Tested: Kryptonite Keeper 785 review

Date reviewed: July 2020 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £34.99 | Weight: 1.46kg | www.kryptonitelock.com

The Kryptonite Keeper 785 is not intended to be a motorcycle lock. Kyptonite doesn’t sell it as such, and Sold Secure rates it only as Bicycle Bronze. So why test it?

This lock featured in one of the typically excellent videos from FortNine, a Canadian retailer that uses YouTube to raise awareness of its brand, and to highlight products. In the very well-produced ‘Motorcycle Thief vs Bike Locks – Which is Best’, the company’s presenter – Ryan Kluftinger – rightly says that locks are designed to put someone else’s bike in the crosshairs of a thief.

The video sees the Kryptonite put against a cable, armoured cable and a folding lock, with an apparently ‘professional thief’ attempting to attack them with picks, cutters, bolt croppers and an angle grinder.

While I totally agree that using any security is far better than no security (our data proves it), that picking is all but irrelevant outside of YouTube, and that 24” croppers are a plausible attack method, I was surprised to see the Kryptonite took their ‘pro thief’ four minutes and 10 seconds to cut with a mains-powered angle grinder.

If this manganese steel chain is that effective, every motorcyclist (not just the 473,118 who watched the video) needs to know about it, and as an insurer, we need to be taking a very close look. In fact, according to Ryan, the thief said that “cutting that chain put piss in his pants”. He went on to tell viewers that “Bare chain wants to dance around and shatter cutting discs. It’s liable to grinding, but also liable to throw shards in a thief’s face.”

We bought ours from Wiggle, where at the time of writing it’s available for just £22.49, though retail price is still a very attractive £35. It comes with a fabric sleeve rivetted at one end and a Velcro strap under a handy rubber cover at the other – perfect for reducing damage to your bike’s paintwork. Two keys are supplied.

Size and weight

At just 1.42kg, this is lighter than even the Litelok. The Kryptonite 785 also rolls up extremely compact, taking up little space in luggage, or potentially even under the seat.

You could carry this in a rucksack, but always be sure to wear a back protector, as anything in the bag could cause serious injury in a crash.

The square chain links are between 6.6 and 7.0mm thick.

Resistance to attack: chain

Despite the claims in the video produced by the shop selling this chain, it should come as no surprise to anyone that has used our rigorous testing to choose the best quality motorcycle security that the Kryptonite Keeper 785’s 7mm chain is the weakest we’ve ever tested.

A single sledge-hammer blow shattered the chain easily, though this is a very unlikely attack. Keep the chain off the ground and it’s easily defeated, plus simply locking in such a way that access is restricted will limit the chances of this occurring.

Using our standard 42” bolt croppers, the chain was also very easy to cut in one bite – this is normal on chains of around 12mm and thinner, though at that thickness it takes a lot more work.

As for the angle-grinder, I too use a mains grinder for consistency in testing, though having bench-marked it against a battery grinder, I know there’s little to no difference in cutting times. And that was before the new 54V battery grinders were released.

It took me five seconds to cut the Kryptonite Keeper 785.

Resistance to attack: padlock

The Keeper’s lock is fixed to the chain. Given the speed with which the chain can be defeated, there’s no point in attacking the lock.

Picking will be achieved using specialist tools and plenty of skill, but it’s irrelevant in real motorcycle theft.

Fact-checking YouTube lock ‘reviews’

Companies love YouTubers for getting their PR messages out there, but can they be trusted?

Bennetts BikeSocial test results

Product: Kryptonite Keeper 785

Size tested: 85cm

Weight as tested: 1.42kg

Rolled diameter: 18cm

Bolt cropper attack: EXCEPTIONALLY POOR

Sledge hammer attack: POOR

Angle grinder attack: EXCEPTIONALLY POOR

Kryptonite Keeper 785 review: Verdict

I don’t usually publish angle grinder times as the low numbers can make some people believe that it’s not worth bothering. But that’s not true – even five seconds of sparks and noise can attract a lot of attention. And remember, I’m working under ideal, controlled conditions for repeatability. In the field, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a thief take up to ten seconds to cut this chain with a grinder. Though that’s still four minutes less than it apparently takes a ‘professional’ Canadian thief; maybe that’s why their theft figures are so much lower than the UK’s.

The Kryptonite Keeper 785 is better than nothing. It’s also very cheap; while I really would try to deter anyone from using it as home security, for general out-and-about use, it’s okay. Pair it up with a disc lock on the other wheel and your bike’s going to be more hassle to steal than the one next to it that doesn’t have anything.

We approached FortNine for a comment, but have yet to receive a response.

To see the other chains and locks tested by Bennetts BikeSocial, click here

Find out how and why we did this test

Consumer editor John Milbank explains how you can get the best out of your chain and lock, and how this test was done