Consumer Editor of Bennetts BikeSocial, John's owned over 20 bikes, has been testing motorcycle kit for more than 25 years and is a member of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, and part of the Motorcycle Crime Reduction Group.
Date reviewed: August 2020 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £66.66 | Weight: 4.96kg | www.milenco.com
The Milenco Coleraine 12mm chain lock is rated as Sold Secure Motorcycle Gold, with an integral lock body that makes for a compact, fairly affordable solution to locking your bike when out and about. While it’s not as portable as lighter-weight locks, the thicker chain makes it harder to attack.
While a relatively new name to the motorcycle security market, Milenco is a well-established engineering company that’s been producing chains and locks for some respected big brands for a long time.
This will fit easily in most luggage or under a scooter seat, or on a motorcycle with no storage space by using the optional £13.33 Milenco chain lock bag. As with any lock, it’s not advisable to carry it in your rucksack unless you’re wearing a back protector, and at close to 5kg for this 1.4m chain and lock, you’d certainly know it was there.
The chain is covered with a tough fabric sleeve that’s retained by the lock body at one end and a rivet at the other to protect your bike’s paintwork. The lock has a plastic cover and comes with three high-quality stainless-steel keys (duplicates of which can be made by Milenco) that are unlikely to deform like some cheaper brand’s disc-detainer keys.
The keyway in the lock body is not protected from the elements like some of Milenco’s other locks – something to consider if you use this outside in the rain.
For and against
Reasonable price (and check stores for discounting)
Fairly portable
A good size to deter thieves
No weather protection for the keyway
Getting towards the limits of portability
Can’t double as a standalone disc lock
Size and weight
The Coleraine 12mm chain lock has square links with a typical thickness of 10.9 to 12.0mm. Rolled up, it covers a diameter of about 28cm.
Our 1.4m test sample weighed 4.96kg, but it’s also available in 1m and 1.8m lengths.
Resistance to attack: chain
Properly hardened 12mm chains tend to be at the limit of what can be cut with 42” bolt croppers, and even bouncing my 13 stone on the end of the tool, I was unable to do anything more than put a mark in the surface of this chain; impressive.
A sledge-hammer attack is always unlikely given the noise it makes and the need for plenty of space, but even under ideal conditions I was only able to crack the weld on the link I was striking; clearly there’s a good balance of case- and through-hardening in this chain.
The lock body is far less vulnerable to attack than the chain, showing only surface damage and some deformation after a sledge-hammer attack. Bolt croppers won’t touch it, and it takes far longer to defeat with an angle grinder than the chain.
Picking will be achieved using specialist tools and plenty of skill, but it’s irrelevant in real motorcycle theft.
At just under 5kg, I’d still consider the 12mm Coleraine to be a portable security option. It’s great to see good hardening leading to failed bolt cropper and sledge-hammer attacks, leaving only the angle grinder, which pretty much comes down to the thickness of the metal in the links; although just nudging into the poor rating here, the time taken was as expected for a chain of this size.
While this is a little lightweight to be the best option for home security, I’d certainly have no qualms in securing my motorcycle with this when out and about, and at the price it's a bargain. Definitely recommended.
BikeSocial members can save 10% on all Milenco motorcycle security products
