this took me quite a while to figure out, so i’m posting this so someone else who encounters the same problem can figure this out. if you google “lost motorcycle key”, you’re gonna run into a bunch of confusing, conflicting sites, none of them saying much of anything. the solution i figured out involved making some calls to related repair shops and locksmiths in san francisco, and asking questions in a local motorcycle forum.

my situation:
leaving work yesterday evening, putting my jacket on, i’m checking the front pocket of my jeans to make sure my motorcycle key is there, and it isn’t. tore my cube apart, scoured every square inch of the floor, nowhere to be found. i went home, looked thru my jacket and bag again. knew that sometimes if you’re stressed, you can look and look and miss something obvious. so came back this morning, looked more slowly, carefully, and still no key. my bike i got used, by the way, and only got one key when i bought it, and no key code. i knew it would be in my best interests to get duplicates made, but i just never got around to it. lesson learned.

the solution:
cheapest option i could find was to take the ignition/key switch out of my bike, and take it to a locksmith. the locksmith i found that had the best reviews (and my repair shop seconded the review, said she was absolutely awesome, and loved motorcycles) was key kraft. i looked at my repair manual, haynes, and it told me that to take the ignition out required removing shear-head screws, which possibly involved drilling, and i didn’t have the tools to do this.

my repair shop is thankfully only 5 blocks away from where i work, and they’re great guys. i called them up, and they said bring it on over, they’d take the ignition out for me. it took me about 25 minutes to walk the bike over, going along sidewalks. and damn, it was more work than i thought it’d be. thankfully it was mostly flat, and not uphill.

awesome repair guy wheeled it into his shop, up on the mechanics platform and in the space of 5 minutes, and he let me watch, using just a screwdriver, he unbolted the ignition/key switch. then followed the ignition wires to where it was connected, pressed a little plastic clasp, it came right out. now, this was not what my haynes manual nor online search told me what to expect. repair guy said that most likely a previous owner of the bike had switched out the old stock ignition for a new one. good to know.

so he handed the ignition to me, which fit in my hand, would fit in a jacket pocket, with just the long wire trailing out, and i walked the 5 blocks back to work. repair guy said he’d let me keep the motorcycle there, and when i came back with the ignition tomorrow, he’d put it back in for me. i can’t tell you who this totally awesome repair shop is, because he did this for free (and i can’t tell you who it is lest you go to them expecting work for free =), and when i go in to get my bike tomorrow and he puts the ignition switch back in, i know cuz of how nice he is he won’t let me pay, and i’ll have to figure out some way to slip him a $40 tip so he doesn’t notice til after i’ve left.

i’d already called key kraft, to find if she’d be able, on the spot, to make a key if i brought in the ignition, and she asked me for the year and make of the bike, i gave it to her, she checked, and said yes. if i were bringing the ignition in, i could come in anytime. if i were bringing the bike in, i’d need to make an appointment. there was also a possibility that i could have her come out to my bike, but it would’ve been more expensive that way (most locksmiths will charge approximately $175 in the bay area, though key kraft didn’t quote me a price), and she wasn’t available to do that for a week. if you truly need 24 hour service, there are other locksmiths available (consult yelp.com), but i wanted to go with someone who had good reviews from the motorcycle community.

she told me it would be $45 for her to make a key based on the ignition i bring in, and each duplicate key will be $7. i will have 3 duplicates made, because i have learned my lesson.

i haven’t yet gone to key kraft, will do so on my way to work tomorrow late morning. i will update this tomorrow to let you know how that went. what i am assuming at this point is that i will bring my ignition, along with required proof of ownership (driver’s license and registration, to make sure you’re not stealing the bike, and it’s really yours, any locksmith will require this before they hand over the keys), and i may need to wait a tiny bit, but i’ll come away within an hour with new keys. i will then take the ignition and new keys back to my repair shop, he’ll put the ignition back in, and within 2.5 days i will have brand new keys and a now working bike, after losing the only key i had.

next day update:
showed up a little before 11am, and the person who owns key kraft was waiting for me, and knew who i was when i walked in. by 12pm i had 3 new keys in my hand, total costing about $65. apparently my ignition was a bit difficult, some parts inside rusted, another plastic part that had cracked, and she was very helpful and showed me how to handle turning the key properly, making sure it worked, to come back if i had any problems. key kraft was extremely competent, she knows her job, does a very good job, and i respect and value competency of that degree highly. i’ll be taking all my locksmithing needs to her in the future.

i caught muni over to my repair shop, and had my helmet and gloves with me, had brought them home from work yesterday, and then to the locksmith this morning. it took my repair guy about 10 minutes to put the ignition back in (again, my bike is about 13 years old, and a bit rusted, been thru more than one owner), and i was at work by 1pm, motorcycle working fine.

i now have one motorcycle key on my keychain, which will be the main one. in case i somehow misplace that one, i put a single key in a hidden pocket on my motorcycle jacket. another one i will put in an envelope and leave in a safe place at work. i will also send myself an email telling me where i put all these 3 emails. key kraft also wrote down on the back of a business card a code for me to keep, said that if i ever need replacements, i can call and give her that code, and she can make the key right then using that code. i put that business card in my wallet. she also, on two of the keys, gave them a very good gripped rubber covering, and said they’re easier to use when wearing gloves. for the 3rd key, she made it an uncovered key, so it’s not as thick, and this is the one she suggested i keep on me, perhaps in a hidden pocket on a motorcycle jacket.