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Been reading the various posts on getting spare keys made, calling Honda and looking up a ton of stuff on the web and finally came up with this synopsis for us all to use in one posting (hopefully, though I'm sure I'll get a correction here and there. :bleh:
Though they will say they don’t (that IF you can even find someone to help you) most Wal-Mart’s, Lowes and Home Depot DO have blanks that fit Honda bikes, including the VTX...but they don't know it. It's the #30 blank that fits Toyota cars. It’s a little longer than most motorcycle keys, but works ok if it’s cut correctly.
Ace Hardware carries the HD-74 blank that fits the VTX. It varies from Ace to Ace, but they often charge about $0.50 per key cut. My key has 4 notches plus the two bevels to make the point comes out to $3.00.
For some, though, it still might be easier to just pay more ($8 each, includes the cutting) for the Honda blanks with the Honda logo. They usually have some blanks on hand for the more recent bikes, but can easily order the blanks for most made in the last 20 years.
When you get your keys cut they should open the gas cap, ignition, helmet lock and fork lock. Check them ALL, especially if Honda does the cutting. Sometimes the key won't fit all the locks if they are machine (template) cut. They often (usually) must be hand cut and the shaft must be long enough to reach down into all the locks. Then it will open all of them. The shaft length is the key to opening all the locks.
I was told that the way the key templates work in the VTX are that the pins, which the key pushes out of the way, are different in each key lock slot (ignition, helmet, gas and fork). The only difference is the ignition uses all the pins. For example, the fork key only uses the first four pins and the helmet lock uses the last three. Supposedly, you could actually use the fork and helmet locks combined to create the ignition key.
If you do have to pull the ignition use that time to put in a concealed kill switch. By the way...that number found behind the ignition lock is only the Blank key code, not the actual cut key itself and doesn't really help in getting the key made if you actually have no keys left.
By the way, locksmiths don’t use the codes found on the bike to create keys for you anyway, because you could be getting the key for nefarious means. If they just gave anyone keys to bikes when only the VIN is given they are basically giving away the bike.
One other interesting note: Several Honda ignition keys will fit a variety of different Hondas made after 1982. For example, many C model keys will fit R models, but not visa versa. It might prove an interesting experiment at one of the VTX Tech Sessions to see how many keys will fit all the different X’s in one place.
Technical information for you guys with nothing else to do:
The code written on the side of the key shaft only tells Honda or any locksmith whether the Blank starts out as a Right or Left cut for that particular model vehicle.
1983+ Honda models including Shadow, VTX, Rebel, Valkyre, Nighthawk, Magna, Elite, XR 80/100/650L, CRF 50/70/100/230 & all 4-wheelers use Blank template ILCO (SILCA) {JMA} with the specific numbers being either:
- - #X84 (HON31R) {HOND-4D} with Right cut key codes of A00 through A99 and B00 through B99 (that's the number on the key shaft)...or...
- - #X138 (HON31) {HOND-4I} with Left cut key codes of C00 through C99 or D00 through D99 (again, that's the number on the key shaft).
They all use the same key card number: CMC37, the same DSD number: 406 and the same ITL number: 214.
Well, there you go. Hope I got it all correct and some of this proves useful, even if for only one of us!
Though they will say they don’t (that IF you can even find someone to help you) most Wal-Mart’s, Lowes and Home Depot DO have blanks that fit Honda bikes, including the VTX...but they don't know it. It's the #30 blank that fits Toyota cars. It’s a little longer than most motorcycle keys, but works ok if it’s cut correctly.
Ace Hardware carries the HD-74 blank that fits the VTX. It varies from Ace to Ace, but they often charge about $0.50 per key cut. My key has 4 notches plus the two bevels to make the point comes out to $3.00.
For some, though, it still might be easier to just pay more ($8 each, includes the cutting) for the Honda blanks with the Honda logo. They usually have some blanks on hand for the more recent bikes, but can easily order the blanks for most made in the last 20 years.
When you get your keys cut they should open the gas cap, ignition, helmet lock and fork lock. Check them ALL, especially if Honda does the cutting. Sometimes the key won't fit all the locks if they are machine (template) cut. They often (usually) must be hand cut and the shaft must be long enough to reach down into all the locks. Then it will open all of them. The shaft length is the key to opening all the locks.
I was told that the way the key templates work in the VTX are that the pins, which the key pushes out of the way, are different in each key lock slot (ignition, helmet, gas and fork). The only difference is the ignition uses all the pins. For example, the fork key only uses the first four pins and the helmet lock uses the last three. Supposedly, you could actually use the fork and helmet locks combined to create the ignition key.
If you do have to pull the ignition use that time to put in a concealed kill switch. By the way...that number found behind the ignition lock is only the Blank key code, not the actual cut key itself and doesn't really help in getting the key made if you actually have no keys left.
By the way, locksmiths don’t use the codes found on the bike to create keys for you anyway, because you could be getting the key for nefarious means. If they just gave anyone keys to bikes when only the VIN is given they are basically giving away the bike.
One other interesting note: Several Honda ignition keys will fit a variety of different Hondas made after 1982. For example, many C model keys will fit R models, but not visa versa. It might prove an interesting experiment at one of the VTX Tech Sessions to see how many keys will fit all the different X’s in one place.
Technical information for you guys with nothing else to do:The code written on the side of the key shaft only tells Honda or any locksmith whether the Blank starts out as a Right or Left cut for that particular model vehicle.
1983+ Honda models including Shadow, VTX, Rebel, Valkyre, Nighthawk, Magna, Elite, XR 80/100/650L, CRF 50/70/100/230 & all 4-wheelers use Blank template ILCO (SILCA) {JMA} with the specific numbers being either:
- - #X84 (HON31R) {HOND-4D} with Right cut key codes of A00 through A99 and B00 through B99 (that's the number on the key shaft)...or...
- - #X138 (HON31) {HOND-4I} with Left cut key codes of C00 through C99 or D00 through D99 (again, that's the number on the key shaft).
They all use the same key card number: CMC37, the same DSD number: 406 and the same ITL number: 214.
Well, there you go. Hope I got it all correct and some of this proves useful, even if for only one of us!
