Kryptonite New York Diamond review | Anti-angle-grinder D-lock tested

Date reviewed: February 2026| Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £270 (RRP) | Weight: 2.36kg | www.kryptonitelock.com

The Kryptonite New York Diamond lock on review here is primarily designed as a bicycle lock, though it has achieved the highest Powered Cycle Diamond rating from Sold Secure.

There have been reports on social media of potential inconsistencies in the coverage of the nickel / synthetic diamond coating, which is something we found in the disappointing review of the OnGuard Rock Solid, so we bought this lock ourselves in December 2025 to ensure it was indicative of the stock on the shelves.

As always, Bennetts BikeSocial’s reviews are entirely independent and unbiased, with no affiliate links or sponsorship. Our lock destruction tests reflect typical and evolving criminal techniques based on regular meetings with Police forces across the UK.

Pros & Cons

I cut open the shackle and the body to show the synthetic diamond coating inside

Kryptonite New York Diamond construction

The Kryptonite New York Diamond has a soft rubbery coating with a bright yellow body that draws attention to it, potentially dissuading thieves and reminding you that it’s fitted.

A synthetic diamond coating covers all of the shackle and the main body, with a steel sleeve over the top of that. This must have made it a more expensive lock to produce, especially given the two halves that need to be welded for the shackle’s sleeve.

Three stainless steel keys are supplied with the lock, and the keyway has a sliding cover to keep dirt and dust out.

Looking at the shackle under a microscope, you can see the synthetic diamonds that cover it. These appear very similar to the edge of a diamond cutting disc, which is something we’ll be using to test this lock later in the review…

Size and weight

The Kryptonite New York Diamond comes with a cycle carrier bracket, but you can remove the clamp that’s fitted to the shackle with the supplied Allen key – with that off, it weighs 2.36kg.

The shackle has an internal size of 213mm x 95mm, which is where the lock’s flaw for motorcycles lies: it’s just too small to go over the front wheel of all machines. You could put it over cast spokes, which can be very hard to access in order to cut, but the best bet is still the wheel. Here are the bikes I’ve tested so far:

Many BMW motorcycles have the same design of hub as my R1250GS, and passing the lock through here is a great solution, so the Kryptonite is a viable option.

Frustratingly though, the other problem with the New York Diamond is that the shackle, at 25.8mm in diameter, is too thick to pass through the standard link on many noose-end chains, which are a great way to add extra security when on the go by tethering the lock to an object. In many cases, a section of the shackle’s coating needs to be trimmed off to get the chain on, but thanks its steel sleeve, the Kryptonite still wouldn’t go through my old 11mm Pragmasis noose-end chain, or the Hiplok XL chain. But… with a bit of the sleeve trimmed off it will go through the Pragmasis 13mm and 16mm noose-end chains, so invest in one of these and you could have a great combo when travelling.

Resistance to attack: lock picking

While some YouTube channels might make lock picking look easy, especially when selling the creator’s own tools, it’s not a theft method used in typical motorcycle thefts at all. Specialist tools are increasingly made available to the public, but it’s in the interest of these creators to portray them as simple to use. The fact is that UK motorcycle thieves are not spending the time and effort on lock picking.

Sold Secure is part of the Master Locksmiths Association, and while I’m not able to pick locks with any skill, this independent testing body is. Where locks have vulnerabilities, they will not be certified.

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: bolt-croppers

The Kryptonite New York Diamond is too large to fit in the jaws of even the biggest 4-foot-long bolt croppers, so this isn’t a viable attack. The hardened steel shackle is also way too tough for this form of attack, or hydraulic rebar cutters (which are designed for softer metals).

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: drill

A cobalt drill attack failed to get through the Kryptonite New York Diamond’s keyway, making this a pointless attack method.

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: lump hammer

Despite a sustained and heavy attack with a lump hammer, the Kryptonite New York Diamond showed only very minor cosmetic damage. Most locks lose their plastic outer body during this attack, but the Kryptonite’s soft shell simply shrugged it off. It wouldn’t take many blows for a thief to realise they were wasting their time.

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: reciprocating saw

Reciprocating saw attacks are extremely unlikely, but they’ve become a common chant from social media pundits, who claim their ‘Sawzall will get through that’. The Kryptonite New York Diamond was barely damaged during a prolonged attack using an expensive fresh tungsten carbide-tipped metal cutting blade, with only the outer steel shell of the shackle being cut after almost two minutes.

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

The most common form of theft in motorcycling is simply snapping the steering lock and pushing the bike away, so using any security significantly reduces the chances of it being stolen. If thieves do come equipped with tools, an angle-grinder is the most likely – and most devasting – device. Thieves won’t always have the best tools, but I’m using a top-of-the-range brushless DeWalt and 1.0mm-thick Inox abrasive cutting discs.

I haven’t tested another lock on the market that destroys abrasive discs as quickly as the Kryptonite New York Diamond: within literally seconds they chew down to nothing, regardless of where on the shackle or body you attack.

While far less likely to be used, I also test with fresh Dewalt ‘Extreme Metal’ diamond cuttings discs. These can get through some angle-grinder-resistant locks a lot more effectively, but they’re very slow on hardened steel compared to abrasive discs.

Kryptonite has obviously put a lot of effort into hardening the New York Diamond as even this specialist cutting disc took a very significant amount of time to get through.

Due to the limited rotation of the shackle, and its dual locking mechanism, the New York Diamond D-lock has to be cut twice to get it off a motorcycle wheel. DeWalt claims ‘1000+ cuts’ from its diamond discs, but after two cuts of the Kryptonite it was severly blunted, which really made it hard to get the lock fully removed.

Not all diamond coatings are equal, and it’s becoming clear that lock manufacturers can choose to put different ‘grades’ on their devices. The New York Diamond is extremely well put together and proved to be the most resistant to all forms of angle-grinder attack that I’ve tested yet.

To see how this compares with the other locks we’ve tested, check out our best motorcycle locks for home and away.

Abrasive discs disappear in a matter of seconds

Bennetts BikeSocial test results

Product: Kryptonite New York Diamond
Weight as tested: 2.36kg
Bolt cropper attack: PASS
Drill attack: PASS
Lump hammer attack: PASS
Reciprocating saw attack: PASS
Angle grinder attack: PASS (EXCEPTIONAL)

To see the other chains and locks tested by Bennetts BikeSocial, click here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through BikeSocial membership.

Kryptonite New York Diamond review: Verdict

There’s no denying that the attack resistance of the Kryptonite New York Diamond is absolutely outstanding. This is the first lock on the market that I’ve given up trying to attack with an abrasive cutting disc as they chewed down to nothing in mere seconds.

The only way to get this lock off with the tools seen in UK motorcycle thefts is using an expensive diamond cutting disc, and even that is extremely time consuming.

Motorcycle thefts have been steadily dropping since 2022 thanks to arrests of criminal gangs along with the attention of thieves diverting to high-value car crime and the theft of and from vans. But it’s also got to have been due in some part to the increasingly difficult to attack locks on the market like the Kryptonite New York Diamond. If you have a bike it’ll fit, and a suitable chain, it’s thoroughly recommended. If Kryptonite could just tweak the sizes it would be the perfect motorcycle lock.

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