Anti-Pinch Pin

The Anti-Pinch Pin is a dead simple idea that seeks to address the common problem of people being unable to route a decent-sized chain through a lot of modern bikes and other valuable objects. Hence many people either put the chain round the wheel, and obviously wheels can be removed and the bike can then be stolen, or they don't bother with a chain at all (and the whole bike gets removed...).

Rather than needing space to take the chain, the Anti-Pinch Pin is like a giant drawing pin or rivet and only the pin part of it, a 23mm diameter hardened steel bar, needs to go through the bike. You loop the chain onto one or both ends of the Pin, with a Squire SS65CS padlock clamping sideways onto a recess at the non-headed end of the Pin. There is a large head at the other end that can prevent the thing being pulled through the bike.

Another option is to route the chain from the head end of the Pin, under the bike and through the ground anchor and back up to the other end of the Pin. Attempting to pull the Pin through the bike will then make no difference as it forms a continuous loop with the chain.

One double whammy with this applies to many Ducatis, BMWs, Triumphs, MV Agustas, Honda VFRs etc, that have hollow rear axles: If the hole through the axle is big enough to take a broomhandle, it'll probably be perfect for the Anti-Pinch Pin and you then get the advantage of basically preventing the rear axle and thereby the whole swingarm being removed and you can use a shorter chain, which is cheaper and easier to handle. (The swingarm is much harder to take off than a wheel, requiring the engine to be removed first on many bikes!) Using the Anti-Pinch Pin with a short chain and ground anchor & lock can give owners of such bikes improved security at a great price!

New: Mini Anti-Pinch Pins added to the Range!

We also now offer a baby version of the Pin in shorter lengths and with a slightly smaller head, to allow high grade chains to be used with ground anchors that have insufficient space to accept the chain directly. They still use the same Squire SS65CS lock for maximum security.

New Video about the Anti-Pinch Pin

This video helps explain our Anti-Pinch Pin and how it can help with using Protector 16mm and 19mm chains:

Manufacturing Details

The Anti-Pinch Pin is made from 23mm diameter steel bar that is welded to a 70mm diameter flat head, or to a 50mm diameter head on the Mini-Pin. A recess is machined at the non-headed end in order to accommodate the padlock, which fits on perpendicularly. The finished Pin assembly is case hardened with a carbonitriding process, bright zinc plated with a clear passivate, and deembrittled. Lock pull-off tests confirmed theoretical calculations that even heavy duty bearing pullers are unlikely to achieve anything at all - the shear area involved in the Pin itself is too great and the lock body is also extremely strong with the shackle giving further reinforcement (the SS65CS is CEN 6 rated, with a 10 tonne shackle retention). See below for independent approvals.

Lock Suitability

The Anti-Pinch Pin is designed to fit the Squire SS65CS (including Moto) padlocks, only! If you already have exactly that type of lock and a suitable chain & anchor then you can buy the Pin on its own; if you have a different type of lock then you are likely to need an SS65CS lock as well as the Pin.

Chain Suitability

If you already have a 16mm or 19mm Protector chain then you're sorted! 16mm and 19mm chains from other vendors are also generally compatible but you should check that the internal dimensions of the chain links will clear a 23mm circle.

Pin Lengths

The Anti-Pinch Pin is supplied in a wide range of lengths so that you can choose one that fits closely to your bike. The Mini-Pin is available in shorter lengths.

Note: The quoted length reflects the length of the Pin from under the Pin head. The padlock area and two x 16mm chain links usually require an overhead of 85-90mm, so you should typically choose a Pin that is the next size up from your bike's axle width etc plus 90mm. This allows for adjacent chain links interfering with each other a little (hence the extra 5mm).

Standard stock lengths are: 100mm (Mini-Pin), 140mm (Mini-Pin), 190mm (Mini-Pin), 250mm (new), 290mm, 340mm, 390mm, 440mm, and 490mm. The 250mm through 440mm lengths are all the same price; 490mm and any longer are more expensive and the Mini-Pins are cheaper. Note that these are all nominal lengths - the overall length (i.e. including the thickness of the head) is about 10-15mm greater and manufacturing tolerances mean these are not precise - please contact us if you have a particularly tight constraint on length. Likewise, please contact us if you have a requirement for a non-standard length.

Rear Axle Fitting Examples:
BMW F800S and ST rear axle width 190mm + 90mm = Pin length 290mm (minimum - even slightly shorter is too short!)
BMW K1200GT rear axle width 190mm + 90mm = Pin length 290mm
BMW K1200S rear axle width 170mm + 90mm = Pin length 290mm
BMW R1200GS rear axle width 160mm + 90mm = Pin length 250mm (we advise checking the axle width for yourself if you will use a 19mm chain). Note: For Adventure/spoked wheel models, a 250mm Pin must come in from the **left** of the bike so the head of the Pin sits in the hub recess and the chain comes in to the right of the bike. If the Pin is going to come in from the right, as is more usual, it needs to be a 290mm length. We recommend checking for yourself.

Ducati S2R, S4R & 695 Monster = Pin length 390mm (beware narrowing inside axle!)
Ducati 748 (2000+) and 998 rear axle width 250mm + 90mm = Pin length 390mm
Ducati 996, 998 = Pin length 390mm (beware narrowing inside axle!)
Ducati 1098 rear axle width 255mm + 90mm = Pin length 390mm
Hypermotard rear axle not suitable, but there is a passageway through the frame on both sides that runs between the cylinders that can be used with a 16mm chain and a 390mm long Pin

Ducati 848 also not suitable for the rear axle approach as it narrows significantly part-way through.

Ducati bikes do vary within a model and even within a model year in terms of any narrowing through the rear axle. It is especially worthwhile to try to check that any narrow section part-way through the axle will still clear a 23.0mm diameter bar.

Honda VFR800 FiW/X/Y/1/VTEC models, Pin length 340mm (OK for 16mm and also for 19mm chains). Ditto VFR750

Triumph T595 Daytona (single-sider) rear axle width 295mm + 90mm = Pin length 390mm (All Triples and Daytonas with single-sided swingarms are thought to use the same axle)

Always measure your bike to be sure, and ask us if you are in doubt!

Alternative Fitting Examples:
Several newer sportsbikes (e.g. Fireblade, GSX-R600K7) with braced swingarms have large holes through the swingarm structure that the Pin will pass through, and that can sometimes accommodate a 16/19mm chain directly (so a Pin would not be needed, unless for convenience). Beware the exhaust obstructing access, though. Various other examples follow:
Aprilia SL1000 Falco = Pin length 390mm through frame
Harley Davidson Road King with a 625mm(+) Pin through the centre of the frame; Fat Bob 440mm Pin.
Honda CBF1000 = Pin length 490mm on skew angle through dogbone links
Kawasaki ZX6R = Pin length 490mm
KTM 520 EXC, 525 EXE and 560 SMR = Pin length 340mm (fine with 16mm and 19mm chains)
KTM LC4-based bikes fine with 390mm Pin (640, 625, 660, Duke, probably new
690)
KTM Super Duke suits either a 390mm or 440mm Pin, dependent upon preferred routing
KTM 950 Adventure S and SE = Pin length 490mm (440mm can be very tight)
Suzuki Bandit 1250S = Pin length 650mm
Suzuki DRZ400 = Pin length 390mm
Suzuki GSXR600 K2 diagonal rear suspension fitting (see photos) 300mm + 90mm = Pin length 390mm
Suzuki GSXR600 K7 = Pin length 440mm (ideal for 16mm and 19mm chains), through swingarm
Suzuki SV650 = Pin length 440mm
Suzuki TL1000SV through the body of the bike (see photos) approx 380mm + 90mm = Pin length 490mm
Triumph Street Triple 2011 through bracing on swingarm Pin length 440mm
Yamaha TDR250 = Pin length 440mm (plenty for 16mm and 19mm chains)
Yamaha XT600E = Pin length 390mm
Yamaha Fazer 1000 = Pin length 440mm (snug fit for 16mm chains)
Always measure your bike to be sure, and ask us if you are in doubt!

Bike Suitability

We are accumulating information on the range of bikes that are particularly suited to the Anti-Pinch Pin - However, if your bike/quad/etc allows you to pass a broomhandle through a structural part of the bike's frame/suspension, you are likely to be compatible. Beware if you intend to go through the rear axle and you have a Ducati - Some of these have a stepped hollow rear axle so the hole appears to be OK but it narrows internally - Be sure to check that a 23mm bar will go right through!

Thanks to many people that have helped us to evolve our list of compatible fitments. We have more info available upon request.

Protecting your Bike

The Anti-Pinch Pin is available with lengths of low-temperature-shrink flame retardant black heatshrink sleeving. This is supplied un-shrunk and separate from the Pin in case someone goes and puts it on a hot exhaust and causes a fire - it's flame retardant but I still wouldn't tempt fate with my bike! It is more relevant for situations where the Pin will be resting against the fairing or carbs etc, and is generally unnecessary for rear axle fitments. Although it's classed as low-temperature shrink at 70 C, it is a struggle with a domestic hairdryer and something slightly more potent is preferable (e.g. a hot air gun or steam from a kettle, but be careful not to get burnt or scalded!). The rated temperature range for the sleeving is -55 to +135 C. We are also now including a vinyl end cap to provide protection from the very tip of the Pin. This black plastic cap is a simple push fit onto the end of the Pin and helps to avoid delicate items or finely finished surfaces from being scratched when the Pin is fitted. Beware, however, that this cap will not fit through the links on the Protector 19mm chain so it is more suited to the 16mm chain where it fits fine. If you are using the 19mm chain through a rear axle or similar one-sided situation, you can pass the Pin through both ends of the chain and then fit the vinyl cap. The Pin can then be passed through the rear axle and the lock fitted on the far side. Hence, it is possible to get the benefit of a protective covering for the tip of the Pin when using the 19mm chain, but it does restrict the way that the combination can be used.

None of these protective products are a substitute for careful handling of the Pin!

Adapting a ground anchor to suit a 16mm or 19mm chain

The Mini-Pin is intended to be used in situations where there is a clearance problem with a heavy duty chain, but where the issue is on a much smaller scale than on a motorbike. The Mini-Pin is just a smaller-sized variation on the normal Anti-Pinch Pin, with a 50mm diameter head (compared with the 70mm diameter of the normal Pin), and it is made in shorter lengths and offered at a cheaper price. It will fit through many ground anchors that are too small to accept a heavy-duty chain themselves.

The photo here shows how a 16mm chain can be used with a Squire GA1 anchor, which will not accept such a chain itself. This shows the shortest Mini-Pin available, at just 100mm long, and you can see it is a nice close fit with two links of 16mm chain and the padlock. If you already have an anchor such as this installed and need to use a heavier chain, the Mini-Pin and a Squire SS65CS lock may be the solution required.

Approvals

The Anti-Pinch Pin has previously been Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold and ATV Gold (and all other categories Gold) approved. The approval was in July 2008 and remained valid until June 2009. It has not been re-submitted. It has not failed a test. The newest batches of Pins have been machined slightly differently to avoid a compatibility problem relating to the SS65Cs lock. The Anti-Pinch Pin is a European Registered Design.

New Video about the Mini-Anti-Pinch Pin

This video helps explain how the Mini-Anti-Pinch Pin can help with using Protector 16mm and 19mm chains, particularly with pre-existing ground anchors that will not accept a high-grade chain directly:

 

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