What it is anchored to decides the outcome
A chain or a U-lock is the security that works by tying the machine to something that is not the machine, and that last part is where most of the outcome is decided. A chain around a wheel and nothing else is a chain that leaves with the motorcycle. What it is anchored to — a ground anchor, a wall anchor, something immovable — is more consequential than the chain’s own specification, and it is why ground anchors belong in this family rather than in a footnote. The specification itself is read through published certifications, which is the only comparable figure here. Insurers’ organisations publish ratings that record an attack with named tools for a named duration, and a lock that carries one has been tested; a lock that quotes only a link diameter has not. This matters more than it sounds, because link diameter alone is a poor guide: a thick link of soft steel is cut faster than a thinner one of hardened steel, and hardening is published where it exists. Then the practical figures that decide whether the lock is used. Length, which has to reach from the anchor to the machine without leaving slack on the ground where a chain can be struck against concrete. Weight, which is the honest constraint — a heavy chain stays at home and a light one is carried, and the best chain for a rider who commutes is often not the heaviest. And a sleeve, which keeps the paint intact and keeps the chain quiet. We compare published certification, link or shackle diameter, hardening, length, sleeve, weight, and the anchors a maker publishes alongside.
ART 4 certificate · ø11 mm · 150 cm, 4.5 kg · nylon sleeve
The 150 cm length of the same ART 4 certified 11 mm chain, weighing 4.5 kg — 30 cm and 700 g more than the 120 cm version.
Best for: The middle of the reach-against-weight trade, on a machine parked at the same place most nights.
≈ £43 / €42
ART 4 certificate · ø11 mm · 120 cm, 3.8 kg · nylon sleeve · full length and weight table published
A 120 cm chain lock with 11 mm links carrying an ART 4 certificate, weighing 3.8 kg, listed alongside its maker’s full table of lengths and weights up to 300 cm.
Best for: A rider choosing a length deliberately, with the weight of each option in front of them.
≈ £43 / €40
Sold Secure Gold · 125 cm · 8.3 mm special steel · secure cylinder · 4 keys
A 125 cm chain lock in 8.3 mm special steel certified Sold Secure Gold, with a picking-resistant cylinder, a protective sleeve and four keys.
Best for: Parking against a fixed object, with an insurer that asks for a Gold-grade lock.
≈ $80 / £74 / €65
Published as a bicycle lock · 10 mm hexagonal hardened manganese steel · 2.95 kg · 3 keys
A 10 mm hexagonal hardened manganese steel chain lock titled as a bicycle lock, whose bullets extend it to scooter and motorcycle, weighing 2.95 kg with a nylon sleeve and three keys.
Best for: A scooter or a light machine, where 2.95 kg of chain is a weight worth carrying.
≈ €60
Sold Secure Gold · 200 cm · front wheel + rear wheel + frame · 4 keys
A 200 cm Sold Secure Gold chain lock, long enough for front wheel, rear wheel and frame to a fixed object, with a picking-resistant cylinder and four keys.
Best for: Overnight parking where the machine can be chained to something immovable.
≈ £104 / €99
Only the specifications at least four models out of five state. A column that is more empty than full compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Amazon reference | Certification cited | Chain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinz Makalu 150 cm | 43 £ | B077G1SMJ1 (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces) | ART 4 from the ART Foundation (maker’s bullet) | ø11 mm links (from the title) |
| Vinz Makalu 120 cm | 43 £ | B077FSC35C (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces) | ART 4 — awarded by the ART Foundation, stated to be recommended by most bicycle, scooter and motorcycle insurers (maker’s bullet) | ø11 mm links (from the title) |
| Kryptonite Evolution 1090 | 60 £ | DE B006QN0MI0 · US B09MFMPYXH · GB B09MFMPYXH · FR B09MFMPYXH · IT B09MFMPYXH · ES B09MFMPYXH | — | 10 mm hexagonal hardened manganese steel, with a reinforced end link (maker’s bullet) |
| KOHLBURG Helsinki 125 cm | 80 £ | B08NCG1PFK (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces) | Sold Secure Gold, awarded by the insurance certifier — the maker states it is accepted by all insurers (maker’s bullet) | 8.3 mm special steel (from the title) |
| KOHLBURG Helsinki 200 cm | 104 £ | B0FP9K8H36 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces) | Sold Secure Gold from the insurance certifier (maker’s bullet) | — |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets and Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
Most recent revision in this category: September 18, 2026.
Nothing written into the text below is a current price. Where an amount appears in a sentence, it is the reading taken on the day that sentence was written; what a shop is asking at this moment loads beside the product itself, and that is the figure to go by.
