WebBikeWorld

Summary: High-quality, hefty disk lock includes a shrieking 110dB alarm that serves as a good deterrent for a would-be thief and a warning for the owner if the lock is accidentally left in place before riding off (see video).

by "Burn" for webBikeWorld

SOME WILL SAY that disk locks, Grip Locks (review on the way), alarms and even monster chains won't prevent a determined and experienced thief from stealing a motorcycle.

This may or may not be true -- but what, exactly, does the word "determined" mean? A motorcycle could have disk locks on every brake rotor, chains holding it to floor anchors and an alarm system on the bike and the locked door of the garage and yes, someone with the time, energy and motivation, could steal the bike anyway. That's determination. But this type of determination surely must be very rare?

The counter argument says the thief wants to act as quietly and as quickly as possible, attracting little notice. So it could very well be that a motorcycle protected with one or more anti-theft devices might get a pass from said thief. I'd rather prescribe to this philosophy.

Of course, both of those arguments could be debated ad infinitum without settlement. But while our mates are hashing it out in the pub, there are at least two things that sensible motorcyclists can do to protect their pride and joy.

First, to help prevent a "crime of opportunity", an anti-theft device should be used, and just about any anti-theft device is better than none. Second, a layering strategy should be employed, combining, say, an alarm system with a disk lock or a chain or other anti-theft device. This will surely prevent the vast majority of "casual" thievery, no?

The situation I can definitely relate to is parking a motorcycle at the Washington D.C. Metro station. I occasionally ride down to the nearest Metro stop and park in the little fenced-in area they have set aside for scooters and motorcycles before I take the train the rest of the way into downtown D.C.

I always use a disk lock when I park, because it just doesn't make sense to leave the motorcycle behind with only the fork lock to protect it. And if I think I might not be back until after dark, I'll throw a chain around the wheel also.

It would be nice if they installed some ground anchors to use with the chain, or if they provided motorcyclists with the same type of enclosed and locking bicycle huts they have for bicycles, but I'm not holding my breath.

In the meantime, a disk lock it is. Now I've seen some pretty cheap-looking disk locks for sale; and more than a few that cost only a few bucks and will probably break as soon as the wheel turned one rotation. No thanks. This isn't the place to save a few bucks.

So I'm impressed by the Xena "Disc Lock Alarm". It has to be the heftiest disk lock I've ever tried. The Xena Disc Lock comes in four different sizes, from the 80 mm long XN10 (3.25") and XN14 to the 102 mm long XN15 (4.0") shown here. The XN collection also includes the big XN18, which is 113 mm (4.5") long and also features an 18mm diameter four-pin locking system and an LED light to let you know it's active.

Note that the XN15 sample that Xena sent us is actually too large for the Ducati GT1000 brake disk rotor shown in these photos. The lock should ideally fit so that the rotor disk completely fills up the slot in the lock. That's why Xena makes a variety of sizes; some fit in the drain holes in the disk itself, while others are designed to fit past the braking surface and clamp on to the slots in the rotor near the mounting bolts.

The XN10 would probably be a better fit for the motorcycle shown here and in the video. Xena has a template that can be used to select the right lock, or you can measure the distance from the outer edge of the disk to one of the holes and then choose accordingly.

Each of the Xena Disc Locks are made from 100% stainless steel with a beautiful but purposeful finish. The XN15 is a solid hunk, weighing in at exactly 2.0 lbs (908 grams) on the webBikeWorld Polder scales.

The XN15 has an array of high-end features, like a carbide reinforced locking pin that sits down inside a 1/4" (6 mm) opening that slides over the motorcycle's brake disk, making a nice and snug fit. The very secure-feeling lock and key barrel is also treated against failure with one of those ice sprays the thieves try to use to freeze and break the lock.

The pin is "double locking"; that is, it has flats on either side and matching flats in the hole in the base of the lock. When the pin goes down through the hole and the key is turned, the flats allow the "ears" of the pin to turn and engage the matching flats in the bottom half of the lock, which makes a more secure system.

But the Xena Disc Locks have another interesting and useful feature; they are fitted with a 110-decibel alarm system module that lives inside the lock. It's very nicely integrated and it automatically arms within about 5 seconds after the key is turned. The alarm senses that the lock is attached to the brake disk, and it gives off one beep when it's armed, signaling that it's ready to go.

If the bike or the lock is disturbed, the alarm's dual shock and movement sensors will trigger two beeps and then it will emit a loud, shrieking chirping noise for 10-15 seconds. Believe me, this sucker is loud -- loud enough that when I was trying it in the garage, I had to quickly open the lock to get it to stop rather than wait for 15 seconds!

If the disturbance continues, the alarm will go off again, or it will stop and re-set itself. We made a short video (below) to show you how easy it is to install the lock and to demonstrate the alarm, but remember that it's much louder in reality than it is on the video.

And there's a bonus: you don't have to worry about riding off without removing the lock, as sometimes happens when using a disk lock, because the alarm will sound as soon as the bike is moved.

The lock comes with a nice Cordura-style carrying case that closes with a zipper. It has a belt loop on back with an adjustable buckle that will allow it to fit around many frame tubes. I don't carry the lock on my person, because if I fell on this thing it would surely cause grave damage to my bod!

The lock comes with a set of batteries installed and Xena also throws in a little package with 6 extra batteries in the Xena "XBP-1" battery pack, which is available for sale from Xena also, but not required, becaue LR44 1.5V Alkaline batteries will also work. The lock takes all 6 batteries, claimed to last approximately 8 months in normal use. It's interesting to note that the batteries fit into the alarm module and the entire module slides out for battery replacement.

The lock also comes with an Allen wrench to remove the stainless steel bolt that holds the battery cover in place. The battery cover has a silicone waterproof gasket underneath. By the way, the alarm and the batteries are independent of the locking function, so the disk lock will still work even if the batteries are depleted, although the alarm function won't.

The Xena Disc Lock Alarm carries the Thatcham and Sold Secure "Gold" approval and certification rating in the UK, which means they withstood a variety of test attacks for a period of 5 minutes. It also carries both the NF and the Classe SRA approvals from France; the ART 3 from Holland; VAT (Finland); and PZU (Poland) approvals and certifications. This is good stuff (more on Sold Secure on the wBW Motorcycle Alarms, Locks and Immobiliserspage).

Conclusion
The Xena Disc Lock Alarm is a very well made and solid-feeling disk lock; it's the most secure disk lock I've encountered. The alarm will hopefully add to the deterrent effect and it also serves as a built-in reminder for the rider which should prevent riding away without first removing the lock from the wheel.

Xena makes a huge variety of locks, alarms and other devices to help prevent motorcycle theft, and they all appear to have the same attention to detail and quality as the XN15 shown here. We plan on reviewing more Xena security devices soon.