Summary: High-quality, hefty disk lock
includes a shrieking 110dB alarm that serves as a good deterrent for a
would-be thief and a warning for the owner if the lock
is accidentally left in place before riding off.
Some will say that disk locks, Grip Locks (wBW review), alarms and even monster chains like the
OnGuard "Beast" we reviewed
won't prevent a determined and experienced thief from
stealing a motorcycle.
This may or may not be true -- but what, exactly,
does the word "determined" mean? A
motorcycle could have disk locks on every brake rotor,
chains holding it to floor anchors and an alarm system
on the bike and the locked door of the garage and yes,
someone with the time, energy and motivation, could
steal the bike anyway. That's determination.
But this type of determination surely must be very rare?
The counter argument says the thief wants to act as quietly and as quickly as possible, attracting
little notice. So it could very
well be that a motorcycle protected with one or more anti-theft devices
might get a pass from said thief. I'd rather
prescribe to this philosophy.
Of course, both of those arguments could be debated
ad infinitum without settlement. But while our
mates are hashing it out in the pub, there are at
least two things that sensible motorcyclists can do to protect
their pride
and joy.
First, to help prevent a "crime of
opportunity", an anti-theft device should be used,
and just about any anti-theft device is better than none.
Second, a layering strategy should be
employed, combining, say, an alarm system
with a disk lock or a chain or other anti-theft device.
This will surely prevent the vast majority of "casual"
thievery, no?
The situation I can definitely relate to is parking a
motorcycle at the Washington D.C. Metro station.
I occasionally ride down to the nearest Metro stop and
park in the little fenced-in area they have set aside
for scooters and motorcycles before I take the train the
rest of the way into downtown D.C.
I always use a disk
lock when I park, because it just doesn't make
sense to leave the motorcycle behind with only the fork lock
to protect it. And if I think I might not be back until
after dark, I'll throw a chain around the wheel also.
It would be nice if they installed some ground anchors
to use with the chain, or if they provided motorcyclists
with the same type of enclosed and locking bicycle huts
they have for bicycles, but I'm not holding my breath.
In the meantime, a disk lock it is. Now I've seen some pretty cheap-looking disk locks for
sale; and more than a few that cost only a few bucks and
will probably
break as soon as the wheel turned one rotation. No
thanks. This isn't the place to save a few bucks.
So I'm impressed by the Xena "Disc Lock Alarm".
It has to be the heftiest
disk lock I've ever tried. The Xena Disc Lock comes in
four different sizes, from the 80 mm long XN10 (3.25") and XN14
to the 102 mm long XN15 (4.0") shown here. The XN
collection also includes the big XN18, which is 113 mm (4.5") long
and also features an 18mm diameter four-pin locking
system and an LED light to let you know it's active.
Note that the XN15 sample that Xena sent us is
actually too large for the Ducati GT1000 brake disk
rotor shown in these photos. The lock should
ideally fit so that the rotor disk completely fills up
the slot in the lock. That's why Xena makes a
variety of sizes; some fit in the drain holes in the
disk itself, while others are designed to fit past the
braking surface and clamp on to the slots in the rotor
near the mounting bolts.
The XN10 would probably be a better fit for the
motorcycle shown here and in the video. Xena has a
template that can be used to select the right lock, or
you can measure the distance from the outer edge of the
disk to one of the holes and then choose accordingly.
Here's a .pdf file with the
Xena Lock Fitter template that you can use (opens as
an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file or right-click and select
"Save As").
Each of the Xena Disc Locks are made from 100% stainless
steel with a beautiful but purposeful finish. The XN15 is a solid hunk, weighing in at exactly 2.0
lbs (908 grams) on the webBikeWorld Polder scales.
The XN15 has an array of high-end
features, like a carbide reinforced locking pin that
sits down inside a 1/4" (6 mm) opening that slides over
the motorcycle's brake disk, making a nice and snug fit. The very secure-feeling lock and key barrel is
also treated against failure with one of those ice sprays the
thieves try to use to freeze and break the lock.
The pin is "double locking"; that is, it has flats on either side
and matching flats in the
hole in the base of the lock. When the pin goes
down through the hole and the key is turned, the flats
allow the "ears" of the pin to turn and engage the
matching flats in
the bottom half of the lock, which makes a more secure system.
But the Xena Disc Locks have another interesting
and useful feature; they are fitted with a 110-decibel
alarm system module that lives inside the lock. It's very
nicely integrated and it automatically arms within about
5 seconds after the key is turned. The alarm senses
that the lock is attached to the brake disk, and it gives off one beep
when it's armed, signaling that
it's ready to go.
If the bike or the lock is disturbed, the alarm's
dual shock and movement sensors will trigger two beeps
and then it will emit a loud, shrieking chirping noise
for 10-15 seconds. Believe me, this sucker is loud
-- loud enough that when I was trying it in the garage,
I had to quickly open the lock to get it to stop rather
than wait for 15 seconds!
If the disturbance continues, the alarm will go off
again, or it will stop and re-set itself. We made a short
video (below) to show you how easy it is to install the
lock and to demonstrate the alarm, but remember that
it's much louder in reality than it is on the video.
And there's a bonus: you don't have to worry about
riding off without removing the lock, as sometimes
happens when using a disk lock, because the alarm
will sound as soon as
the bike is moved.
The lock comes with a nice Cordura-style carrying
case that closes with a zipper. It has a belt loop
on back with an adjustable buckle that will allow it to
fit around many frame tubes. I don't carry the
lock on my person, because if I fell on this thing it
would surely cause grave damage to my bod!
The lock comes with a set of batteries installed and Xena also throws in a little package with 6 extra
batteries in the Xena "XBP-1"
battery pack, which is available for sale from Xena
also, but not required, becaue LR44 1.5V Alkaline batteries will
also
work. The lock takes all 6 batteries, claimed to last
approximately 8 months in normal use. It's
interesting to note that the batteries fit into the
alarm module and the entire module slides out for
battery replacement.
The lock also comes with an Allen wrench to remove
the stainless steel bolt that holds the battery cover in
place. The battery cover has a silicone waterproof
gasket underneath. By the way, the alarm and the
batteries are independent of the locking function, so
the disk lock will still work even if the batteries are
depleted, although the alarm function won't.
The Xena Disc Lock Alarm carries the Thatcham and Sold Secure "Gold"
approval and certification rating in the UK, which means they
withstood a variety of test attacks for a period of 5
minutes. It also carries both the NF and the Classe SRA
approvals from France; the
ART 3 from Holland; VAT (Finland); and PZU (Poland)
approvals and certifications. This is good stuff
(more on Sold Secure on the
wBW
Motorcycle
Alarms, Locks and Immobilisers page).
Note that the XN15 is slightly too wide for the disk on
this Ducati GT1000 (see note in text above).
wBW
Video:
Xena XN15 Disc Lock Alarm
Conclusion
The Xena Disc Lock Alarm is a very well made and
solid-feeling disk lock; it's the most secure disk lock
I've encountered. The alarm will hopefully add to
the deterrent effect and it also serves as a built-in
reminder for the rider which should prevent riding away
without first removing the lock from the wheel.
Xena makes a huge variety of locks,
alarms and other devices to help prevent motorcycle
theft, and they all appear to have the same attention to
detail and quality as the XN15 shown here. We plan
on reviewing more Xena security devices soon.
Product
Review: Xena Disc Lock Alarm
BUY IT! Use
this link to the Motorcycle Superstore
to
buy your Xena Disc Lock Alarm (XR1 model) and other Xena Security
products and help support webBikeWorld!
Suggested
Retail Price: Varies by model; approx. $69.00 to $99.00
Colors:
Stainless Steel
Made
in: China
Summary: Appears to be high quality and more robust than other
disc locks of its type. Shackle may not be long enough to fit
around some brake discs. Review Date: March 2008. NOTE:
This product was provided by the manufacturer for this review per our
review
guidelines.
Comments? Send them to
Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.
From "K.S.": "I myself have owned
one since I purchased my motorcycle back in April '07.
It works dandy and my bike still hasn't been stolen, so
I guess it's effective!
One thing I found was that the alarm was
extremely sensitive and would go off from the slightest
disturbance. This can be problematic if you want
to both lock and cover your motorcycle, for instance, as
you might brush the lock while putting on or taking off
the cover.
However, even if you remove the alarm,
the lock itself still provides a sturdy theft deterrent.
All in all, though, I agree with your hearty "thumb's
up" review.
Thanks for all the hard work you've put
into your site. It's a pleasure to have such a
wealth of information available."
From "K.M.": "I read your review of
the XENA disc lock alarm and agree with review.
This product is well thought out, convenient, and
effective. I use the XENA XR1 disc lock alarm and
love it. I love the fact that it doesn't sap off
my bikes battery, that it will still work as a disc lock
even if it's batteries fail, and that it is a SMALL self
contained unit.
The alarm (despite being 110db) does not
seem very loud (the beeping is loud, however the siren
is not), but enough to get the message across.
It's easily stored under seat, works, and no worries
about bike battery drain, not to mention it's easily
affordable. My only question would be "why
WOULDN'T you use it?". Great review and my Props
to XENA for a well designed product!"
Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.