Hiplok MD1000 review | Angle-grinder-resistant disc-lock

Date reviewed: October 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £179.99 (RRP) | Weight: 978g | hiplok.com

The Hiplok MD1000 on review here is an angle-grinder-resistant motorcycle disc-lock certified to the toughest Sold Secure Powered Cycle Diamond rating, as well as gaining four stars from the Netherlands-based ART.

The MD1000 has a graphene composite Ferrosafe construction similar to the excellent best-in-class Hiplok DX1000 D-lock and comes with a storage pouch (it’s not a carry pouch) and two magnetic reminder tabs, one of which is stored on the lock itself and protects the keyway. This can be wrapped around your bike’s handlebars or even attached to the ignition barrel (if it has one) to ensure you don’t forget the lock’s attached. A keyring attachment is also included for the strap. Three coded keys are supplied, and the MD1000 can be keyed-alike with the DX1000 if bought at the same time.

The MD1000 comes with one strap in fluorescent yellow and one in black, and the lock itself is available with a yellow or black body. Hiplok has also released the MDX, which we’ll be testing shortly and looks the same, but doesn’t have the graphene construction and is certified to the lower Sold Secure Powered Cycle Gold standard. This also doesn’t come with a carry-pouch, has just one reminder strap and is only available in black for £89.99.

Pros & Cons

Size and weight

Motorcycle security is all about its effectiveness in deterring thieves, but I can’t help commenting on the slick design of the MD1000, which continues the company’s theme of minimalistic, carefully-considered styling. In some ways it’s the Kriega of locks: beautifully designed while being eminently practical.

The new fluorescent ‘neon yellow’ colour option of the MD1000 is a departure for the Lemington Spa-based brand, but it’s something many have been asking for – that bright splash of course can warn off a potential thief, and potentially remind the rider it’s fitted as they walk back to their motorcycle.

Weighing 978g and having a rounded plastic shell that protects your bike’s paintwork, the compact MD1000 would fit in a pocket, though I wouldn’t recommend this with any lock as it could cause injury in a fall. The compact design does mean though that it’ll fit under many bike’s seats with ease, or tuck in a tank-bag or other luggage without any bother.

The Hiplok’s hardened steel locking pin is plated to prevent rust, measures 11.8mm in diameter and is secured on both sides of the lock’s body.

I was able to fit the MD1000 to the front brake discs of my 2019 BMW R1250GS, 1999 Kawasaki ZX-6R and 2001 Honda VFR800 without any problems.

Resistance to attack: lock picking

While some YouTube channels might make lock picking look easy, especially when selling the creator’s own tools, it’s not a theft method used in typical motorcycle thefts at all. Sold Secure is part of the Master Locksmiths Association, and while I’m not able to pick locks with any skill, this independent testing body is. Where locks have vulnerabilities, they will not be certified.

To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.

Resistance to attack: drill

While a fairly unlikely attack as motorcycle thieves don’t tend to carry drills around, the Hiplok MD1000’s cylinder puts up a very good resistance to a drill attack, the top plate being difficult to penetrate. As with any lock, if a thief is able to put enough time into drilling the lock barrel they might be able to damage it to the extent that the key no longer works, which will obviously mean the owner has to cut it off themselves, but at least they’ll still have their bike.

This is a very unlikely scenario, but one that seems to get flagged regularly on social media. The reality is that there are far easier ways to scupper any lock barrel. What matters is that the bike is where you left it.

To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.

Resistance to attack: prying & splitting

Despite using a claw hammer and long pry-bars, the Hiplok MD1000 refused to budge, the extremely solid construction and secure locking mechanism working extremely effectively. Some inferior disc-locks can be pinged off a disc by prying them or even hitting them with a rock, so good performance here is really important to deter opportunistic or the less well-equipped thieves.

To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.

Resistance to attack: lump hammer

Despite knocking hell out of the Hiplok MD1000 with a sustained lump-hammer attack, it suffered nothing more than cosmetic damage with the bottom plastic cover flying off. The end of the locking pin also came off as it’s designed to be a very tight friction-fit but releases under severe attack in order to prevent it being an attack point, meaning there’s no way of pulling the pin out when it’s locked.

To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.

Resistance to attack: reciprocating saw

While not typically seen in UK thefts (and hence not being part of Sold Secure’s test methodology), claims from some social media commentators that their ‘Sawzall with get through easily’ led to us buying a Dewalt DCS382, which I use with a fresh £20 carbide-tipped Bosch blade for every test.

The gap to get the blade onto the pin is small, and the brake disc’s rivets hamper the tool, but once working the blade skates over the hardened steel pin before eventually biting and working its way through. If a thief was able to cut the pin this way, due to it being secured at both sides a second cut would need to be made on the other side of the disk, which would be very difficult to access. A reciprocating saw (or ‘Sawzall as it’s called in the US), is not a viable attack method on the Hiplok MD1000.

To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.

Resistance to attack: angle-grinder

The anti-angle-grinder material used in the construction of the Hiplok MD1000 is very effective – it took me three abrasive discs as well as a diamond disc to cut through it once, and then the fact that the pin is locked on both sides meant that, despite the main body being in two pieces, it was still securely attached to the brake disc.

Incredibly, even after the prying, hammering, sawing and grinding attacks I’d carried out, I was still able to unlock it with the MD1000 key.

Any disc-lock’s limitation is the fact that a thief could cut the brake disc itself. It’s important not to see this as a reason not to use one though as, contrary to popular belief, not all thieves are carrying angle grinders, and of those that are, not all are willing to cut the disc. It’s been known for a cut disc to jam against the caliper, so this attack method can restrict the ability to push the motorcycle away.

To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.

Bennetts BikeSocial test results

Product: Hiplok MD1000 disc-lock

Weight as tested: 978g

Drill attack: PASS

Lump hammer attack: PASS

Reciprocating saw attack: PASS

Angle grinder attack: PASS

To see the other chains and locks tested by Bennetts BikeSocial, click here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through BikeSocial membership.

Hiplok MD1000 review: Verdict

The Hiplok MD1000 is a great design, and the integrated reminder strap should help prevent those embarrassing (and sometimes costly) rides off with it still attached. The strong magnets in the strap keep it on the lock when not in use, and make it snap easily around your bike’s bars even with just one hand.

The MD1000’s resistance to all forms of attack is outstanding, but of course it suffers the same vulnerability as other disc-locks: if the thief is willing to cut the brake disc itself, they can remove it relatively quickly and of course, any bike that isn’t tethered could be lifted into a van. However, one of the most common theft methods is simply snapping the steering lock (which is disappointingly easy), then pushing the otherwise unsecured bike away, often with the help of an accomplice on a scooter.

Any security device can only do so much, and as a very solid piece of kit that will deter a large proportion of thieves, the Hiplok MD1000 is an excellent disc-lock that’s well worth considering.

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