Best Motorcycle Locks

Let’s start with an example of what you don’t want. How not to do it. While a cheap cable/combination lock like this might be okay for securing your battered beach cruiser to the Burger King dumpster for 15 minutes during a dysenteric interlude, that twirly combination lock is easy to pick, and that stranded cable is easy prey for the cheapest of bolt cutters. Looping it through your motorcycle spokes isn’t going to deter many thieves.

This is a step in the right direction to keep people from riding off on your motorcycle. Compact and light enough to carry around in your backpack or clamped onto your subframe, it’s going to take some real work to get it off your brake disc; this Kryptonite version’s double deadbolt locking mechanism and anti-drill, anti-pull protection system make it tough to pick, too. These can be had with alarms if your bike is usually parked within earshot. A disc lock on the front wheel also means it’s going to take more than one miscreant to throw your baby in back of a van.

These flat, folding locks are the latest thing with the bicycle crowd, which you probably noticed in the name of this one. This one’s 39 inches of 5mm-thick hardened steel plates, linked with heavy-duty rivets. The main advantage is that bolt cutters aren’t going to be able to cut it.

Really, your motorcycle is only as secure as the thing it’s chained to. If you have a fixed place to park every day that’s not as secure as it could be – an underground parking garage for instance – sinking something like this into the concrete via 5/8-inch cement  bolts will go a long way toward keeping people from making off with your bike. Masonry drill bits included.

Now we’re getting serious. This 67-inch, 8-pound chain is a bit heavy for carrying around every day, but its length and strong, X-Plus pick-proof lock are going to give you the flexibility to secure your motorcycle to an immovable object just about anywhere you go. Two keys included, one with LED flashlight.

Maybe it makes sense to roll your own? This heavy-duty 5-foot chain has 1/2-inch heat-treated manganese steel links that resist attacks from bolt cutters, saws, hammers and chisels – it’s designed to secure things in high-risk areas.

Abus makes good stuff in Germany. This lock’s shrouded shackle provides extra protection against bolt cutters and prying, and its dual ball bearing mechanism resists pulling and prying. A hardened steel body offers the best resistance against attacks by brute force, and a patented chrome plating process makes it  extremely corrosion resistant while it perfectly complements your bike. (If it costs less than $20, it’s not much of a lock, sorry.)

If you’ve done all you can do with locks and chains, step two might be to track and recover your precious. Unlike lots of trackers which require a $20 or more monthly fee, this Scorpio system does not. Hide the unit somewhere on your bike, hook it up using the 3-wire harness, and download the App on your phone. From there, you’ll receive push notifications whenever anybody touches your baby.