Grip-Lock review
August 29th, 2009
The guys and Gals over at Grip-Lock.com kindly provided Fatbiker with one of their great looking motorbike locks for review. I’ve been looking at their product for a while and decided that it warranted further investigation. One of the nice things about this lock is that it’ll fit on to almost any motorbike. This is a massive bonus because it’ll outlast your bike and wont be redundant if and when you’re riding another bike. I ony say this because I normally use disc locks but they often dont fit on to all bikes. My current ride, the Buell obviously has a very different disc configuration to other bikes and this renderred my original lock useless so I had to go out and purchase another lock just to keep my insurance company happy…
The grip-lock is a is a cracking lock that clamps your throttle AND front break together thus locking up the front wheel and stopping and turds from moving your bike without the use of something a bit more serious like a metal bar or the like. When you take delivery all you have to do is pack out the lock with the supplied rubber inserts so that its just tight enough to stop the throttle twisting. You then need to adjust the black insert so that it clamps the brake lever in place. This is one of the nice things about this lock, it’ll fit on to almost any bike…
The lock is made of plastic with metal inserts running down the insides of it. The lock mechanism is made of a good quality barrel type lock. As with all locks of this type, it wont stop someone nicking your bike but it should be used in conjunction with something like a chain. If you have a steering lock on, the grip-lock and a chain holding the bike in place I reckon the turd of thief will pick the bike next to yours… Job done… Its saved your bike from theft.
The lock comes in a few different colours. I went for the loud yellow colour so that all can see that its fitted to my bike. Another thing to note about this lock is that you cannot forget its still locked to the bike. I have done this twice with a disc lock 
Luckily both times nothing serious happened.
Now to the key. The size of the key is tiny. I am no locksmith so I cannot comment if this is a good or bad thing but having a short key is a massive bonus for me. It means that I can have it on the same keyring as the ignition key and it wont scratch the bike coz it cannot easily make contact with it whilst riding the bike. Its a small thing but for me it was a nice touch.
Grip-Lock.com are based in New Zealand and you can only buy direct from them. Do not let this put you off purchasing from them because delivery is super fast. They posted the lock out to my on the Tuesday and I had it on the Saturday. They are great communicators too and will respond quickly to any emails you may want to send to them.
Fatbiker are going to award this lock a very healthy 5 out of 5. We back this up because its a great looking lock, fits easily under your saddle when not in use, sticks out like a sore thumb when locked to the bike and saves you getting brake dust on your person when fitting or removing it.
Thanks go out to Tracey @ Grip Lock for her assistance in providing us with a lock for review.
12 Responses to “Grip-Lock review”
Carl pearce October 10th, 2009 at 1:14 pm #
Will deffo be getting one of these for my zx6r along with a disc lock alarm and chain.
Fatbiker October 20th, 2009 at 8:05 pm #
Hi Carl
What disc lock alarm are you thinking of? I had a Xena XN14 a year or so ago and got rid of it. It was too unreliable basically. The lock mechanism was very notchy so the key would often jam and then the alarm would go off because it thought it was being fiddled with. It was also too sensitive even though I had it placed on the disc in the least sensitive place.
I ended up speaking the the Xena Managing Director and they sent out a replacement which had EXACTLY the same problems as the original one. The key jamming was the biggest issue….
My advice to you would be to definitely try before you buy
Jackie Newton December 13th, 2009 at 8:43 am #
I purchased one of these in August – but I cannot undo the lock now so it is stuck on my bike – Luckily it was not on the handlebar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So what do I do now
Fatbiker December 13th, 2009 at 11:45 am #
Hi Jackie… That’s unfortunate. Have you tried the 2nd key? Also, when you are trying to operate the locking mechanism give the two halves a squeeze together just in case it relieves the pressure on the lock….
Zack Bond June 2nd, 2010 at 12:10 pm #
Hi im about to buy a moped and im trying to find the best security systems for my moped is this the best idea or could you recommend anything else which is almost impossible to break through?
Fatbiker June 2nd, 2010 at 12:50 pm #
Hi Zack
Firstly, nothing will stop a determined thief taking your scooter but there are things you can do. The Grip Lock is a nice and convenient item to carry about on your bike but you should use it along side something else like a good quality chain. Also, make sure you park it in a sensible place that’s busy…
I would also suggest you look at getting the bike and its parts etched. This will make the bike worthless to a scummy thief because they will not be able to break up the scooter and sell it off without someone noticing that its been permanently marked…
Good luck and keep us posted on what you do…
Usman August 3rd, 2010 at 11:03 am #
Hi there… just wondering if this would work on a scooter(Honda Zoomer) in this case. Also can someone please recommend to me a good website for buying chain other security devices for scooters/mopeds.. cheers
Fatbiker August 3rd, 2010 at 12:09 pm #
Hi there
Cant comment if the Grip Lock will fit your specific scooter BUT I suspect it’ll be fine as long as you dont have anything like hand guards fitted.
Regarding a chain, I can say that you should get the heaviest and most expensive chain and lock that you can afford. The more the better really does apply when it comes to chains…. One thing to note though. A chain left on the floor is not a good idea because a bottle of freezer spray and a heavy hammer will go through a cheap chain in seconds. Always lock the scooter to something else… Almax security chains are the ones to go for…
Nottingham Lo... September 16th, 2010 at 8:55 am #
Will definitely be getting one of these! And i agree you should always lock your scooter to something that is securely fixed to the ground/wall.
John October 4th, 2010 at 2:55 pm #
where can i buy one of this here in the UK? cheers
Fatbiker October 4th, 2010 at 7:55 pm #
I don’t think you can. As it happens though, ordering direct from the manufacturer is not a problem. Delivery was pretty quick and totally hassle free.
Fatbiker October 30th, 2010 at 10:56 am #
Its time for an update on the grip lock.
One of the things I love about the grip lock is that it’ll fit most bikes. This obviously excludes bikes that have hand guards fitted. It fits perfectly on to my current ride the R6 even though it has shorty pazzo brake levers fitted. Its quickly installed on the bike so that atleast there is something on the bike when you pop in to the shops for a short while. I know it wont stop someone lifting the bike but I’m out to stop the little turds that want to wheel your bike around the corner and watch it for a while before taking it away for eBaying in parts…
I still highly rate this unit. Go buy one…