Do yourselves a favour

[lawrie]

This is a post for those of you ( me ) who for whatever reason have only ONE key, this one is a resto that came with 1 key only.

Do yourself a favour   & BUY A SPARE!!!!

This morning whilst bored, I decided i'd repaint the side panels, seat off, panels off, left a few tools & screws etc  in the under seat storage, hot so I went indoors for a pint, put the seat back on just for the sake of it.
Came out, went to remove the seat, ( WTF  did I put it back on ) pocket for key, not there, oh shit, key in with tools under the now locked seat, liken it to the keys in car syndrome!!
Went to other 1400 to inspect, ah-ha, wire hook & pull cable release, no that don't work as it only moves with the key in the lock, proceeded to spend the next TWO HOURS in the blazing sun working on it, couldn't even move the bike into the workshop as some total plonker had put the steering lock on!!
Anyroadup, the upshot was that after a lot of painful 'fingering' underneath, I ended up just being able to undo all the tail-section fixings & pulling it all rearwards taking the still locked seat with it & releasing the 2 claws from the tank, then I managed to get a small flat bar into the lock & release it.
Just ordered a blank off e-bay.  OK, I know why lock it all up & put the seat back on when popping back indoors, but I just had a bike nicked 'dint I.
Wish i'd left the poxy thing in the garage now!!
So dear friends with 1 key, BUY A SPARE!!

[ARH]

Sound advice Lawrie!   Did exactly the same thing a number of years ago when restoring a 400/4!   Now I simply leave the key in the lock when taking the seat off the 14...  even though I have a spare key in the house.   

[seth]

Nothing worse .
Top advice remember on K5's onwards you also need to get your new key coded to the bike .

[Del]

Ive got 3 cause I too have been there done that

[Andre]

Not happened to me (yet). Plan to get a 3rd key as well since one of my keys is a bit rough.

[Tony Nitrous]

More common on Hayabusa's.

Slightly different but.... the key mechanism is mounted in the bodywork and cable operated to the seat latch. The cable has to be unhooked to remove the bodywork. Folk refit all the bodywork and click the seat in place then remember..... I didn't reconnect the cable !

[northern]

Been there.
But my 14 have custom under-tail plastic, so I was able to use piece of wire as a hook, and get keys out throw the cap between seat and tail plastic...


I have 2 similar experiences with my car.

1.
Once I had to go to other town because of work. We had fire at my company's facility, and I was dealing with consequences at the very next day. Car was as an office to me, so I was moving there and back all the day long. Also I was using trunk a lot. By the end of the day, I was searching for some tools in the trunk, and I just put car keys in there and then I just close it... And because, this time I open trunk only (from the key fob), it's immediately lock my car. So I was standing ~150km from home, in front of my car, was not enable to get in...

Nothing to do - call my wife, she take spare key to bus station, where find a bus directing to the town I was, give some cash and key to bus driver. All I have to do, was sit at the bus stop,  waiting for the bus which bring me my spare key.

2.
Second time - this was really funny: I was polishing my car rims. And I want to try the way, when you put your car on an axle stand, turn on an engine and shift gear in, and polish wheels, while they were spinning in the air. Not the bad idea... Only thing, my car locks it's doors, when it's moving. Ant it happens
Car is locked, wheels are turning, I'm outside laughing and almost crying at the same time.

Nothing to do - I was really embarrassed, but I had to call my wife again, asking to bring me a spare key.

[Rynglieder]

Of course it is sound advice and I'm sorry to hear you got bitten by it.

Could I add that it is also important that your spare is within reasonable reach. When travelling abroad I always encourage my companions to bring there spares and we swap them between ourselves. That way if anyone gets a jacket nicked or just loses their key the other one will be nearby. It's no use having a spare if your locked bike is in Budapest and the spare is in Stourbridge.

Even when it is just me and the wife abroad she will have the spares (including disc lock) on her.

[ARH]

I like that last one Northern... priceless 

[KiwiCol]

A wee tip Northern, always leave you window down when doing stuff like this. I've heard of it before, engine running & car locks, keys inside & can't get in.

[northern]

always leave you window down when doing stuff like this.

Sure! Now, working with car and keeping key inside, I always open driver window. Just in case

[gsxbarmy]

Whenever I'm working on my bike I always put the key on a lanyard, which I can either put around my neck or, if I have the key in one of the locks, it's a good length of material hanging down to help me remember where it is.

[seth]

I've never (yet) locked the key under the seat but have left it in the seat lock over night while the bikes been parked once in a car park in Germany it was locked with a big chain but I found the key in the morning still in the lock 

[northern]

For me, it's quite usual, to forget bike key in to ignition lock. Usually, I note it in 1 minute, but sometimes bike were parked outside for hours, before I notice it. But I had luck so fare, and have to admit, this is happening less and less now.

[lil4399]

I only have one key, keep meaning to get another (K6)

How do you get a new key? Does it have to be main dealer? And then coded by them?