Lock it or lose it: MCN picks the best motorcycle locks

Meet the Sold Secure Gold standard. It has a 1.4 metre long, 12mm chain and 14mm U lock, and it's quite heavy as the lock and chain together weigh about 8.5kg. Comes with three keys.

The chain itself was horrible to cut, which is a good thing. The disk chattered all over the hardened surface and it was very difficult to bite initially. It felt like the hardness penetrated further into the link than other chains. We didn't try the lock.

Oxford's 16mm chain and D-lock is a hefty product that looked like it should do well. Like its smaller cousin, the Nemesis combination can be used with the lock on its own as a disclock. The silver chain is reassuringly heavy but its size meant it only went through the larger of the two ground anchors. Going at it with the angle grinder, it was very easy to feel the harder outer skin give way to the softer, more pliable inner section before encountering the harder section again. We attacked the lock but unlike the smaller Oxford, we had to go through both sides, as it wasn't possible to get the chain off with just one cut. Semi-circular keys also make picking almost impossible.

Oxford's smaller chain combination comes with a separate D-lock that can be used on its own as a disc lock - handy. However, the plastic cover on the lock looks and feels cheap. It is, however, Sold Secure approved at Silver level for scooters, offering some reassurance. It fitted through both ground anchors, wasn't overly heavy and was very easy to use. The cutting disc went through the chain in just over 30s for both sides but as the lock shackle was exposed, we attacked that as well. It took 28 seconds to go through one side but once cut, we could twist the shackle enough to get the chain off without cutting the other side.