# Worn or Bent Motorcycle Key: Signs, Risks and the Right Fix

Source: https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/worn-or-bent-motorcycle-key/

Business: The Motorcycle Locksmith, mobile motorcycle locksmith. Phone and text: (619) 775-1858 (San Diego side).

> A worn motorcycle key shows up as a key that needs wiggling, works in one lock but not another, or works worse than the spare. Copying it reproduces the wear, so the lasting fix is a key cut back to the original code or decoded from one of the bike's locks. A bent key should be retired, not straightened and kept in service, because the blade is weakened and can break off in the ignition.

## Signs that the key is the worn part

Keys and locks wear together, so the first job is working out which one is causing the trouble. The quickest test is the spare. If a little-used spare works smoothly in every lock and the everyday key does not, the key is worn. If both keys struggle in the same lock, look at the lock.

- The key has to be wiggled, pulled back a touch or held at an angle before it will turn
- It works in the ignition but not in the seat lock, helmet lock or fuel cap, which are used less and tolerate less wear
- The peaks between the cuts look rounded or shiny instead of crisp when you hold it next to the spare
- The tip is rounded over or the shoulder near the head is chewed
- The key can be pulled out of the ignition in a position where it should be held
- Hairline cracks near the head, or a plastic head that is split or loose on the blade

*Diagram: The parts of a motorcycle key. Wear shows first on the cuts and the tip.*

## Why a copy of a worn key copies the wear

A duplicating machine traces the key it is given. It has no way of knowing what the cuts were supposed to be, so every rounded peak and shallow cut is carried over to the new blank, with a small tracing error added on top. Copy that copy a few years later and the error stacks again. This is why a brand new key can stick on its first day.

The fix is to go back to the original specification. Manufacturers supply a reference for this. Suzuki's manuals describe a key number stamped on a plate provided with the keys, used when ordering replacements. Honda's manuals tell owners to record the key number supplied with the original keys, and on many newer models the key tag carries a key number and a bar code. A key cut from that number is cut to factory depths, not to the shape of a tired key.

## Cutting back to code

If the key number tag is gone, the cuts can usually be worked out from the key itself or from one of the bike's locks, and the new key is then cut by code on a machine that sets each depth from the specification. On a bike with an immobilizer, the new key also has to be registered to the bike before it will start the engine. On Hondas fitted with HISS, which is uncommon on US-market bikes, the manual says a duplicate has to be registered with the system and asks the owner to bring the spare key, the key tag and the motorcycle.

One practical difference in California: Penal Code 466.6 treats a key made by code differently from a simple duplicate. Duplicating an existing key is not covered by the work order requirement. Making a vehicle key from a key code is, so expect to show photo ID and registration, and to sign the work order, even though you are holding a key that still works.

**Rather have us handle it?** Call or text with your year, make, model and location. Call or text (619) 775-1858.

## Bent keys: why straightening is a short-term fix

Motorcycle keys are small, and they get used as handles: for popping a seat, levering a sticky fuel cap or carrying a heavy bunch of other keys. Manufacturers warn about this in the manual. Honda says not to bend keys or subject them to stress, not to grind, drill or alter their shape, to keep them away from high heat and strong magnets, and notes that a metal key holder can damage the area around the ignition switch. Yamaha's Bolt manual recommends a cloth or leather key chain and advises against metal key chains or more than one key on the ring.

A bent blade has been stretched on one side and compressed on the other. Bending it back works the same spot a second time. It may look straight and work for a while, but the weak point is still there and the place it finally gives is usually inside the ignition under turning load. A key that is twisted along its length is worse, because the cuts no longer sit square to the wafers and scrape them on every use.

- Slight bend, still works: use it gently to get home, then have a new key cut from it or from the code and retire it
- Visible crack or twist: stop using it and use the spare
- Chip key with a cracked head: keep the head, since the chip inside still matters for the new key on some systems

## When it is the lock, and what a visit involves

A fresh code-cut key is also a diagnostic tool. If a key cut to the original depths still sticks, the wafers inside the cylinder are worn and the lock needs service or replacement. On a visit we compare the key against its code where one is available, inspect the locks, cut the new key to code, try it in every lock on the bike and, on immobilizer models, program it. If the ignition is the worn part, it can be repaired or replaced and the other locks matched to it where the parts allow.

## Quick questions

### My spare works perfectly. Should I just copy the spare?

A copy of a little-used spare is far better than a copy of the worn key. Cutting by code is better still, because it removes tracing error as well as wear.

### Can a worn key damage the ignition?

It can speed up wear. A key that has to be wiggled and forced scrapes the wafers each time, and a stiff lock in turn makes you twist harder on the key.

### Do I need ID to have a key cut by code if I still have a working key?

In California, yes. The work order rule in Penal Code 466.6 exempts duplication from an existing key but applies to keys made from key codes.

### Is it safe to straighten a bent key with pliers?

It may get you home, but treat it as temporary. The blade is weakened where it bent, and a break inside the ignition means an extraction before anything else.

## Services that can help

- [Motorcycle Key Duplication and Spare Keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/services/motorcycle-key-duplication/): A spare now costs far less than a lost only-key later.
- [Motorcycle Key Replacement](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/services/motorcycle-key-replacement/): New keys cut by code or from the lock, for all major makes.
- [Motorcycle Ignition Repair and Replacement](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/services/motorcycle-ignition-repair/): Sticking, worn or damaged ignitions repaired or replaced.

## Key details by make

[Honda keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/honda/), [Suzuki keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/suzuki/), [Yamaha keys](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/yamaha/), [All makes](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/makes/)

## Keep reading

- [How to Find Your Motorcycle Key Code](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/how-to-find-motorcycle-key-code/): A motorcycle key code is a short number or letter-number code that tells a locksmith or dealer how to cut a key for your locks.
- [When to Get a Spare Motorcycle Key, and Why Now](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/when-to-get-a-spare-motorcycle-key/): Get a spare motorcycle key as soon as you are down to one working key.
- [Motorcycle Key Won't Turn in the Ignition? Causes and Fixes](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/motorcycle-key-wont-turn-ignition/): When a motorcycle key will not turn, the usual causes are a steering lock under tension, a worn or bent key, worn wafers inside the ignition, dirt or corrosion in the cylinder, or simply the wrong key.
- [Motorcycle Key Stuck in the Ignition: Causes and What to Do](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/motorcycle-key-stuck-in-ignition/): A motorcycle key that will not come out is most often sitting in a position where the switch is designed to hold it, usually ON or partway between two positions.
- [Broken Motorcycle Key in the Ignition: What to Do](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/guides/broken-motorcycle-key-in-ignition/): If your key snaps in the motorcycle ignition, stop, keep both pieces, and do not try to turn the cylinder with the stub or dig the fragment out with a knife or screwdriver.

## Where we work

[San Diego County](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/service-areas/san-diego-county/), [San Diego](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/service-areas/san-diego-county/san-diego/), [Chula Vista](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/service-areas/san-diego-county/chula-vista/), [Oceanside](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/service-areas/san-diego-county/oceanside/), [Escondido](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/service-areas/san-diego-county/escondido/), [Carlsbad](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/service-areas/san-diego-county/carlsbad/), [El Cajon](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/service-areas/san-diego-county/el-cajon/), [All service areas](https://themotorcyclelocksmith.com/san-diego/service-areas/)