K bike locks are pretty simple when it gets right down to it.  Five little springy wafers that slide to allow a key to turn when inserted and then one at the end to hold the lock core in the lock.

Here's a system case lock core as an example:



A common lost key problem is getting the gas cap open non-destructively.

Poking around on eBay I find this $7 shipped lock picking "gun" and on a lark am tempted to give it a whirl as an experiment.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Strong-Lock-Pick-Gun-Padlock-Repair-Tools-Kit-Door-Opener-Key-Locksmith-Swank/173302289420

Anybody here ever tried something like this to get a gas cap open?

It'll be interesting to see how it goes. I shall await your report.

Could work

'Master' locks are not known for their security. Look them up.

yep thatll work

the most important part is the amount of pressure on the turner ( the lever that fits into the bottom of the lock core )

not too much pressure is the secret , and hopefully the springs are still springing , many of the wafers in locks tend to bind with poor - no lubrication for years and years
quite a cheep tool ...hmmm
good luck

I'm very interested to see if it works. I had a fuel cap refuse to open, but as a pin on the end of the barrel had broken off the only solution was to drill a hole in the cap. I had a look at a electric lock picker approx. $65.00 AU to pick a keyless fuel cap as a replacement but ended up buying a cap of Graham Jays.

Regards Martin.

My gas cap refused to open.

Drilled the relevant hole and popped it open.

Took of the entire gas capp assembly and removed the three screws on the inside of the flip cap.

Clean out swarf and then put key in, filed off the protruding tabs by using a junior hacksaw, checked it all worked perfectly and reassembled it.

Perfect solution and only used 1 mug of tea.

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:
Drilled the relevant hole and popped it open.

Do you have a good picture of exactly where you drilled the hole?  I (and others I assume) would be interested in seeing it.  The concept is to get access to push back the metal tab that holds the front of the gas cap down, right?

I did mine as a temporary stop gap measure while I sourced a replacement cap. You need to drill a 6-8mm hole drill and then use a small screw driver to push back the catch. Even though I have sourced a new cap I am still using the modified cap after I replaced a broken pin on the tumbler mechanism. I drilled out the broken off pin and replaced it with a piece of pop rivet shaft which I then glued in. The hole drilled into the cap was filled with a plastic push in plug sourced from local car part shop.
Regards Martin.

Here's the link to the posts regarding drilling a hole in the gas/petrol cap/lid/thingo.

charlie99 wrote:many of the wafers in locks tend to bind with poor - no lubrication for years and years

No kidding,  I've taken my share of K locks apart and some have quite a lot of "microdust" in them and whatever grease BMW used seems to get quite stiff in some locks.  So I think a day or two of penetrating oil might be appropriate before trying to pick these locks.

After doing some research I came to the conclusion that a good way to start might be to try what are called auto jiggler keys so a picked up a set from Taiwan for about $5.



I'll give them a whirl when they show up and report back.

(Over the years I've collected some 100-odd different K bike keys and usually if I try all of them in a lock I can find a key that will work but every now and then I come across a K lock that I don't have a key for.)

When I bought the Mystic a coupla years ago it came without keys. In the back of the pickup I brought it home in, I drove to a local dealership which I knew had a large tray full of spare, single sided keys. They also have a tub of double sided keys for Oilheads, etc. Standing in the back of the ute under the sunshine of a beautiful, Washington Summer arvo I reached in and tried every key, of about three hundred. The pile grew smaller with every reject. Down in the dusty bottom were just two keys remaining. The second to the last key fit snugly, reluctantly turned halfway, then stopped. A wiggle back and forth and, Houston, we have ignition. A quick file across the ridges and valleys and Bob's yer uncle. Lubing the lock cylinder later on was the icing on the cake.


That last key didn't fit.

There are quite a fair number of codes.

Two Wheels Better wrote:That last key didn't fit.

Damn. You just spoiled a perfectly good 'so the last key you tried worked' joke.

I just scored a nice 22L top case on eBay.  I sat down on the couch last night with a beer and my bucket of keys expecting it to take a while. Imagine my surprise when the third key I tried on it worked.

A month or so ago, I got a great deal on a pair of keyless city cases.  Unpacked them in the garage and grabbed the ignition key from the closest bike to see if it would work.

And it did!!!

A few years ago one of my pannier tumblers fell out. I managed to score a complete set of tumblers from the UK for around $70.00 AU. I was prepared to redo the locks to fit my original key but it fitted. I tried my key in a mates panniers R100 and it also fitted, my key also opens another mates K75 panniers.  I've yet to try it in their ignitions. I did buy a 22Lt top box but I had to rekey it, you can't win all the time just most of the time.
Regards Martin.

Point-Seven-five wrote:A month or so ago, I got a great deal on a pair of keyless city cases.  Unpacked them in the garage and grabbed the ignition key from the closest bike to see if it would work.

And it did!!!

A lot of times the locks on side cases have been filed down by a previous owner to work with their ignition key.  My city cases work with just about any key - which is nice since I can use them on any of my bikes and not have to worry about it.

Once upon a time in a BMW dealership, there was a mechanic who used to put the lock cylinders together for customers. In order to speed up the process when multiple locks needed to be keyed, he'd put only so many tumblers into them. It meant "almost" anyone's key would fit, but hey, BMW people are honest.

Two Wheels Better wrote:Once upon a time in a BMW dealership, there was a mechanic who used to put the lock cylinders together for customers. In order to speed up the process when multiple locks needed to be keyed, he'd put only so many tumblers into them. It meant "almost" anyone's key would fit, but hey, BMW people are honest.

And if somebody REALLY wants to steal or break into your cases all they need is a screwdriver to pop the latches off of their rivets.  Locks really just prevent lazy thieves from stealing or make more determined thieves have to exert some effort.