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I just purchased a bike extremely cheaply but the owner said he couldnt find the keys.

He told me that any honda motorcycle key would work on it and to just find somebody with a set of honda motorcycle keys and get a copy made, or go to a salvage dealer and buy a set.

It was his daughter I bought it from and she didnt really know anything about the bike except that it was a honda. It looks kind of old so I'm thinking late 80's to early 90's.

My friend's grandpa has an equally old honda motorcycle and is willing to let me barrow the keys.

Will this work?

If not what do I do?

Thank you.

byoung wrote:I just purchased a bike extremely cheaply but the owner said he couldnt find the keys.

Ok, there's a big red flag right there.

byoung wrote:He told me that any honda motorcycle key would work on it and to just find somebody with a set of honda motorcycle keys and get a copy made, or go to a salvage dealer and buy a set.

Will this work?

Nope. Motorcycle keys are like car keys, they will only work on one vehicle. If no keys were supplied with yours (and why would you buy a bike that couldn't be started, anyway?) you'll need to go to the local Honda dealer and give them the VIN number so they can find the key code. IF it can be found. You could also buy a new Honda ignition switch assembly, but that will cost a lot of money. Another option is to find a similar bike at a wrecking yard that still has the keys, then remove the switch and wiring harness from it and install it on yours.

Whatever you do, be prepared to spend money and wait a while.

err... I have a feeling this might not end well...

sounds stolen

I hope you received the title for this bike from the previous owner because you might have a stolen motorcycle. It must have been really cheap to buy a bike you couldn't start. What bike and year is it?

Anyway, take the ignition switch off the bike (don't break anything). Label all the wires so you can put it back together again. Have a qualified locksmith pick the lock and provide you with a set of keys. Hopefully the ignition, the gas cap and the helmet lock have not been changed and will all work on the same key. A locksmith should cost you about $50.

And no, a set of Honda bike keys will not open up any Honda bike. Why would you think this is true? I also own a bridge that I'm willing to sell...

i might be convinced to sell Texas because im late on my payments. just wire $100,000 to me, then its yours.

$85 dollars.

$85 dollars is what I paid for the bike. I cant afford a bike and was never looking to buy one becaus my chances of being able to afford a motorcycle were extremely slim. However a friend of my wifes from high school called and said her dads bike was on her property and she was moving. He said he didnt want to mess with the thing and just to sell it, he didnt care for how much.

He had lost the title and had lost the keys. He had gotten a new bike a long time ago and could care less about this one.

I checked it out with my local tag office and told them the whole story. They said it should be absolutely no problem.

There.

Do I still sound so stupid?

Cant have a bike.
One falls into my lap for hardly any money.
Might as well give it a try.

Even if I have to replace the ignition or call a lock smith for $50 and a new title costs me $100 plus new oil and filter and what not I'm probably out $200-$300 dollars.

Doesnt sound bad too me.

nobody said it sounded bad, just fishy.

I have checked around on the internet and the only thing I can find is an old forum that looks like it was all written in notepad. Alot of people were saying that you could do exactly what I said it seems that the only instances in which they were specific were ones where something was worn down so it would turn with just about anything stuck in it not just a key.

Also they stated that a lot a fords were like this too. Specifically mentioned was a '79 mustang trunk key.

Another mentioned was civic started with a completely different civics ignition key, although it didng turn out too well.

Do you think that this is what he could have meant by "any honda motorcycle key would work." Have any of you heard any stories like this having to do with honda motorcycles?

So that's where my spare Honda key went....