip lock is more resistant to an angle grinder attack the X3 though was the most resistant to an abrasive disc angle grinder attack though when you’re looking at the difference between needing five cutting discs and eight it’s kind of getting academic the X3 has an excellent abloy cylinder and both it and the one have larger shackles than the hit block d1000 so fit over some front wheels as well as through the Hub of many BMWs without modification but then came the 300 L hip loock dx1000 which had a bigger shackle so it would fit over all the front wheels I tried it on including the vfr800 which has ridges cast into the rim and even some back wheels do measure before you know you buy one if you intend to put it on the back wheel though cuz that can be very tight and with a fresh Tire sometimes you might not get it on oh uh yeah this color this was a test molding that hip loock did during development of the dx1000 and I managed to NAB it from them it’s not available at the moment but if you think they should offer brightly colored lock bodies like this then let me know in the comments below and maybe it’ll become an option this took six abrasive discs to get it off the Triumph Tiger wheel I used for testing which is fewer than the lightlock X3 but the hip loock dx1000 is more resistant to attack using a steel diamond cutting disc now we’ll talk about that more in a bit then came the 270 Abus Granite super extreme 2500 now this one has the best latching mechanism that it’s very smooth and easy to use and Silent the hip lock can rattle a little bit which doesn’t bother me as you can’t hear it strapped to a motorcycle or in the luggage maybe if you carried it loose on a push bike it might be noticeable that’s it the light lock can get quite stiff and need a bit of a jiggle to remove so the abis mechanism here does have the edge it’s got a good size shackle though still beaten by the hitl dx1000 but it’s possible to release with four abrasive cutting discs still a lot and more than enough to beat most thieves but not up there with the best it’s also not as good against the diamond disc now all of these locks were tested for far more than I can show here including cutting the bodies drilling them and more check out the full reviews in the products review section of bikesocial co.uk so if you’re going to buy a delock and I’d recommend you do as they’re so versatile as long as you have some way to carry it I’d say investing in an angle grinder resistant one is money very well spent but which one is the best they’re all very good but based on versatility and resistance to all forms of attack I’d say the lightlock X1 then the HP loock d1000 then the abis Granite super extreme 2500 then the lightlock X3 with the hip loock dx1000 being the best motorcycle delock thanks to its size and the overall combined resistance to abrasive and Diamond disc attacks I just want to add that I’ll be testing the new skunk lock carbon angle grinder resistant delock soon but it didn’t get here in time for this video so keep an eye out on the bike social product reviews for that to stop your bike being lifted into a van you need to tether it to something now I’ve spoken to people who even carry a 22 mm chain on their bike that’s this big but that’s too much to put in a top box so you’d need to strap it to the seat for most of us a 13 mm chain is about the limit of what you’d likely be able to carry and by the way never put it on yourself don’t put it in your rock sack if for some reason you have to put it in a rock sack you must have a back protector on now these sizes of chains will be less resistant to an angle grinder attack than what we’ve just covered and under 30 mm they can sometimes be cut with heavyduty bolt croppers keep chains off the ground if you can while it’s a very unlike L attack if the Chain’s trailing it’s more easy to break with a sledgehammer it’s also easier to angle grinder chain that’s slack and on the ground and personally I use this 11 mm noose end pragmatis chain as it’s light enough to be portable and The Noose allows me to Loop it around something then attach the other end to the angle grinder resistant D loock that way if they want to pick the bike up they’ll have to cut the chain but it still can’t be pushed away without then defeating the DLo and if you can do this at the back and use a disc lock at the front as well you’re really making it tough now pragmatis which is a small family business in the Midlands wouldn’t really recommend this for motorcycles is really 13 mm is the best bet but I like the portability of it this 1.2 M chain only cost 7675 with the new end or 4675 with the normal end if you want a 13 mm 1.2 m is 9375 with a noose or £ 5875 without it a quality chain has a careful balance of case hardening and through hardening good case hardening resists the initial cutting but you don’t want too much through hardening or the chain can become brittle there are loads of Brands to choose from and if you check the reviews at bikes social. co.uk you’ll see I’ve tested Squire pwag almax Oxford and many others but I reckon a noose end chain is best for traveling as another option there are things like this meleno Co rain 12 mm chain lock it’s got its own lock built in and proved to offer decent resistance to attack though this 1.4 version has gone up in price from £ 6666 when I tested it in 2020 to £ 1220 now there are a few like this including some from Abus but personally I think buying a quality delock and a chain is the best investment there are lighweight options like the lightlock one Moto which is six bundles of Steel Cable in a row this rolls up quite small it’s light and it offers reasonable protection but an angle grinder will go through it pretty quickly it can also be cut with specialist cable Cutters but as a portable security device if it’s all you can carry then it’s worthwhile there’s a newer lightlock core Moto which is harder to cut but I just find it way too unwieldy to carry and generally cable locks tend to be less resistant to attack so I prefer a lightweight chain which can be bundled up small and stored fairly easily even in the some seats if you’re struggling to carry a chain and lock the 15b bike truck grab bag and chain comes with a good quality chain the Abus xs6 7 lock a reminder landyard and a strap to tie the waterproof roll bag to your seat it’s even got a pair of gloves if you’re worried about getting grubby this is a brilliant portable solution one I’ve used a few times when I’m traveling without any luggage space now before we get into Diamond disc attacks I want to stress that you should just invest in good security then get on with enjoying your bike and Coto the sponsor of this video is a superb way to do that for many years I’ve recommended Kyoto as a great navigation app but when they got in touch and suggested doing a promotional segment a couple of months back I figured it was a good way to help pay for some of the big stuff I’ve got coming up without compromising my Integrity C Moto really did change the way I ride thanks to its brilliant algorithm if I have a free afternoon I like to open the app set a round trip of say 100 miles or so then I just let it do its thing you can tell it what direction you want to head and you can reshape the route but I’ve honestly discovered so many Fantastic roads even quite close to where I live that this is one of my favorite ways to get around you can use it for destinations too those rides will usually take a fair bit longer than than if you’re using just Google Maps but I can pretty much guarantee they’ll be a lot more fun you can really easily plan routes in as much or as little detail as you want on your phone a tablet or on the web based app on a Mac or PC and it’s always proven way better than anything even garmin’s adventurous routing or tomtom’s winding rots can do but don’t take my word for it you can try a full version for free using the link in the description if you don’t like it just cancel the subscription and you’ll not be charged or there’s a link to subscribe with 10% off But whichever you use I opted not to get any affiliate payment from it so it really doesn’t make any difference to me whether you go for it or not if you love exploring back roads I reckon you should give it a go as I’ve never recommend anything I didn’t completely believe in myself try it and let me know what you think now I’ve been testing locks with diamond discs for a long time now and to start with they were one of those things that I didn’t publicize as yes they can be more effective than abrasive discs on some locks all the testing I do is based on typical UK crimes and being a member of the International Association of auto theft investigators and the Motorcycle crime reduction group I get to speak with police forces around the country as well as the security manufacturers now I think that like ethical hackers I guess where potential issues are found there’s a more important responsibility to work with the industry to address them for going for clicks on content that’s why I don’t show every attack or all of them in full especially as I’ve got the time and resource to keep attacking a lock until I find the best way to beat it I’ll rate that lock based on the quickest attack but not always say exactly how I got there anyway Diamond discs designed for metal cutting can cut most locks without wearing out and they can chew through some more quickly than abrasive discs but they definitely AR a One-Stop solution for thieves Diamond discs tend to take a lot longer to cut harden steel than abraser discs even if you have to take into account the disc change they can speed up the cutting of angle grinder resistant locks but that depends on the lock as they all use different materials what I will say is that of the angle grinder resistant delocks the hip looc dx1000 currently has the best resistance to Diamond disc attacks now I’d never normally show a lock test in full when I’m cutting locks for testing I’m in ideal conditions I can I can lean on things I can have multiple attempts and sometimes if you show it it can seem like it’s a bit fast it can be surprisingly quick to cut a lock if you’re doing everything perfectly right and you’ve got um charged batteries or main grinder fresh discs but this one took so long with a diamond disc I was really surprised by it so the grinder is starting to slow down the battery is starting to go it’s it’s starting to stall I’m not putting over pressure on over all the years I’ve been doing this uh I’ve kind of got to know the pressure I can put on to get the fastest cut which is why everything I’m doing is comparing it’s not saying this is how long it will take if in field or in a real life attack it’s so that I can say this lock is better or worse than this lock and to give them some kind of ranking and this is of course just one cut to get it off the wheel does need two cuts but remember the typical theft is opportunistic so while they might well be carrying an angle grinder they don’t tend to have a selection of cutting discs on hand to choose from based on what their FA ing abrasive discs are still the quickest way to get through most motorcycle security and while Diamond discs can speed things up that’s far from always being the case the point is anything can be beaten but it all makes a massive difference and be clever with your security use a combination of devices and your bike will be a lot harder to steal than the one next to you owned by someone who doesn’t believe locks matter an angle grinder attack is pretty noisy but a screaming alarm helps too sure they might get ignored but they also might put off a thief or they might cause someone to call the police or you might hear it I do want to say here though that your life is worth more than any bike being the victim of crime is statistically unlikely but don’t put yourself at risk to save your bike from theft anyway if your bike comes with an alarm use it if it doesn’t installing one can be pretty easy and they have come a long way since the old days of going off randomly or just packing up all together I’ve used the data tool Evo alarm for several years it just needs power but you can add a seat switch and it has a warning LED if you want it it’s loud and it only costs £5 if you have a Tracker put the alarm well away from it so if a thief tries to get at the alarm to silence it they won’t find the tracker the only thing I don’t like about this alarm is that it doesn’t have a backup battery so once power is cut it stops but it’s a really valuable initial get the off my bike warning and could put a potential Thief off most modern larger capacity bikes come with an immobilizer as standard but they don’t stop it being pushed away and unfortunately bypasses can often be found pretty easily which can be installed later you can get aftermarket immobilizers that can cut the ignition circuit when they’re triggered so they’re potentially useful for smaller bikes that might be more likely to be used for joy riding but of course any immobilizer will like the factory fit one only work at the point of theft not once it’s taken away and a thief has time to work on it or if the bike’s been stolen to strip for parts a decent mechanical lock should be your first line of defense really I mentioned covers already but if you have space to carry one they really can be useful in reducing the risk of theft if you leave your bike outside at home definitely make sure you get one too Oxford has a huge range and you’ll find them in most dealers from about 25 quid data tag selected DNA SmartWater Alpha dot data tool DNA retainer Mark they might deter a thief as it means a lot of the parts of the bike can be identified and linked to the owner but it will depend who’s stealing it and for what purpose permanently marking areas of the bike and using the micro dots that carried in a UV glue can mean when a part’s found or sold on it can be traced back to the original owner honestly I wouldn’t say there are particularly strong theft deterrent compared to what we’re covering here but they are really important I’d urge everyone to use them and keep them updated with your details for a start they can act as a secondary security device on some insurance policies but most importantly and I can’t stress this enough they can have a long-term impact on motorcycle theft chop shops and criminal gangs have been shut down thanks to vehicle Market and when that happens fewer bikes get stolen which could mean yours it’s like paying your security forward right obviously a Tracker won’t stop your bike being stolen but they can mean you get it back quickly often within an hour with the monitored systems like those I’ve tested by bike track and data tour thieves could use Jammers but they’re rare and especially as bikes are typically pushed away then left for a while the chance are you’ll get it back quickly also new legislation is coming in very soon that will make it a lot easier to prosecute anyone caught with electronic Security bypasses check out the full guid trackers at bike social I’ll put a link in the description or just Google best motorcycle tracker and look for the benit logo but as a very brief overview of all the ones I’ve tested bike track and data tool are currently the best options and they’re both thatchum approved which means insurers should recognize them and that approval also means they have to have a backup battery be professionally fitted and have a secure Operating Center that will liaz with the police if your bike’s stolen bike track has RF detection built in which isn’t usually needed but can help find a bike if GPS isn’t accurate enough or if it’s in a block of flats for instance it also has a partnership with security Tas which can get someone out to your bike in the event that the police are unavailable and data to tended to be a little more accurate with its GPS location in my testing but the main thing I like with data to is that there category S5 trackers which means they have a rider present fob S7 trackers like bike track don’t have this and while they don’t make a big difference to the security on bikes they are really helpful to stop you getting false alarms when you move it b or wash it both systems cost around 350 or so fitted and around £100 a year for the subscription because they have a 24/7 monitoring team that will call you if they see any dodgy movement in the bike if you confirm it’s been taken they’ll keep monitoring it while you call the police get a crime number and pass that onto the tracking company and they’ll L directly with officers there’s also bike track light which is another Fatam accredited S7 tracker but this one is slightly paired down and you won’t get a call if your bike’s stolen instead you’ll get a push notification on your phone that there’s movement then if the bike’s been stolen you call the Monitoring Center and they’ll then take over and Cana with the police and this one’s 200 quid plus fitting and £60 a year for the subscription the full fat bike track definitely has some real advantages but this one is a bit cheaper but what about things like monoto now this isn’t a professionally fitted system and it doesn’t have a monitoring team behind it so it won’t be formally recognized by insurers but I’ve tested the original one monoto 7 and monoto 9 now Mony Moto’s got a lot more accurate over time and it calls you if the bike’s moved and you’re not near it with the fob it costs £ 150 plus £36 a year and it’s definitely the best self fit tracker I’ve tested but like any of them do not put it under the the seat hide it properly as the first thing most thieves do is rip the seat off and look for a Tracker if they find it it’ll be [Music] gone let’s go some people use Apple Air tags and there’s a new Android one coming out that works with Google’s find my device app like chipolo one point and these can work but bear in mind that anti-stalking measures make them much less effective they can alert a thief that there’s a Tracker near them they can be set to make a noise to help them find them and they can even stop or limit tracking when they’re at a thief’s home so they’re not perfect but a bike taken and left in the street which is typical could still be found personally I wouldn’t rely on them for a m bike I’ve tested a lot of trackers including the StreetWise one from Aldi and SZ app so do check the written reports if you want to know more good trackers do work and every police officer I’ve spoken to has confirmed that they will attend a live tracker theft unless there’s a major incident on hi my name is GTH Barry Sergeant 4,000 from mide police and I’m currently in charge of the bike Team within merys side if you got a Tracker fitted um it almost makes it a little bit easier for the police to be able to do something because we’ve got some kind of solid evidence to go on then we can get a track back from either the company or a live tracking and it will give us the fact that the bike’s either moving or it’s been stored somewhere and generally if we’ve got the bike on the move and we can get it house somewhere it means that we can get somebody with it as well which is a a lot more important to us cuz we’ve actually got something not just the bike back but we’ve got someone to show for it as well which hopefully in the future um will prevent that person from reoffending as well and so I’m assuming it’s a lot easier to work with a secure Operating Center like a a bike track and dat to you used to working with the police but say uh remember the Public’s got even an Apple Air tag is that helpful to you is that something that you can respond with yeah absolutely something as simple as a as an air tag or um or any kind of tracking device you can get these days on the internet if if you’ve got a live track on something you contact the police then we can either work with yourselves or you can pass us your details and we’ll be able to follow um where that air tag is um whether that’s in that the bike or some equipment on your bike we’ll be able to do that there’s obviously different tracking things the the the air tags or similar things like that they’re more like your monitor ones however there are professional ones that can be installed and quite often they’re a lot more difficult for anybody who’s taking a bike to find because they don’t necessarily show up if you if you’re looking for them or they can certainly be secreted in different places on the bike which are a lot more difficult to get into and get and remove obviously the professional companies they work 24 24 hours a day so there will be helpl lines there that anyone who purchased them from can contact and ultimately pass the information over to the police a lot of the locks we’ve covered already work great at home but you can also use much heavier Duty kit if you don’t have to Lug it about you can use more of it too I met a great guy at motorcycle live last year who showed me this pick of his security setup that’s proper serious and you’re proud of your bike but put in signs up saying bike parking only or having bike related stuff outside or even my other cars and motorcycle stickers in your car might be enough enough to get someone sniffing around if you’ve got a garage keep the door shut when you wash your bike try to do it out of sight and if you use apps that let you share your rides be very careful with them as they can share in some cases far too much location data and personal information if you’ve got a house alarm make sure you wire it up to your garage or shed and things like ring doorbells and blink cameras can be good though remember that some of them only save recordings if you pay the subscription if you keep your bike on your property you can use a ground anchor which makes a massive difference as you can tether your bike the pragmatis torque Maxi is the best anchor I’ve used it’s only 60 quid it’s easy to fit and it will take a 22 mm chain if you want one even bigger there’s the mega version at 70 quid now an anchor only needs to be as tough as a chain and this is a 22 mm hardened steel shackle but what’s really important is that it’s a closed loop so to beat it needs two cuts now look at this Abus WBA 100 anchor which costs about 80 quid I’m using a Quality Steel diamond cutting disc here but the issue is the design it’s that this one cut means it’s defeated that’s a really poor design so always check for things like that when you’re buying I said before about Diamond discs not being as effective as some people reckon watch now as I try again with an abrasive disc a lot easier than the diamond disc now both of these Cuts were quick but remember I’m in ideal conditions with a fully charged battery and no difficulty getting access to attack it and these pragmatis ones sit low to the ground and I like because they’ll take a big chain and they’re great value if you need to fit an anchor in Block Paving slabs or even gravel look at a berry in one pragmatis does the sub major there’s the big boy from Insight security the Y anchor or this one from the Anchor Man all of them work great but of course check the size of the chain you’ll be using them with Barry and an anchor is more of a hassle but Andy McKay The Anchor Man does offer a fit and service he’s also come up with some genius Solutions like this plant anchor which looks nice but actually weighs over 220 kilos and is Rock Solid under that decorative wood finish brilliant if you can’t dig up the garden and don’t have a garage he even found a way to fit a ground anchor inside one of those bubble things for long-term bike storage sounds easy until you remember the bubble has to be airtight and the anchor has to be fixed securely into the ground I’ll leave a link to his website in the description I only met him once but he’s a top bloke if you need some help with anchoring any bike anywhere if you live in rented accommodation fitting an anchor can be more tricky especially as there’s such a sod to remove move but pragmatis makes a double doofer for £100 now this is genius cuz you can actually take it out leaving only the four fixing holes to fill and of course that might sound about as much use as a chocolate teapot but it’s impossible to get at the bolts when the chains fitted proper clever design and Steve here at bike social had one in his hold house knowing he’d be moving after a while then he took it with him to his new home the only disadvantage with this is that it can’t take more than a 19 mm chain but that’s still Hefty if you have an angle grinder resistant D loock consider the hip loock ax1000 and the a1000 anchors these use the same construction as the hip loock dx1000 so offer great resistance to attack the ax has this arm that swings and rotates or the a is just the base there’s eight expanding bolts holding them to the ground so they can’t be pried or levered out the a1000 needs a very careful positioning though and is more suitable really for push bikes you still have to take your time finding the right spot to fit the ax1000 but the arm combined with a dx1000 dck makes a great home and away security setup yeah I’ve got it on the front wheel at the moment but this will fit a lot of back wheels too really getting either locked wheel out isn’t a quick job in a theft and it makes the bike a lot harder to move so it’s not really happening some will say the thieves might bring a spare wheel but they’d have to know what they’re targeting and have the tools also some rear wheels are far easier to remove than the front when you fit in an anchor obviously make sure you can get your chain or lock through it but make it as hard to access as possible once the bike’s in place make it difficult to reach and if it’s near the door you might even have it fitted in such a way that it can only be attacked with the door open so the thieves can’t hide inside while they work you can go really heavy duty with chains at home and the more the merrier the thicker the better I’d recommend 16 mm as a minimum and while nothing will stop a determined thing they do take time in this case it was sent to me long enough to stop the thieves 22 mm chains are pretty common now and Oxford’s Beast is very good putting up a great fight this is the pragmasis 22 mm chain but they’ve now gone up to an even thicker 25 mm expect to pay about £400 or so for a quality heavyduty chain unlock but remember it’s an investment that should last you a lifetime I’ve tested some great chains and locks from Squire 2 and of course their padlocks are awesome which are made in the UK on really high quality I’ve also tested Abus alamax pwag and many others so check the written reviews of bike social for more info a chain will usually go through the wheel but through the frame is even better this is the pragma super duper anti- pinch pin and yes I’m conscious I’m saying pragmas is a lot but they have a very good range and in all the stuff I’ve tested they’ve consistently done really well it’s another great design and has a Tungsten Carbide insert to make it even harder to cut this one cost £80 but there are smaller versions down to 60 L it’s through the wheel and swing arm here but some people use them to go through gaps in the frame or engine for locking with a chain this is top tier stuff this one’s got the excellent Squire ss80 CS padlock on it there is one compat with the abloy as well oh yeah don’t be tempted by commercial or cheap chains as they might not be suitably hardened I mentioned Soul secure earlier but their website is really useful just go to so secure.com and you can quickly type in the name of a brand or product you want to check I’ve seen the logo used on some websites but they’re not products that are actually registered with saltic cure in some cases they might have been in the past but products have to be tested yearly to carry the certification and it cost Brands a lot to have their kit tested by salur but in Chains especially the steel used and the hardening process has to be consistent so it’s your promise that what you’re buying will do what it’s claimed to so before you buy any lock check on so secure.com that it’s really what it promises to be locking your bike up in a garage is obviously the best bet but the average up and overdo is fairly easy to peel open if you can lock it from the inside then do that but otherwise get yourself some extra security like these ASC as1 1997’s which are only 25 quid you can get things like these garage door Defenders they’re good but personally I’m not a big fan that they kind of shout look there’s something worth having in here now benett counts a lot metal sheds shipping containers and wooden sheds on a concrete base as garaged which can be a big help to your insurance we set this up a few years back is getting your bike locked away outside does make a big difference of course if you have tools like angle grinders and stuff don’t keep them in the same place as the bike it’s not true that the police don’t care about motorcycle theft a while back I met some of the officers behind the Mets operation ven you can see that video up here but there was a lot we couldn’t show the main thing to understand is that reporting motorcycle crime is really important as it helps officers build the intelligence that sometimes over a very long time leads to a prosecution in many cases the criminals might well be known but the evidence needs to be there for a solid conviction police won’t always be able to come out to the scene of a stolen bike but they need to know about it sadly the fact is that in many cases there’s just a hole where the bike used to be which won’t prove anything and if the bike’s found fingerprint in it isn’t always much value it’s easy to claim to have just touched it or sat on it it’s not the same as a car where there’s no reason for the accused to be inside It Anyway remember this gang that was filmed in SoHo trying to steal a Decay that gets shared over and over again but nobody except us seemed to have shared the fact that they were caught and they got more than 20 years between them bike thefts are often part of or fund other crimes including armed robbery drugs and and people trafficking I talk to Sergeant Gareth Barry from merys side police about bike crime in the area um in merys side um we do have some antisocial Behavior involved on motorcycles which comes under the operation Brookdale tag we’ve done a lot of work over the years in relation to operation Brookdale to try and reduce the number of motorbikes which have been stolen and also being used in an antisocial manner we’ve got a number of different tactics that we can use that involves Vehicles motorbikes um helicopter and also drones as well obviously we’ve got your normal traffic cars which we can use those in a Pursuit capability all the traffic cars um are equipped with different stop stick or Stinger devices which allow us to be able to puncture the tires on motorcycles um we also have our own Fleet of motorcycles both onroad and off-road so if motorcycles that we are following or pursuing go off-road we can follow those into the park areas and recover those and the rest of the people who are causing the antisocial behavior um we also have as well fitted on our motorbikes we have smaller Stop Sticks we can put in the panion of the bike so if a motorbike does go into a park we can quickly deploy those across all the different entrances and exits and we walking work in close partnership with the vehicles with the helicopter or the plane if those are up and also our own drone team to be able to identify exactly where in the location the motorbikes are and how best we can tackle and detain the offenders and also recover the motorbikes it’s not the first time I’ve met officers in merys side you can see another video I did with Sergeant Dave York a few years ago up here Mery side police has a pretty unique challenge because of the TT Riders from all over the country and overseas often stay here before heading off to the is man conal Richards is one of the team involved in protecting them hi I’m conal Richards and I’m an officer within the city center team in Liverpool City Center one of my roles within the city center team is being a part of operation needle now operation needle is medde police’s response to the massive influx of motorcyclists and their bikes that come into the city during the island Man TT period it’s estimated that the city center plays host to at least 6,000 Riders over this time coming from across the UK and Europe This brings a lot of people to our city who aren’t used to the surroundings and they’re in an unfamiliar place and they may come from other locations where motyle crime isn’t as big of a concern for them unfortunately this also brings in opportunistic criminals who are very attracted to the area during that time because of an abundance of high value and high performance bikes in the area so last year you obviously working what what kind of things did you do to prepare people who came in what we’ll do preparing is in the lead up to the races and as people are starting to make their plans to come into the city we launch a campaign on our social media channels and we spread awareness about the inherent risks with having so many bikes in one area and we ensure that we’re basically telling people to when you come in look after your bike and we provide general advice around how it can be done so one of the main things we do is we liaz with a lot of the local car parks around the docks and cuz this Bec comes a main Transit Hub over to the island man we’ll have dedicated car parks and agreements with them and they’ll segregate off floors so that just bikes can be stored on that floor we’ll also Le with local hotels in the area that the Riders might be staying in and last year for instance we were able to provide bike locks to the hotels and any riders that were staying in the hotels and storing the motorbike were able to uh rent those bike locks with a deposit and it was just that added bit of security you know if people had come from an area and motorbike security hadn’t been at the Forefront of their mind we have daily briefings around operation needle that I’ve been a part of um where all relevant intelligence will be shared around any information that might be going on any nominals of note within the city uh that are possibly linked to bike theft offenses or have been charged with similar offenses before officers on the ground and pcsos become familiar with the faces and and are able to identify them and it leads to a very proactive and disruptive style of policing in order to prevent the offenses taking place in the first place the mercys side police massively reduced bike thefts around the TT but a couple did still slip through last year but there’s some good news in there too unfortunately we can’t be everywhere um however one of the good news stories certainly from last year is that um we were able to identify that um there’s a couple of fenders trying to steal some bikes in the city center um they were monitored on CCTV our response teams made quickly down there unfortunately the Defenders made off on this occasion however we were able to we were able to recover um two bikes that are just being stolen um we weren’t sure at the time whose bikes they were so we took the bikes to one of our recovery compounds once we found out whose bikes they were those um those members of the public who were from Spain had already gone over to the island man but because we’ve got contacts in the island man as well we’ll be able to make contact with them and working with the recovery garage working with the steam packet um Ferry we’ll be able to bring the bikes back down to the perer Head get them on the next ferry and get them back over to the is of man so the two people who had the bikes stolen um were were able to use the bikes on the AL man which was a brilliant result for the police brilliant result for the people who own the bikes and it was a really good news story showing that everyone involved with the island man work together pull together and would be able to get the bikes back to the to the two Riders I’ve met officers from the Met West Midlands police merys side Northampton here and others that are really dedicated to tackling motorcycle crime the thing is the police have limited resource and unlimited demand but there is a national vehicle crime working group linking them all together I’m superintendent Matthew moscrop I’m the lead for vehicle crime for Mery side police and I also support assistant chief Constable Jenny Sims who manages vehicle crime and the police response to it across the country in Mery side we find this the theft of motorcycles is very localized there are different parts of Mer side where they are popular and particularly among criminals who will use them for joy riding or to support their other activity whether that’s for for drug dealers or other criminal activity so we find that when we do Target these criminals we are actually having a big impact on the vehicle crime the theft of the motorbikes as well um we have had significant reductions in vehicle crime over the last year uh pretty much a 60% reduction comparing the the first quarter of the year with the last quarter um we’ll look to build on that and hopefully we’ll have a a good year ahead assistant chief Constable Jenny Sims chairs the national vehicle crime working group and that brings together police government and Industry different partners to improve our response to to vehicle crime to reduce vehicle crime and have an impact so I work with that group and part of that is working with subgroups the subgroups include the motorcycle crime reduction Group which is a long-standing organization which brings together the motorcycle industry uh Rider groups policing and other people to understand what’s going on to develop activities to Target that and hopefully ultimately reduce the theft of motorbikes and uh bring the fenders to Justice the key thing when you’re at home if the bike can be out of sight if you’re fortunate fortunate enough to have a garage or a shed that you can secure particularly one which is alarmed that’s best we understand not everyone has that if your vehicle is out and about a cover is very effective but the main thing is to secure your bike so use a ground anchor use a good approved chain for securing it use disc locks but make sure you secure that vehicle and if you are using the chains don’t have them lying on the ground have them off the ground so lock your bike cover it and preferably leave it somewhere where you can keep an eye on it or other people can keep an eye on it or it’s on CCTV if you’re taking steps to protect your bike then you might well expect a discount on your insurance policy but it’s not quite that simple the first issue is that not all security devices are on the list displayed by insurance brokers and price comparison sites in an ideal world everything certified to a minimum requirement by thatchum or sold secure will be on a central database and that is to some extent possible with a list that’s sent out to all motorcycle insurance providers by a company called Polaris the problem is that this list can take a long while to fillter through so some certified devices might not always appear on all insurance broker and price comparison websites still it’s well worth KN that if you can’t find the lock you’re using on the security device list you might see an option like unknown mechanical device which could help when buying a policy it’s what I select as I tend to be using different products all the time in some cases some OEM immobilizers aren’t Fatam approved so aren’t on the list but you could see if unknown immobilizer is available able for uncertified trackers like monimoto you might find an other tracking device option is worth using independent certification is important as it gives some reassurance of quality and performance so I always recommend that you look for locks that have been through sold secure or electronic devices with thatchum accreditation but other kit can work well too as we’ve seen so the unknown options are worth being aware of if you’re in any doubt call your insurance provider but whether you use a specified device or an unknown one it’s impossible for me to say with any confidence what discount they might generate on an insurance policy as there are so many variables at play and they can all influence the policy price that’s why those conversations on social media of which insurance is cheapest can be so meaningless in some cases using secondary Security will be the only way some insurers will quote for a specific Rider and their circumstances while in other cases it might make no difference at all to cut a long and very complex story short did some research a while back using our customer data and it indicated that even a basic disc lock could make your bike three times less likely to be stolen and think about that three times less lik to have your bike pinched just by popping a disc lock on the data also showed that fewer than one in a thousand bikes were stolen from Riders who said they used heavy duty security like thick chains now that was less than the ratio of car stoling so looking up really is worth it the most important thing to take away from all all this is that you shouldn’t buy motorcycle security just to get a discount on your insurance buy it to significantly reduce the chances of suffering the heartache and hassle having your bike pinched and also to help protect your no claims discount and future policy prices buy the best security you can afford use it then stop worrying and get on with enjoying your bike [Music]