While sharing the cabin in Ballarat, Diesel and I agreed on our paranoia about losing our chipped bike key. For instance, if mine had fallen into a sewer drain and vanished, I'd have to wait for my spare to come from Brisbane. If, as Diesel does, I carried my spare, I'd have all my eggs in one potentially vulnerable location.
Like a few others, I have bought the pair of blanks from Hong Kong for $10 and had them cut. I cut one down for the fuel cap and panniers and the other will start the bike if I hold the chipped key next to it until the FI light goes out.
What if I were to get a copy of the chip? So I enquired at my local Mister Minit and for $100, they would make me a copy chip. For $180 they would put it in a key and cut it. All I wanted was the chip because I could then use my blank key and leave it in the ignition while I paid for my petrol and start the bike using the proximity aspect.
Why bother? Well, it gives me redundancy without taking my spare out of the drawer at home. And there are times with the bar risers, that the key just doesn't want to go in- folk have been known to break them. Also, on IBR rides, turn-around time can be critical.
So here's what the chip looks like, and my rough cut holder frame:
I then encased it all in my favourite mouldable epoxy thusly:
then put that tag on a recoil line to my belt with my mini key (useful for opening the tank when the tankbag is on) and I feel much better about my key status.
$100 isn't cheap- I actually got it for $90 because I have a loyalty card for MM- but with the blank and the cutting thereof, I have a spare for around $130. When I tried to get a spare through the Honda system, they match the bike computer to the key- dandy when it works, which it didn't for me and I ended up selling the 2004 ST13 with only one key. And, the Honda FI will only accept four different keys, so don't get the losing habit, or you'll have to use the Biggles system.