Scared of losing your key fob?

Mark H said:

Ever since I got my new R1200GS with Keyless Ride I've been concerned about losing my fob.
These things cost a fortune to replace and they only give you one when you buy a new bike. Yes I know the little indicator on the instrumentation on the bike illuminates if the bike is running and the fob isn't in range but other than that - you are on your own - so what can you do to protect them?

Well you could get one of these. And let me say, I have no connection to this company or the product.

The TrackR Bravo - LINK

... is a very cool little tracking device (similar to the Tile - LINK) but I like this one a little more, with the main advantage being it has a replaceable battery.

It let's you locate your key/fob (or anything, even the dog) if you misplace them using your smart-phone, or for that matter your phone via the device, and it also let's you know if you are moving more than a certain distance away from the item using "separation alerts".
You can even attach one to your bike and locate the bike - BUT - this uses the "crowd GPS" network which may not be as developed or as wide spread as it needs to be to find a device outside of your network range.

Very cool little bit of tech.

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I supported this startup over a year ago, if I recall. I have four of five of these and ran into issues with battery life and pairing issues, but the biggest drawback is they are dependant on the crowd network to locate any lost devices, as you point out.
I had one attached to a Ducati Keyless Keyfob and accidentally left the key in the lock under the Diavel tail unit (that is used to remove the seat), and rode off. Twenty minutes later I arrive home and see the key icon is lit, and recall I didn't take the key out of the lock, then see the hole in the rear hugger the key must have made when it dropped out of the lock onto the Diavel's fat rear tyre and got dragged into the gap, ripping a hole in the hugger.
The iPhone app didn't track the TrackR despite being paired, and so the key and fob plus the $458 to replace the fob and get the special laser cut key made were all gone forever! Now I just keep the fobs in my jacket pocket on an elasticated leash....

Anyname said:

And then there is the keyless hack that car thieves have come up with. You can find instructions on the net (so they say) that allow a reasonably clever person to make a amplifying relay device for the wireless key fob. The vehicle is parked out of range of the fob, but the device amplifies the signal so that the car unlocks and can be driven away. At least one tech writer is hiding their keys in the fridge at night to block the signal.

http://www.wired.com/2015/08/hackers-tiny-device-unlocks-cars-opens-garages/

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The microwave is a better choice for blocking electronic waves/signals. Even though Kelly Ann tells us someone may spy it via a camera

desmoderek said:

Now I just keep the fobs in my jacket pocket on an elasticated leash....

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Pockets with zippers are your friend.

BCKRider said:

! (Will let you all know if the cost is really a buck per battery.)

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Come on really? Your in Canada, not Kansas ( anymore Toto).

Fob in tankbag

Serious question....
I always left my key in the ignition of my past bikes and tossed my jacket over the dash/windshield/helmet when departing. Many miles and many locations have never had anything stolen or lost my keys. ( I would take it out if at a hotel/motel at night )

Now I have a fob for the RTW which I leave in the tankbag which stays with the bike... I still don't lose my keys but wonder if the battery on the bike or the fob will draw down after a while?

I actually bought a second fob with the bike because I didn't trust myself...good thing too....thank you so much to the person who turned my fob into the lost and found this past summer in Salt Lake City. I was having tires installed and took the key out of the tankbag to leave it on the seat.

blast54 said:

Serious question....
I always left my key in the ignition of my past bikes and tossed my jacket over the dash/windshield/helmet when departing. Many miles and many locations have never had anything stolen or lost my keys. ( I would take it out if at a hotel/motel at night )

Now I have a fob for the RTW which I leave in the tankbag which stays with the bike... I still don't lose my keys but wonder if the battery on the bike or the fob will draw down after a while?

I actually bought a second fob with the bike because I didn't trust myself...good thing too....thank you so much to the person who turned my fob into the lost and found this past summer in Salt Lake City. I was having tires installed and took the key out of the tankbag to leave it on the seat.

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Carry an extra battery for your fob. Best not to leave the fob on the bike for extended periods when it is not running. When the fob is in-range the bike’s electronics remain more active than when it is out of range and more power is used.

beemermyke said:

And back to the FOB... my friend and I tested two 2016 models, a R1200RT and a R1200GSA. I rode the RT first, and the key fob was on the bike in the compartment on the gas tank. My friend had the key FOB to the GS in his pocket. When we swapped bikes and he pulled away from me on the RT, we both soon realized that the little key icon I was seeing on the GS was because the FOB was out of range. When I picked up my GSA last week, the salesman told me that the extra "wallet" key has a chip in it. You wave it in the vicinity of the (insert area here, I forgot!) and it will activate the start system for 30 seconds so you can start it. Not too sure of the advantages of a keyless ignition, if any...

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It's the little dark spot on it's bum. Easier to find if it had hair around it.

Seriously though

I took the plastic key, removed the lining of my helmet and drew the outline of it in the flatest area of the helmet. From within the outline I used a small blunt object to depress the area inside the line just enough to hold the key within the lines then put a piece of electrical tape on it. Replace the liner. It's always in the helmet just use a lock to take the helmet with you.

For the regular key fob. It goes on a carabiner attached to my belt loop.

I did the same thing with that spare "chipped" key... removed the liner and then duct-taped it to the Styrofoam.

I was blowing snow recently, when I heard a "ching" and saw a black object fly through the air and land in the snow. It was my Subaru fob and house keys. Luckily it still works fine.

Rinty said:

I was blowing snow recently, when I heard a "ching" and saw a black object fly through the air and land in the snow. It was my Subaru fob and house keys. Luckily it still works fine.

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WoW.........single stage?
OM

t6pilot said:

A ride a couple months ago with a couple Harley buddies, both bikes keyless, first stop #1 Harley starts #2 has dead key fob battery.

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A couple of weeks ago I started my wethead GS. I little message appeared along the bottom of the dash "lo key." I went to Walmart and bought a 2-pack of batteries for the key fob. Problem averted, problem solved: it was not difficult.

Omega Man said:

Ahem......it seems around here the cars with the keyless- push button on dash start feature are being left running
Really kinda a problem when the owner pulls into the garage and goes to the bedroom over the garage for s nap
OM

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Doesn't take much to tell if a car is still running or not. Exception would be a Prius which is programmed not to sit still and burn gas. But both of my Prius (Prii?) will beep, beep, beep if I try to walk away with the car still activated...This could be a problem if a hybrid is left active in a garage...but since I don't have a garage, and can still hear beeps, no problem here.

PS: I only own one Prius: my daughter was given the older one.

AKsuited said:

Doesn't take much to tell if a car is still running or not. Exception would be a Prius which is programmed not to sit still and burn gas. But both of my Prius (Prii?) will beep, beep, beep if I try to walk away with the car still activated...This could be a problem if a hybrid is left active in a garage...but since I don't have a garage, and can still hear beeps, no problem here.

PS: I only own one Prius: my daughter was given the older one.

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Maybe the new ones beep when walking away, but the older ones didn't. My father-in-law, twice, walked away from his Prius w/o shutting it down. Both times the Prius' high voltage battery ran down, then the Prius started the gas engine to recharge the battery, then shut off. The Hi-Voltage battery ran down, and the gas engine cycle restarted. It would go through this cycle until the car ran out of gas, and the battery ran down! Great fun to get into a Prius that's out of gas w/a dead battery! (The car was parked in a car port and no one notice when the gas engine fired up).

jgoertz said:

Maybe the new ones beep when walking away, but the older ones didn't.

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My first Prius was a 2007 and it beeped like mad if I tried to walk away from it while it was still on.

My Prius Prime is a plug-in, so if it has any charge left in the "plug-in partition" of the battery pack it defaults to EV mode and will just sit there and not run the engine. The engine might come on when that charge is gone, but that would be days or even weeks away.

Omega Man said:

WoW.........single stage?OM

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Yes.

TrackR Bravo / Key FOB

The technology for the TrackR Bravo or similar GPS 'trackers' are pretty nifty.
However, they do rely on social/crowd sourcing. Which is probably one of the reasons they have a fairly aggressive advertisement campaign (get users in the 'field').

Scenario: You put the widget on your key. You lose your key. I walk by, and I have the app on my smart phone that monitors the widgets; when your widget is detected, the app logs the ID and GPS coordinates - the 'owner' is advised of the location. Currently the biggest LIMFAC; not many folks have the app on their smart phones, and smart phones are chewing through miliamperes on a battery rapidly - so folks tend to disable apps, background cycles, etc. to increase longevity.


The really flimsy plastic key that should have came with your bike will 'keylessly' start your ride if you put the key in the rear wheel well (basically between the tire and your tail bone - on the tire side; you'll see a thing in the shroud that doesn't look like the rest of the fender). It's a bit of a trick to start in this manner - because the books says you have time to move from the rear to the start button -- but, your mileage may vary. Give it a try! You'll need to remember to leave your key FOB in the house for this science project. I've tried this experiment, it's a challenge, much easier to do with a friend.

If you don't lose your key FOB, but the battery is dead; you can start the bike the same way with the key FOB. Shove the de-energized FOB under the rear mud flap and run to the on button to start. I have not tried this one in practice - however, I did see a YouTube video where a guy did it -- so it has to be true!

I like the idea of taping a replacement battery inside my pannier; and securing the 'valet' key inside my helmet liner. Great tips!

Yes; I am scared of losing my key fob. My solution? I attached a lanyard to the key FOB, which is attached to a cosmetic carabiner to attach to my belt loop on my pants; the lanyard/cord is long enough to sit comfortably in my front or rear pocket. Problem solved. As I understand the key fob will create a parasitic current draw on the bike, as the bike searches for the fob - minor but good to be aware of because of all of the electrical gremlins and magic smoke involved in riding the newer RT's.

stogey said:

The really flimsy plastic key that should have came with your bike will 'keylessly' start your ride if you put the key in the rear wheel well (basically between the tire and your tail bone - on the tire side; you'll see a thing in the shroud that doesn't look like the rest of the fender).

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This is not the same location on all models.
On the RS you slip the key in the gap of the front and pillion seat.
For a fob with a dead battery you have to remove the pillion seat and place the fob on top of the receiver.

I believe the location for a RT is forward of the ignition switch.

Trying to pair new fob

My key was damaged by the dealer when my 2015 R1200RT was serviced. I just got a new fob from the dealer, who told my that pairing is easy. The notice accompanying the key said that the ring antenna (against which I am to hold it) was model specific and to check my owners manual for it's location. I cant find it on the bike or in the manual, though it is shown surrounding the keyhole on a NON keyless bike. Same place on keyless? . The dealer's closed for the holiday. Any advice in the next 24 hrs would be appreciated.