Abus Yardo 7807F Bike Lock: Sensor and Finger Instead of Key or Code

Do you unlock your smartphone using a password, numerical code or fingerprint? The latter is certainly the most convenient option. Probably also the fastest. It’s quite possible that these are two of the reasons why Abus is now using this technology for the first time on one of its bike locks – the Abus Yardo 7807F.

For some of us, the biggest enemy of our own bike lock is not a bike thief, but ourselves. For example, by misplacing the key never to be seen again. Or we not only forget the code for the combination lock, but also find it absolutely superfluous to write it down somewhere beforehand to be on the safe side. This is exactly what Abus is aiming for with the Yardo 7807F. After all, it doesn’t need an extra key. It is unlocked by placing one of your fingers on the corresponding sensor. A theft-proof key that we always carry with us. In addition, we are already familiar with the principle from smartphones and other devices.

1. The trick with the touch
2. Registering and deleting fingerprints with the Abus Yardo 7807F
3. What are the advantages of the sensor?
4. Does the sensor also present any drawbacks?
5. Medium security level
6. How can the lock be easily transported?

1. The trick with the touch

The starting point for this convenience, which is still rare in connection with ebike accessories, is a sensor embedded in the closing body. It detects our fingerprints in a 360-degree radius via a touch surface. Once it has read and saved a fingerprint, simply placing this finger on the touch field is enough to open a locked lock. Provided that the finger is unharmed and clean, and above all free from a film of grease and the like.

The Abus Yardo 7807F can be opened and closed around ten thousand times in this way. Then the CR2 battery contained in the closing body is exhausted. When this point is approaching, the lock alerts you with SOS signals. At the same time, four small LEDs arranged around the sensor flash red. If you ignore around ten of these warnings, the lock will eventually no longer close. So you won’t be faced with the problem of no longer being able to open a locked lock. However, you will still need to insert a new battery.

2. Registering and deleting fingerprints with the Abus Yardo 7807F

The manufacturer has designed the bike lock so that it can be used by several people. Therefore, a maximum of 20 fingerprints can be stored. Important: Confirmation of one of the first two stored fingerprints is required before another fingerprint can be read in. For this reason, Abus calls them the administrator fingers or master fingers.

This is how you save the first administrator fingerprint.

1. Take the lock out of the packaging, insert the CR2 battery supplied and open the lock initially with any finger.
2. Now place the desired finger on the touch field for three seconds until a signal tone sounds. The LEDs also flash blue.
3. Now place your finger on the sensor several times in different positions. In the meantime, you will hear further beeps and the LEDs will light up green and red. After about the tenth time you place your finger on the sensor, you will hear a long beep and the LEDs will flash green. The fingerprint has been successfully registered.

This is how you save the second administrator fingerprint.

1. Open the lock by placing the first administrator fingerprint on it.
2. Then hold this finger on the touch field for three seconds. You will hear the familiar beep and the LEDs will now light up blue. This is the sign that the sensor is ready to read in a new fingerprint. Confirm with another short tap of the first administrator on the touch field.
3. The second finger must now be placed on the sensor several times as described above until it is finally stored as the second administrator. At the end, this is confirmed by the LEDs flashing green again.

This is how you save further fingerprints.

Proceed in the same way as when enrolling the second administrator. The only difference is that the process must be initiated by Administrator 1 or Administrator 2. As mentioned, all other stored fingerprints are just ‘normal’ users without admin rights.

This is how you delete the stored fingerprints.

In order not to make the programming too complex – and thus probably also increase the price of the lock – Abus is taking a simpler approach to deleting the fingerprints. They cannot be removed from the memory individually, but only all at once. This means including the administrator’s fingerprints. If you want to do this, proceed as follows:

1. Administrator 1 or 2 open the lock.
2. Then place the corresponding finger on the touch field for a long time – for two or three more seconds after the first signal after around four seconds with the blue LEDs.
3. The LEDs then light up red.
4. You can now confirm the deletion process by briefly tapping of Administrator 1 or 2.
5. The LEDs light up green and the lock is reset to the factory settings.

Even if you use the lock individually, it is advisable to register several fingerprints. You can then use a second or third finger if you injure yourself with one or if the sensor does not recognise it immediately. If you share the lock with several people, we recommend assigning administrator rights to two different people.

3. What are the advantages of the sensor?

Clearly, the biggest advantage of the Abus Yardo 7807F is its ease of use. One less potential key that can be misplaced, forgotten or making the key ring even thicker. The sensor also proved to be quite reliable in our test. Overall, the solution appears to be very sophisticated.

4. Does the sensor also present any drawbacks?

With the onset of the colder months of the year, there is one detail that hardly comes to mind during the rest of the year. A ‘naked’ finger is needed to unlock the phone. While you can use a conventional key with gloves on, you have to take off your gloves for the scan. Normally, you could have waited until you had arrived in the warmth to do this. Unless you are wearing gloves with a separate finger cap. Then this circumstance weighs less heavily.

5. Medium security level

Speaking of weighing heavy. In its two versions with a length of 110 centimetres and 85 centimetres, the chain lock weighs 1,480 grams and 1,246 grams respectively. The majority of the weight is of course due to the metal, seven millimetre thick chain. Its silicone coating weighs almost nothing in comparison. Together with the coated die-cast zinc closing body, this results in an average security level of 8 on the Abus scale, which goes up to 15.

6. How can the lock be easily transported?

As with many chain locks, the Abus Yardo 7807F also raises the question of transport. After all, the manufacturer does not provide a corresponding holder. You can of course wrap the lock around the frame of the ebike or around a permanently installed luggage rack. However, this will result in annoying constant noise, as the individual chain links will rattle continuously due to the vibration when riding. There is also the option of strapping it diagonally around your upper body. This doesn’t seem advisable in summer at the latest, given the weight. Especially as you could hurt yourself badly in the event of a fall.

As an alternative, we tested two saddlebags and a frame bag from Abus for transport. In terms of noise, the Abus Fifty-Fifty, the Abus ST 5950 2.0 saddle bag and the Abus ST 2200 frame bag were surprisingly successful. In all three bags, the lock no longer made any noise during the ride.

All in all, the 109.95 euros that Abus charges for the Yardo 7807F seems to be money well spent. And perhaps this is just the beginning of the triumphant advance of Touch-ID on ebikes. In any case, we are already looking forward to the first ebike on which this technology is used on the battery lock and we can leave the next conventional key hanging on the key rack forever.

Pictures: August Bremicker Söhne KG