Help! lost my keys and don't have a spare (solved!)

[kage010]

Hi, I've lost my keys for my honda rebel 250, they fell out of the ignition on my way to work , I got to work - went to turn off the bike and realized that I have no keys in the ignition!
So I retraced my path to work from home to look for the keys and I couldn't find them...

So now I have a bike but no keys,

I've tried a bunch of other people's keys in the ignition to try to get it to start (I figured if the keys can just fall out like that, then the ignition is a bit loose already?) but I couldn't get anyone else's keys to work in it...

Does anyone have any advice?

I've heard that there are some locksmiths who can make a new key from the ignition, but I'd have to remove the ignition from the bike and take it to the locksmith. Either that or would it be an easier option to get the petrol tank cap off (the same key fits) and take that to the locksmith? (although I can't open it to get it off either)

Has anyone else had this same problem and what did you do to solve the problem?

I realize I could always hotwire the bike as a last resort, but then I still cant put petrol in it either

I also called Honda - after sales service to see if they can cut a new key from the VIN, but the guy on the phone was not very helpful (typical French customer service!) he said I'd have to call my insurance company first.

I'm going to go to the police station now to see if anyone has handed any keys in, and then ask any shops in the vicinity of where the keys might have fallen the same question, the easiest way would be to find my keys I guess, fingers crossed!

It is a 1997 model bike it that helps?
Thanks

[stirlinggaz]

Hi,
i dont know you, so im not going to post details of how to hot wire (read : steal) a bike.
might be yours, might not.
hate to sound like a c*nt but hope most other forum users feel the same & wouldnt post details on a public forum of how to esentially steal a bike.
however....its happened to me before..... i would get the tools out, remove top yoke, flip it upside down, trace ignition wires back, & unplug multi-block. then remove whole ignition barrel, though this might involve removing shear/security bolt. easy enough to remove though...
then take whole ignition barrel into locksmiths & get a new (& spare) key cut.
petrol caps dont usualy have same amount of tumblers fitted so not much use, even if you could get it off, without damaging it,
cheers,
GAZ

[_Iain_]

Nobodys stupid enough to steal a rebel 250

https://www.her-motorcycle.com/images/honda-rebel.jpg

Parts not in demand, not good off road, not fast on road, not worth enough to justify ringing it, etc etc.

I belive OP is genuine.

Will PM.
____________________
Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[stirlinggaz]

[numpty2]

If you can find a locksmith who is confident they can cut a key to fit a lock, then you could try and take the ignition barrel off and give it to the locksmith.
Another option might be the steering lock, assuming your bike has a separate steering lock, since this will probably be the same key as the ignition. But to get the steering lock off, you will have to dismantle the steering head, and there is a danger of losing lots of ball bearings.
Is there a helmet lock by the pillion seat? Is this the same key?

You may end up drilling/mashing up all the locks and using any old key. If you make it tidy then no-one will suspect. In any case, a thief would be mashing them anyway. But you should then invest in a reasonable chain so that you can make it secure.

[katana]

Does the bike have a seat lock or helmet loop that has the same key as the ignition?

If so that lock is easier to remove and may have the key number on the rear of the barrell.

[bezzabsa]

Honda do tend to place the number on ALL locks...did it yrs ago , quoted number to local bike place 2 days later 2 keys!!! cost me about £5 I think (over 10 yrs ago)

[Kickstart]

Hi

The petrol cap and seat probably can be undone with the same key, but often have less tumblers. Hence a key cut to match the fuel cap won't have have all the cutouts to match the tumblers in the ignition switch.

If the steering is unlocked (which I presume it does as you lost the keys when the engine was running) then it should be fairly easy to get the lock off. Remove the tank (so you can disconnect the wires), slacken off the pinch bolts holding the forks to the top yoke, remove the nut from the top yoke, remove the handlebars, then you should be able to just lift up the top yoke. With luck there will be a serial number on the ignition switch to get a key cut from.

If the ignition is locked it will be FAR more difficult.

All the best

Keith
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[kage010]

Hey, thank you all for your replies,

I see what you mean stirlinggaz, I didn't want to sound like I was asking for advice on stealing bikes, and I wouldn't want anything posted here that could help thieves steal our bikes. And, yeah, so my bike is a bit gay! haha! It was a really cheap option to get from A to B, not the coolest of bikes I have to admit...

I was optimistic about being able to use someone elses keys in my ignition because when I was at work Thursday morning I was able to use my little letterbox key in the ignition to turn the ignition from on to the off position, but then I was unable to turn it back to on with that same key.

I spent the afternoon walking the streets, went to the police but they didn't have any keys fitting the description, they said I might have to wait 3 weeks for the keys to show up in the lost and found, they gave me a number for the city's police lost and found storage and told me to call them in a few weeks.
I then went to all the shops on the streets I rode to work that day hoping that someone who had picked them up might have taken them into the shop - asked them if they had anyone hand in keys, no luck.

I spoke to a locksmith down the street, he advised me there is a locksmith on the other side of town who can cut the key for me if I show him the carte grise - (French for the bike's official registration paperwork with my name and address on it), but I have to take out the ignition barrel and take that to him too.

For the moment I don't really need the bike, I can walk to work (2 - 3 kms from home). This way I can wait for the keys to show up in the police lost and found first, then decide what to do if they don't show up there.

I have a good solid disc lock on the bike, lucky for me I had a spare key for that at home as I lost the other one with the bike keys.
I pushed the bike home from work yesterday afternoon 2 - 3 kilometers in neutral, it sucked! I couldn't leave it out the front of my work. So the bike is out the front of my apartment with the disc lock on.

The steering lock on the bike never worked since I bought it, I have to rely on the disc lock. And as for the helmet lock - some punk stole it from my bike (I dont know why!?) It was there and then one day it was gone... The joys of parking your bike outside on the street I guess...

Here is a summary of my crappy day that started all of this, I went to bed early Wednesday night to get a good nights sleep... Couldn't sleep, woke up late Thursday morning (alarm didn't go off or something)—> late for work, got to work and my motorbike keys had fallen out of the ignition on the way to work, had to turn around and retrace my path to look for my keys = late for work + motorbike with no keys
Went to see the police after work to see if they had some keys handed in in the lost and found, waiting room in the police station was full so the cop at the desk told me to wait outside... I waited 10 minutes and decided to walk home and look for the keys again myself. Brought some soup home from work, got home and realized the container had opened in my backpack while walking home = soup f#@&ing everywhere... Just one of those days

Thanks again for your help everyone

[andys675]

I'm sure old honda's like that have they key number on the side of the ignition barrel somewhere, they start A B C or D and have 2 numbers after them like A46 or D29, the letter gives you the type of key and the number is the cut, then you can order one online, I use express keys in orpington in kent
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Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.

[Suntan Sid]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ignition-Switch-Gas-Cap-Cover-Key-HONDA-REBEL-250-MAGNA-/350123116642

£29 inc P&P
____________________
"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[kage010]

Thanks for all your replies,
Just to recap, the police told me I had to wait two to three weeks for the key to show up in lost property, so I waited and nothing showed up in the city lost and found (they had massive plastic tubs with each month written on the front of each one and there was thousands of sets of keys in there - just not mine )
So that afternoon I came home and took apart the ignition to try to find the code on the ignition barrel to order a new set of keys online, but there was no code to be found.
So I took the ignition barrel to the locksmith down the street to see if he could help me, he said he didn't know how to do it himself, but he knows another locksmith who does. He told me to leave it with him and 20 euros and he would sort it our with his friend. I had to wait a few days for him to get it done and today I went back to see him and it was ready, he had a key working in the ignition so I took it and tried it in the petrol tank and it worked! So I went back straight away and got him to make a double of the key
In all it cost me the initial 20 euros + another 20 euros (he said the other locksmith charges 40 to make the key from the barrel) and another 8 euros to get the key copied, (yeah I know 8 euros is expensive for a double of a key! That's France for you!)

So anyway, at least my crappy story has a happy ending


ps. yes, I do realize that it would have been a lot cheaper to order the whole new set from ebay, but I've already waited so long and I didn't want to wait for shipping from hong kong - last time it took 6 weeks to get something from ebay from china to france!
I'll blame that on the french post

[bren_9311]

Seems like you really don't like the french economy Kudos Glad you got it sorted, same thing happened to me a few days ago i was too inpatient to wait and see if the keys were found so just bought a new set. Britain's public transport is shocking.

[devojunior]