lost keys...now what?!......(UPDATE AUG, 18TH/2010)

well either friends of mine are fuckin with me or i'm starting to lose it because 2 days in a row i lost a key. ive never lost a key before in my life!

yesturday i loaded the bike in the truck and i am 90% sure i left the key in the bike... the truck sat for anhour before i left the house. when i get to my fathers to unload the bike, NO KEY..so i fish out my spare key to save the day....

so today im riding all afternoon, come home, go on in the house and say to myself "shit i forgot the key in the bike....ahhh that'll be ok, i'm going for a ride after supper anyway"... well after supper i go out for another ride... NO F**KIN' key again.... i've turned the truck, house etc upside down and NOTHING....

what are my options here? does yamaha use the VIN to cut keys for you? or will i need to replace the lock cylinder or something?

i almost want a new cylinder just in case they are being taken from me... although i'm in a small town and am sure nobody around here can enjoy hospital food enuf to take my bike!!!!

TheBIGD wrote:

well either friends of mine are fuckin with me or i'm starting to lose it because 2 days in a row i lost a key. ive never lost a key before in my life!

yesturday i loaded the bike in the truck and i am 90% sure i left the key in the bike... the truck sat for anhour before i left the house. when i get to my fathers to unload the bike, NO KEY..so i fish out my spare key to save the day....

so today im riding all afternoon, come home, go on in the house and say to myself "shit i forgot the key in the bike....ahhh that'll be ok, i'm going for a ride after supper anyway"... well after supper i go out for another ride... NO F**KIN' key again.... i've turned the truck, house etc upside down and NOTHING....





what are my options here? does yamaha use the VIN to cut keys for you? or will i need to replace the lock cylinder or something?

i almost want a new cylinder just in case they are being taken from me... although i'm in a small town and am sure nobody around here can enjoy hospital food enuf to take my bike!!!!

You should have received a metal tag with your keys. This has the code for your cut on your key.

Oh shit you need to sell that baby and go find new friends...

i bought it slightly used and didn't recieve any key tag code with it...

Take your vin # to a dealer.
Worked for my nissan truck when my key broke off in the door...

I doubt they can do anything with the VIN. Might work with a car but I'm not sure you're gonna have any luck. It's worth a try though. The number on the tag is pretty much the only way to get a new key cut, the number should be a letter then 4 numbers. If you have the original manual and the bike was set up at a dealer, there's a good chance they wrote the number on the first page or something. If none of the above works.... you'll probably have to replace the ignition and I don't know about a gas cap. Keep us posted.

yah thats right...

i stopped into the dealer this afternoon... i left the bike with them to see if they can retreive the code from the ignition cylinder and i'll get a key made up from that from the local locksmith.

i would have done it myself but i'm swamped with work and going on a business trip for a week on sunday, so hopefully all will be fixed and running when i get home

i thought of replacing the ignition, fuel cap and helmet cylinders but though that if they want the bike theyre going to take it anyway, so i said screw it, it's insured for top dollar anyway.

thanks guys

I never got keys with mine (bought it from auction without knowing if it ran, how many k's and it was kinda smashed!)

I drilled off the 2 x security screws that hold the barrel in place and cut the wires about half way back to where they go under the tank. Took the barrel to the local locksmith and had 2 keys in about 1/2hr.

Re soldered all the wiring and replaced the drilled bolts with normal M8 bolts. Turned the key and too my relief the bike fired straight away and had only 1400km's on the clock.

Waiting for an update!

*the service manual (or micro-fiche, can't remember which) has a part number for a key. Has anyone ordered one and taken it to a locksmith so he/she could do their thing with it and the lock?

I have an Uncut Factory Key if anyone needs it.

heres the update...

it's been nearly 2 weeks, i dont yet have the bike back in my hands, but hopefully it WILL be today sometime they told me...

the process was as follows:

#1 - Aug,6th, I loaded bike up the ramps into my 6" lifted dodge ram, not an easy task BTW, and dropped off at the dealer (i have no time to spend on this right now with work commitments) they told me they could possibly look into getting the code off the ignition and sending the code out to be cut by the local locksmith which they use quite often.

#2 - Mon, Aug, 9th, I call the shop from Montreal because i am there all week with work. they are just getting it in the shop to work on it and should have an answer for me by the end of the day.

#3 - Tuesday, Aug, 10th, they call me and tell me they have successfully retrieved the code off of the ignition and are waiting for the locksmith to work his magic...

#4 - Wednesday, Aug, 11th, the locksmith cut the code and it didn't work...... and that was the last of the proper blanks for my ignition, DAMNIT!!!

#5 - Friday, Aug, 13th, new blanks arrive and they begin to cut a new keys based on the code.... not working, he has to continue modifying the cuts one tumbler at a time..... doesnt finish it on friday

#6 - Monday, Aug, 16th, they are very busy and don't get f**k all done with my ignition

#7 - Tuesday, Aug, 17th, they are getting somewhere... he gets the key to fit the ignition just like butter, works very very smoothly... problem occurs when he goes to try the fuel cap.... there are 8 cuts on the key... and of course, the cuts for the fuel cap are the 4 that are highest up the key and the blank doesnt seem to be quite wide enough to fully push out the tumblers in the ignition.... so he says something under his breathe like "this stinks of a kawi" or something like that, meaning maybe his blanks are for a kawi or something? i dunno what he meant, i just smiled and knodded and said whatever it stinks like isn't success yet .... so he tells me, give me another hour with it and i'll have it....

#8 - Wed. Aug, 18th, 1:00pm.... no call from them yet, but i'll be running down shortly and checking in on everything...

so all in all i found out 2 things.... the code on the ignition was no where close to the actual code that the key was cut with.... my dealer actually told me in the past that yamaha never sends the right cut key to them when they order one based on that code either, thats why they get the locksmith here to cut it.

and second is a confirmation of me having the worst luck there is.... period.

oh ya, and by the way, the guy is still only charging me the original 35 bucks to cut the key, so thats not half bad i guess...

Thank you for that update. Hopefully it gets my ASS in gear to get a spare made asap.

I can't speak for how Yamaha Canada does it, but with Yamaha models imported into the USA, it's been about 15 years since they started to get away from putting the key code on the switch, itself.

Down here with moderm Yamaha motorcycles, the key code comes on a little metal dog tag attached to the new bike's key ring, and if that little code is lost, you're either at a good locksmith's mercy, or you buy new switches, locks, and gas caps (which come with their own keys, all keyed separately, of course :) ).

finally got her back... just drove it home

well it turns out after struggling to get the proper key code, once he got the key to fit the fuel cap, voila.... there the key code was, ON THE FUEL CAP LOCK CYLINDER...

and to top it all off, guess what, he cut ONE fu*kin key for me so tommorrow i have to get a spare or 2 made, jesus...

but anyway all is well..... except my $321 bill i had to pay, but that includes a 12 tooth front sprocket and install time

I'm not knocking you but in our shop, if a customer asks for a key to be cut we cut them A key.

We've been burnt in the past when we've cut two keys (same situation as yourself) and they have kicked off and we end up either giving them the extra (now free) key, or throwing away a key (cos they were really pissy about it).

sorry to break this to you but you got HOSED. I would have just pounded a screw driver into the ignition and just kept using the bike like that. Or cut the ignition wires and just hook them up to a simple on/off switch. Any locksmith should have been able to pick the gas tank lock for you.

Theft insurance is dirt cheap on the bike and the key isn't chipped or anything. If someone wanted to steal the bike, the key wouldnt have made a lick of difference.

yes dumbass ... go drive a screw driver in your ignition then... that really solves the f**kin' problem, i didn't pay to have the bike from being stolen. i paid the money to keep my bike like it was originally and not like an old peice of shit with a toggle switch ignition or something rigged up just to "get by"....i live in rural eastern canada, this is the only locksmith around and he only charged me 35 bucks... the rest was shop labour to pull the shit apart and put it back together (plus the price of the 12 tooth sprocket and installation of it, about 70 bucks)

and as for cutting the second key, the damn key is like 6 bucks. he knew i didn't have any other keys. and im sure he didnt want to spend like 3 hours screwing with lock cylinders again for only 35 bucks like he did this time (he didnt make any money off of me) so a spare to poke away somewhere would be a no-brainer to me. it's not like he wouldnt be billing me for it... but now tommorrow i have to screw around going over there to get another one done when i already should have 2 in my hands...

smacking the lock with a hammer/screwdriver is a stupid idea........

sure, 6 bucks is 6 bucks but you get a couple of customers who won't pay for it (because they didn't ask for it) and it soon adds up.

I know exactly where you're coming from but we've learnt from experience.

Sorry to hear about your lost keys and the hassle to replace. Here in Texas, the insurance laws say that if you leave the key in the ignition and it gets stolen, it's called Owner Assisted Theft and they will not pay any claims because of that. Modifying with a hammered in screwdriver and/or removing the ignition lock and replacing it with a switch would most likely fall into the same category and I agree it would be a dumb idea. Even with a keyed lock, if a thief wants it bad enough, he's gonna take it. That's why I have full coverage insurance on both bikes, keep them locked in a shed at night, and use a "poor man's" LOJAC using a GPS tracking cellphone hidden on each bike.

My 2 cents . . .

stumo wrote:

smacking the lock with a hammer/screwdriver is a stupid idea........

Not to mention it doesn't always work on everything. Just ask whoever tried to steal mine.

TheBIGD wrote:

yes dumbass ... go drive a screw driver in your ignition then... that really solves the f**kin' problem, i didn't pay to have the bike from being stolen. i paid the money to keep my bike like it was originally and not like an old peice of shit with a toggle switch ignition or something rigged up just to "get by"....i live in rural eastern canada, this is the only locksmith around and he only charged me 35 bucks... the rest was shop labour to pull the shit apart and put it back together (plus the price of the 12 tooth sprocket and installation of it, about 70 bucks)

and as for cutting the second key, the damn key is like 6 bucks. he knew i didn't have any other keys. and im sure he didnt want to spend like 3 hours screwing with lock cylinders again for only 35 bucks like he did this time (he didnt make any money off of me) so a spare to poke away somewhere would be a no-brainer to me. it's not like he wouldnt be billing me for it... but now tommorrow i have to screw around going over there to get another one done when i already should have 2 in my hands...

hey dumbass, no need to get all defensive. You asked for your options and I gave you the cheapest one. This is a bike with an ignition lock from the 70's, It's not like if you bypassed the ignition it would cost a few thousand dollars to put it back. I bet a brand new tumbler and key set is right around what you paid. $300 is getting ripped off for a simple job. The front sprocket is worth maybe $20 and could be installed in half an hour shop time. Don't shoot the messenger

twowheeled wrote:

TheBIGD wrote:

yes dumbass ... go drive a screw driver in your ignition then... that really solves the f**kin' problem, i didn't pay to have the bike from being stolen. i paid the money to keep my bike like it was originally and not like an old peice of shit with a toggle switch ignition or something rigged up just to "get by"....i live in rural eastern canada, this is the only locksmith around and he only charged me 35 bucks... the rest was shop labour to pull the shit apart and put it back together (plus the price of the 12 tooth sprocket and installation of it, about 70 bucks)

and as for cutting the second key, the damn key is like 6 bucks. he knew i didn't have any other keys. and im sure he didnt want to spend like 3 hours screwing with lock cylinders again for only 35 bucks like he did this time (he didnt make any money off of me) so a spare to poke away somewhere would be a no-brainer to me. it's not like he wouldnt be billing me for it... but now tommorrow i have to screw around going over there to get another one done when i already should have 2 in my hands...

hey dumbass, no need to get all defensive. You asked for your options and I gave you the cheapest one. This is a bike with an ignition lock from the 70's, It's not like if you bypassed the ignition it would cost a few thousand dollars to put it back. I bet a brand new tumbler and key set is right around what you paid. $300 is getting ripped off for a simple job. The front sprocket is worth maybe $20 and could be installed in half an hour shop time. Don't shoot the messenger

Calm...

It could perhaps be worse.

My wife has one of the fancy, all singing, all dancing new Jeeps. Everything in it but birth control. I hate it, she loves it.

So she gets home from work last night, goes to run out to do an errand, and the Jeep won't start. All kinds of other things work, but the starter won't kick over.

To make a long story short, her Jeep decided to calve and forget the key codes. So now her $200 apiece keys won't turn the damned thing on. Suddenly, she doesn't mind driving my stone age 1995 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins diesel with everything manual but cruise and air and a tape deck/radio into town to go to work.

A towtruck and having the codes reset later, and there's nearly $500 gone bye-bye. Not covered under her warranty...

I ask her what her plan is if we ever take that Jeep 80 miles back in the bush and it picks that moment to have a digital hiccup and forget the key codes. She doesn't say much.

I don't trust that thing further than I can throw it. I do a lot of work with computers and nothing I've seen in my 25 years of dealing with them gives me any confidence in anything that requires some little "smart computer" before it will start or run.

Jäger wrote:

do a lot of work with computers and nothing I've seen in my 25 years of dealing with them gives me any confidence in anything that requires some little "smart computer" before it will start or run.

You mean like the ECM on your WRR?

sorry to wake up an old thread, but can someone confirm this:

Quote :

there the key code was, ON THE FUEL CAP LOCK CYLINDER...

I lost my original and only key yesterday.
The bike came with just one key and no tag. So I had made two spare ones from blanks I found on eBay. It turns out that they don't work well on my ignition, but unlock my fuelcap and helmet lock.