Scooter security: Oxford Arma 20 Armoured Cable Lock review

Date reviewed: February 2018 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £39.99 | Weight: 939g | www.oxfordproducts.com

The Oxford Arma20 is a 4.3mm wire cable lock with a metal tubed sleeve and braided stainless steel mesh outer, covered with plastic to protect your paintwork. It comes with a bracket to secure it to the frame of a push-bike or some motorcycle / scooter trellis or sub-frames, as well as four keys.

It’s only available in one length – 900mm – though there’s also a version with a smoked, rather than clear plastic cover.

Size and weight

Rolling up quite small, the Arma20 should be fairly easy to carry, though you’ll likely struggle to get it under most motorcycle seats. Scooters should be no problem, and you could easily bungee it to anything else. It weighs 939g.

Ease of use and compatibility with scooters

You can quickly pass this through the wheel of pretty well any moped, scooter or motorcycle, and while you’d have to be close, you could secure it to something for added safety.

The smooth plastic cover means it’s easier to keep clean than a chain with a fabric sleeve.

To understand how best to use your lock, click here

Resistance to attack

The rolling steel protection under the mostly decorative braided mesh makes hacksawing this lock awkward, though not impossible. Equally, hand-held cutters can defeat it, but it takes some work. A lump hammer and anvil only cracked the plastic body of the lock, and our large, 42” bolt croppers could only crush it, the Arma20 being too malleable to be defeated this way.

An angle grinder attack will see this beaten exceptionally quickly.

Verdict

As a deterrent to thieves looking to steal a machine without tools – which is the biggest problem in London at the moment – the Arma20 is a cost-effective option. We wouldn’t suggest using it on anything of too high a value, and certainly not for overnight security, but as a cheap way to keep your scooter far safer, it’s worth adding to your shortlist. Just keep in mind that by spending a bit more, you could get greater versatility and security.

Big thanks to Piaggio and repair/claims specialist 4th Dimension for supplying parts that allowed us to carry out real-world testing. Both are companies who, among others in the moped, scooter and motorcycle industry, are passionate about reducing crime.

To see more security kit tested by BikeSocial, click here

Know this: Scooter security

BikeSocial’s consumer editor explains how the locks were tested and how best to use them. Thanks to Wheels Motorcycles in Peterborough