Motorcycle security chains: a complete guide

Secure your motorcycle with a security chain and you’re putting yourself in a stronger position against scummy motorcycle thieves.

However not all chains are equal. All can (eventually) be beaten but a quality motorcycle chain, used properly will deter a vast majority of bike thieves and cause a lot of problems for anyone who tried to defeat it.

So how do you know what thickness security chain you need and which brand to go for? 

What length chain do you need and is there a better way to lock your bike to make it harder for thieves to defeat the chain?

In this guide, we’ll answer all of those questions and give you a good steer on the type of products you should spend your hard-earned on and the ones you should avoid.

What should I spend on a chain?

This is a hard, if not impossible question to answer. The price of your security chain varies depending on:

• The length
• The thickness
• The quality of materials used
• Whether it has been hardened
• Whether it is supplied with a lock or chain only

One thing I can say for sure is that I would not spend any less than £50 on a chain.

OK, so fifty whole pounds might be more than what you want to spend on a chain but let me ask you these questions:

• What’s your insurance excess?
• What’s the cost of replacement transport if your bike is stolen?
• How about the increased insurance premiums if you have to make a claim?
• What about your time in reporting the crime, filling in insurance claims forms, and waiting on hold to your insurance company?
  

Some guides state – as if it’s a cold hard fact – that you should spend between 5 and 10% of your bike’s value on security. While I get where they are coming from, I don’t think this is all that helpful.

What I recommend is that you spend AT LEAST 50% of whatever your insurance excess is on physical security and if you can afford to, spend 100% of your excess.

If your excess is £250, that can buy you a quality security chain, motorcycle cover and disc lock. It might sound like a lot but it’ll be money well spent.

What thickness security chain do I need?

Are you using it at home or carrying it with you?

If you don’t need to carry your chain around then I’d recommend a minimum of 16mm, which makes it bolt-cropper proof. Plus, none of the budget/Chinese/rubbish brands make a chain that’s 16mm thick. So this thickness ensures you’re buying a chain from a manufacturer who knows what they’re doing.

If you need to carry your chain with you, the length has more of an effect on the overall weight but a chain that can’t be secured to something immovable isn’t any more useful than a good quality motorcycle disc lock.

Here at Pragmasis we make Noose chains, which allow you to carry a shorter length and look one end of the chain around a fixed object. Therefore you can keep weight down and go for a thicker more secure chain.

Motorcycle security chain thicknesses (and what you need)

8mm and under

In my opinion chains of this thickness are not worth it. Lots of the budget chains being sold at places like Toolstation or eBay are 8mm thick.

Yes, you can’t get past these without tools, so you could argue they are worth having. However, even a set of 12″ bolt cutters (most scrotes carry larger ones) can get through an 8mm chain.

Plus factor in that loads of firms with no care about their brand or your possessions produce chains at this thickness because they’re cheaper and easy to make.

They’re in the high-street shops because of consumer pressure; the sales guys report back that people don’t want to spend £100 on a chain (when in actual fact the salesman just doesn’t have the skill to sell a chain at this price point), so cheaper chains are produced and obviously bought by people who are on a budget or who think it’s good enough because a shop they trust is selling it.

10mm

10mm is a very popular thickness because the lower price point makes them more attractive. This is the smallest-sized link that I would buy – but there is a caveat.

10mm chains are reasonably portable. You could easily carry one in a tank bag or tail pack but I’d rather not lug one around in a rucksack as I wouldn’t want to do battle with it if I fell off the bike.

It’s worth noting that there are no Sold Secure Gold security chains at 10mm thickness. In fact 10mm will only get you a Sold Secure Bicycle Bronze rating (there is no Silver or Bronze motorcycle rating).

If you have to carry a chain with you, then a 10mm is a good option. However, there are loads (I haven’t counted, sorry) of brands, distributors, and eBay clowns selling 10mm chains of varying degrees of quality.

A good quality 10mm chain will take a fair bit of effort to cut with bolt croppers (even massive 42″ ones) but they will take under a minute for someone with a portable angle grinder to defeat.

If you are going to use a 10mm chain there’s one caveat; get one from a known brand that specialise in security chains as you can have confidence they are made from quality materials by companies that care about their reputation.

11mm-13mm

This is the level where chains start to get serious.

For me, the main positive about going for 11mm and thicker is that you quickly eliminate most of the rubbish manufacturers.

It’s worth noting that the thinnest Sold Secure Gold motorcycle chain is 12mm.

An 11mm chain is probably the thinnest chain I’d use at home but if you needed one chain for a bit of everything, this would be a good option.

If you have a scooter, you’re lucky because you can carry a chain in the underseat storage. When I had my Honda SH300i (a favourite for scummy thieves) I carried a 16mm chain around with me under the seat - and I’d recommend you do the same.

A difference between chains at this thickness is whether they have square of rounded linked. Round links are so-much-harder for bolt croppers and angle grinders to get a purchase on.

I’d highly recommend you go for the rounded shape over square links.

16mm

The next common thickness is 16mm. It’s too heavy to carry on a motorcycle but you can carry this under your seat if you ride a scooter.

A 16mm chain is brilliant for home security as you can’t bolt crop it by hand and you’d need a decent amount of time with an angle grinder to defeat it.

If you’re parking your bike outside, a 16mm chain, coupled with a disc lock and a waterproof bike cover makes your bike very uninviting for bike thieves. Most won’t bother.

If you’re using a chain for home security, always fit a ground anchor but check that your ground anchor can accommodate your chain first. Some of the cheaper ground anchors won't accommodate a 16mm chain. Ours do..

19mm

A 19mm chain is a continuation of a 16mm one, i.e. it’ll be made by a company that cares, using materials that are hard to beat.

As per the 16mm option, the links will be round, not square but the price is quite a bit more than a 16mm due to the fact there’s more material in there and it’s that much harder to produce.

For home security, a 19mm chain is a great option – I have use them in my garage. However when out and about, a 19mm is cumbersome and harder to thread the links through your bike when compared to a 16mm.

I tried a 19mm chain for around-town security for my scooter but it was hard to fit quickly, so I swapped it out for a 16mm and I use the 19mm at home.

22mm

If you want the top-level of security chain, then one with 22mm links is where it’s at.

A 22mm definitely cannot be bolt-cropped, can barely be lifted, and is tricky to cut with an angle grinder.

Strictly for home use and even then, you wouldn’t want to be fitting it and removing it on a daily basis as each link weighs around 1kg. They’re a real hassle to move around.

They’re nowhere near as effective if you don’t use them with a ground anchor (as thieves will be able to lift your bike and chain into their van).

However, be cautious as you’ll find that a majority of ground anchors won’t fit a 22mm chain, so make sure you buy one that’s big enough. Our Torc Mega accommodates our 22mm chain with ease.

I didn’t opt for a 22mm chain for home use (I use a 19mm). I’m not saying a 19mm is better but it’s better for me as it’s easier to secure and remove on a daily basis. If I had a more valuable bike, parked on the street or lived in a high-risk area, I’d go for a 22mm chain.

What length chain do I need?

In my opinion, you need to be able to lock a chain to your bike and a fixed object for it to be most effective.

What length of chain you buy is entirely up to you but keep in mind that a Noose type chain (with an oversized ring on one end) will enable you to use a shorter length.

Below are the common lengths and my opinion of them. Remember, a Noose chain (with an oversized ring on one end) is the best bet if you want a chain that's more portable.

100cm

I think a 100cm non-Noose chain is a waste of money. You’ll struggle to get it around a wheel and a solid object like a ground anchor or railing. The thinner the chain the easier it is to bend it around a fixed object but a thick (16mm+) standard 100cm chain will only just about fit around a rear wheel. A noose version is useful but a slightly longer one will probably be more useful more of the time.

120cm

This is the minimum length I’d recommend if you’re planning on using a security chain for home security where you're looking to loop through a ground anchor. Ideally, keep the chain off the floor as much as you can. A 120cm chain is no good for around town as you will struggle for find spots where you can lock the chain to your bike and a solid object.

However a 120cm Noose-end chain is a great length for portable security.

150cm

At this length, you can lock your chain around your bike’s frame and to a ground anchor at home or a railing or post when out and about. You can also loop it around the rear wheel and over the seat, keeping it entirely off the ground.

If you have a scooter, you can loop a chain of this length through the wheel and around the footboard / chassis making it hard for a thief to work on.

You can also use a chain of this length to lock two bikes together and if you loop it through the frame or swing arms, you can keep it off the ground.

150cm Noose chains are very handy but perhaps a touch long for most applications.

200cm

I have a 200cm / 16mm chain which I use to lock my scooter with when out and about. This additional length is handy to be able to wrap it around a lamp post. If I have any additional slack, I go again around the post.

However, at home, I find this length overkill. There’s almost always too much chain when I use it with a ground anchor. So even though it’s easier to fit (I don’t have to worry about parking my bike nice and close to my ground anchor), I end up with chain on the floor, which I’d rather not have.

Are all chains made equal?

Definitely not. The materials used in the cheaper chains means they can be cut or cropped fast faster than chains that use high quality and toughened materials. Our chains are heat treated and coated to make them harder to cut and protect them against weathering, so they can carry on doing the job they're designed to, for years to come.

Just like anything in life, the cheaper it is, generally speaking the more corners have been cut to keep the price down.

Sold Secure motorcycle chains

Sold Secure is an organisation that tests the quality of security products to give us, the consumers, a better idea of what’s worth spending our hard-earned cash on.

There are two levels of security for the Motorcycle segment, Gold and Diamond.

Gold

The Gold standard tests involve a 5-minute attack with various tools, a machine-based crop test to confirm that at least 7 tonnes of force is reached, a drill with HSS bits, etc. It excludes an assault using an angle grinder.

Diamond

As per the Gold test but also including Tungsten Carbide Tipped drill bits and a 90-second angle grinder attack.

Thatcham Approved security chains

Thatcham used to test physical security but they stopped testing back in 2019. Now they focus on other security products like trackers and immobilisers. 

There are no longer any Thatcham-approved motorcycle locks.

Therefore if you see a product that claims to be Thatcham-approved, take it with a pinch of salt. Yes, it may have achieved that rating but then it may not – you’ll be hard-pressed to find official documentation on Thatcham’s website. And if it did get approval, the test could have been years ago, making it redundant.

The modern ratings from companies like Sold Secure take into account the modern tools used (like portable angle grinders), and some products that were previously ‘Gold’ rated have been demoted and the new higher standard have led to better security being produced.

 

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Motorcycle Security Chains FAQ

What type of chain is best for security?
A hardened steel security chain with links at least 12mm thick is best for serious protection. For maximum resistance to bolt cutters, 16mm or thicker chains are ideal.

How long should a motorcycle security chain be?
As short as practical. Most riders only need 0.8m to 1.2m. Shorter chains reduce slack, weigh less and are harder to attack.

Is there a bike lock that cannot be cut?
No. Any lock can be defeated with enough time and the right tools. The goal is to delay and deter, not make theft impossible.

Is a chain or D lock better?
Chains offer flexibility and can secure your bike to larger objects. D-locks are lighter and rigid. For best protection, use both together.

What chain cannot be cut with bolt cutters?
In practical terms, 16mm and thicker hardened security chains are resistant to hand-operated bolt cutters. Thinner chains remain vulnerable.

What’s the hardest chain to cut?
A 16mm+ case-hardened security chain from a reputable manufacturer is among the hardest to defeat with manual tools.

What is the strongest motorcycle chain?
The strongest chains are 16mm–22mm hardened steel security chains designed specifically for anti-theft use, not standard drive chains.

What is the best way to lock a motorcycle?
Use layered security: a heavy-duty chain secured to a solid anchor point, a disc lock, and a cover to reduce visibility.

How do you secure a motorcycle without a ground anchor?
Lock it to an immovable object such as a steel railing or lamppost using a high-quality chain. Keep the chain tight and off the ground.

Which type of motorcycle chain is best?
A case-hardened, hexagonal or round-link security chain with a high-quality padlock is best for theft resistance.

Are gold motorcycle chains better?
If you mean Sold Secure Gold-rated chains, yes this is the second highest level Sold Secure awards, one under Diamond. Anything with these ratings have passed independent attack testing and offer a strong level of protection.