Dirtbike bike theft is a serious issue for all Aussies no matter where you live so we thought we’d take a look at the best Oxford locks to protect your ride.
Motorcycle theft is a serious problem in Australia but there are several types of disc locks, some alarmed and others not that can help. A disc lock prevents your bike from being rolled forward but for us dirtbikers we know it’s easy to lift a dirtbike up, especially a kids bike. It’s not hard to throw it in the back of a van and be gone in 30 seconds. This is where an alarmed disc lock comes in handy and there are several disc pin Oxford locks.
If the disc lock is tampered with or moved the alarm goes off. We tried the Oxford Screamer 7, the Oxford Alpha XA14 and the Oxford XA5 and all locks made an awful loud noise. Like, hurt your ear drum loud. Perfect.
There’s no way anyone within 100m will sleep through that noise. It’s designed to frighten would-be thieves off and even if the bike gets it in the getaway car, everyone the would-be-thief drives past will hear it. The downside is, with the alarmed locks, if a rat or a possum knocks your bike over and triggers the alarm, you’ll have some cranky neighbours. Especially if you’re pool-side in Fiji sipping a Pina Colada and your dirtbike is in Ballarat, Victoria.
The disc lock is a great piece of kit and will go along way in preventing your bike from being stolen.
PADLOCK
These Oxford Padlocks are not like a $5 padlock from Bunnings. These things are massive, heavy and tough and not really designed to hold your garden shed closed. They’re built to deter a scumbag who wants your ride.
To test the padlock system, we opted for an Oxford 16mm Boss Alarm and an alarm-less Oxford Boss Disc Lock 16mm. The alarm system works the same as the pin disc locks. The Boss Alarm option pumps out 100dB and can withstand 4.5 tonnes of tensile load. I’m telling you this because I’m trying to convey the sheer size and toughness of this padlock. It is a monster.
Both padlocks are designed to go on the end of a chain or through your disc brake. Both systems worked effectively but it could be argued a good grinder would find the padlock easier to cut through as the U-bolt section is more exposed than the disc pin lock previously mentioned. That being said, the padlock is more versatile in case you need to lock other things up, will also stop your bike from rolling forward and felt tougher than the pin lock.
CHAIN AND ANCHOR
Simply chaining your bike to the closest thing you can find in your garage is not a good enough deterrent for thieves. You need to secure it properly and you can do this with an anchor system. There’s also no point in dyna-bolting an anchor system to the ground if you’re using a chain you can cut with a pocket knife. There’s a lot to be said for a big, tough chain.
Oxford do several different options when it comes to anchor points and the two most sturdy options are a Beast Floor Lock and a Docking Station Anchor. Both systems bolt to the ground but the Beast looks like a mushroom with a locked head (the chain slips over the shaft which is locked in place by the head) and the Docking Station uses a pin system to secure a chain in place. We opted for the Docking Station.
Once the Docking Station is bolted to the ground you simply unlock the pin, undo the grub screw and slide your chain over the pin and then re-fit the pin and lock it. You can run the chain through your wheel or ideally through the frame of your bike as a wheel can be removed.
One of the big benefits to a chain and docking station is that you can lock several bikes up using the one system, depending on the length of your chain. This system felt incredibly sturdy, especially with the 12mm Oxford HD Max Chain we used. The chain links are Ni-Cro-Mo steel and designed to be bolt cutter resistant. We had a red-hot crack at cutting it and couldn’t even get one of the links to even chip. Safe to say, it is the toughest chain we’ve seen.
GPS TRACKER
While a GPS tracker will not prevent your bike from leaving the garage, it is the best way to keep an eye on it, if it does disappear. We used a Moni Moto 7 for this method and it worked flawlessly.
We hid the tracking device under the seat of our dirtbike and, after downloading the Moni Moto app and syncing up the transmitter to our phone (which was about the size of a pack of cards), we let the Sherco go free. Our phone was immediately notified that the bike was moving and then the app allowed us to track the bikes movements.
The transmitter runs off rechargeable batteries which Moni Moto claim can last up to a year without needing to be recharged. This is great as it does not require you to hook the transmitter up to your bike’s battery. It also uses a clever satellite system that doesn’t require an external WiFi or bluetooth connection.
The Moni Moto 7 worked great and allowed us to track the bike no matter where it went. If the bike was parked underground the GPS tracker did get stuck on that spot but as soon as the bike moved out of that situation, the tracker reupdated.
The biggest hurdle with the Moni Moto 7 will be convincing the boys in blue to chase your bike. If they’re not interested, that big Oxford HD Max chain with a Boss Padlock on the end could do some damage if swung hard enough…
SWEET SPOT
After testing each product we reckon a combination is the best option. We believe the best system is the docking station and potentially two chains held together by the Boss Alarm Padlock. This is perfect because it allows you to chain up multiple bikes at once and with the Boss Alarm padlock in the middle of it all. So, if a would-be thief tried to cut the chain there’s a good chance they will bump the padlock and set it off.
You could also run a small, alarmed disc lock on the front like the Oxford Screamer 7 without the Boss Alarm Padlock on the rear. That way you’ve got noise up front and the bike can’t leave the ground without being cut, thanks to the chain and anchor.
And if you’re tough enough, the Moni Moto 7 is a good option. It’s durable and efficient but just be prepared to do the hustling yourself, if the cops are busy they may be reluctant to drop everything and chase after your bike.