Hiplok X Chain review | Versatile, lightweight chain tested

Date reviewed: January 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | RRP: £64.99 | Weight: 2.36kg | hiplok.com

The Hiplok X Chain on review here is a lightweight 10mm link chain with large nooses at each end, meaning just 1.1m is enough to secure your motorcycle to pretty much anything as it can wrap around a post, for instance, passing through one of the links and leaving the other end free to attach to a D-lock secured to your motorcycle’s wheel.

It’s not the toughest chain available, but you’re more likely to carry it, and it fits most locks…

Pros & Cons

Size and weight

At just 2.36kg, the Hiplok X Chain is extremely portable, tucking easily into most luggage. The links measure between 9.52mm and 10.21mm in diameter, with enough space in the loop ends to pass the chain through itself, and to go over the shackle of a Hiplok DX1000 or D1000, a Litelok X3 or X1, or the Squire Stronghold D16 Max. In each case, the protective sleeves can be left on the shackles, making the X Chain incredibly versatile.

The chain and your bike’s paintwork are protected by a very tough nylon sleeve that’s secured with hex-head set-screws.

Resistance to attack: bolt-croppers

Using the largest 42” bolt croppers it was possible – with significant effort – to cut the Hiplok X Chain. This isn’t a common form of attack, but it is pretty quiet and a concern for any chain of this thickness.

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: sledge hammer

Excellent quality case- and through-hardening means that a sustained sledge-hammer attack in ideal conditions (plenty of space, time and a railway track anvil) did nothing more than distort the links and crack the welds.

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

Using the ideal cutting discs in a well-charged, quality angle-grinder sees any chain of this size cut relatively quickly, but this is still under ideal conditions. Keeping a chain off the ground makes it harder for a thief to get as much weight behind a grinder, but inevitably the thinner the chain, the less resistant it is to this noisy and attention-grabbing form of attack.

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 X Chain

Weight as tested: 2.36kg

Bolt cropper attack: ACCEPTABLE

Sledge hammer attack: PASS

Angle grinder attack: POOR

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Hiplok X Chain review: Verdict

When paired with an angle-grinder-resistant D-lock, be it Hiplok’s class-leading DX1000, a Litelok X3 or even the Squire, the Hiplok X Chain makes for a brilliant, portable layered set-up.

Despite its ‘poor’ rating under an angle-grinder attack, that’s relative to the thickest, heaviest 25mm chains, and even if thieves did cut it, they’d still have the potential problem of a very hard to defeat D-lock stopping the bike being pushed away.

I wouldn’t suggest this for home use, and if you want a thicker portable chain, consider the Hiplok XL, but for many this will be an ideal solution. Nothing I’ve tested so far can match the X Chain’s practicality, as long as you’re aware of the security limitations.

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