Looking for a solution for lost key

Here's what happened. After calling Lectric and telling me they couldn't help I called a locksmith to come out, who spent 40 minutes trying to pick the lock and failed. He then helped someone else and came back to me and tried again for another 15 minutes and failed. He really tried hard to crack it. He then said the only thing he could think to do was drill it out. Mind you this guy had a very well equipped van with tons of blanks, and he was at least 50 yrs old - no spring chicken. He was very professional and spoke with experience.

I made the decision to let him drill out the lock. He broke 3 bits in the process but finally was able to turn it with a screwdriver and got the battery out.

I unscrewed the angled plastic face off and removed the keylock switch.I shorted the 2 white wires that went to it and put the battery back in the bike. Since the electronics automatically shuts off after a time delay there was no significant power drain, although the battery was essentially "active" all the time now. Bottom line is that I was able to enjoy the use of my bike despite the disappointing way I had to do it.

I'm hoping I can get a replacement key switch from Lectric. It might be possible to take it to a locksmith to replace the tumbler, but I'd rather just get a new switch. If not I'll rig a switch and keep a small wooden dowel on the bike to keep the battery from falling out when I fold the bike.
 
JoyRider said:
Here's what happened. After calling Lectric and telling me they couldn't help I called a locksmith to come out, who spent 40 minutes trying to pick the lock and failed. He then helped someone else and came back to me and tried again for another 15 minutes and failed. He really tried hard to crack it. He then said the only thing he could think to do was drill it out. Mind you this guy had a very well equipped van with tons of blanks, and he was at least 50 yrs old - no spring chicken. He was very professional and spoke with experience.

I made the decision to let him drill out the lock. He broke 3 bits in the process but finally was able to turn it with a screwdriver and got the battery out.

I unscrewed the angled plastic face off and removed the keylock switch.I shorted the 2 white wires that went to it and put the battery back in the bike. Since the electronics automatically shuts off after a time delay there was no significant power drain, although the battery was essentially "active" all the time now. Bottom line is that I was able to enjoy the use of my bike despite the disappointing way I had to do it.

I'm hoping I can get a replacement key switch from Lectric. It might be possible to take it to a locksmith to replace the tumbler, but I'd rather just get a new switch. If not I'll rig a switch and keep a small wooden dowel on the bike to keep the battery from falling out when I fold the bike.
Click to expand...
Must say I’m shocked that Lectric said they couldn’t help!
 
Dallant said:
Must say I’m shocked that Lectric said they couldn’t help!
Click to expand...
i hear you but what would you think theyd be able to do? if i buy a lock at Home Dept and lose the key, Home Depot is not likely to be able to help. i guess the good news is Lectric owners now know the battery system isn’t just some fake feature where they use the same key for every battery. the battery actually DOES lock into the frame making removal, even by an experienced locksmith, difficult.

my plan is to buy a 10-pack,of the Honda key blanks and have 5 spare keys cut for each of my two bikes and kept in strategic locations, home, the car used to transport bikes, etc.
 
rawlus said:
i hear you but what would you think theyd be able to do? if i buy a lock at Home Dept and lose the key, Home Depot is not likely to be able to help. i guess the good news is Lectric owners now know the battery system isn’t just some fake feature where they use the same key for every battery. the battery actually DOES lock into the frame making removal, even by an experienced locksmith, difficult.

my plan is to buy a 10-pack,of the Honda key blanks and have 5 spare keys cut for each of my two bikes and kept in strategic locations, home, the car used to transport bikes, etc.
Click to expand...
Well, I have a card that comes with my Trek that has an Abus key code. Given you have that info, my guess is they could overnight a key to you but I could be wrong and I sure don’t know how Lectric works. Best of luck!
 
actually if lectric really thought about it just provide 4 keys and up the price 10 bucks

WOW. A. SOLUTION

or just get a couple of keys cut that work when you get the bike, although this can take a few hours out of your day and a few miles if you live in the country
extra FACTORY keys is the solution. easy. peasy


I should add that if they are selling 200 bikes a day it would be a nightmare trying to keep track of all the key numbers and quite frankly mistakes would be made

an extra couple of keys by the factory is the on,y answer

that would save them 35 bucks a bike in time lost to track key numbers with emails and phone calls
there cost would be under 5 bucks per bike for,extra keys

make sure lectric reads this and provides me an accessory for my solution

Later eh
 
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I'm dismayed that your lock guy couldn't deal with that lock. I was sitting in my car on a Sunday morning, 600 miles from home in Toronto, with my predicament, and the guy had a key made in minutes. Cost me like 100 bucks Canadian, which I had, and it solved the problem of getting rid of my Canadian money.
 
I looked it up. It's called making a key impression. Long video, but covers it. Guess your guy never learned this,

 
Wow, you're right. After only watching 3 minutes of that video I understand the technique. Although a double sided key like the Lectic bikes use are more difficult to "crack", the technique will still work. For security reason I won't get into all the things that occur to me that might be useful here.

As good as I thought that locksmith was I now realize he could've been better. He didn't even try this technique or attempt to find a blank to use (to be fair he might have known he didn't have blanks for anything besides cars & homes).

Let this be a lesson to all of you that go far from home, to always carry a spare! The suggestion I hope Lectric hears is to ship more keys with each bike, or at least some blanks owners could have cut for their particular keys.
 
JoyRider said:
Wow, you're right. After only watching 3 minutes of that video I understand the technique. Although a double sided key like the Lectic bikes use are more difficult to "crack", the technique will still work. For security reason I won't get into all the things that occur to me that might be useful here.

As good as I thought that locksmith was I now realize he could've been better. He didn't even try this technique or attempt to find a blank to use (to be fair he might have known he didn't have blanks for anything besides cars & homes).

Let this be a lesson to all of you that go far from home, to always carry a spare! The suggestion I hope Lectric hears is to ship more keys with each bike, or at least some blanks owners could have cut for their particular keys.
Click to expand...
The key is a Honda motorcycle key, HD75 or X138 blank.

Ilco Honda Motorcycle Key Blank - Door Lock Replacement Parts - Amazon.com

Ilco Honda Motorcycle Key Blank - Door Lock Replacement Parts - Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
 
JoyRider said:
Do you know if it's the same blank for version 1 Lectrics as version 2, or the same for step-thrus as for XPs?
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My understanding is the batteries themselves are interchangeable between the two models so it would make sense thwt the keys are as well, but perhaps something to fully confirm with Lectric customer service.
 
I know the batteries between xp & step-thru aren't interchangable, but I suspect they are between xp v1 & xp v2 are as well as step-thru v1 & v2.

I need to contact xp customer server to see about getting a replacement keylock switch since the one the locksmith drilled out is damaged now.
 
JoyRider said:
I know the batteries between xp & step-thru aren't interchangable, but I suspect they are between xp v1 & xp v2 are as well as step-thru v1 & v2.

I need to contact xp customer server to see about getting a replacement keylock switch since the one the locksmith drilled out is damaged now.
Click to expand...
Was there nobody that has access to your home in case of emergency ? Someone who could overnight you the spare?
 
RobK said:
Here you go
www.ebay.com

Ebike Key Ignition Lock Switch & key for Battery Box Case Lock Scooter Ebike 05 | eBay

1--High quality Electric Bicycle Ignition on/off and battery switch locks. 3--Easy and simple installation. We will try our best to reduce the risk of the custom duties.
www.ebay.com
Click to expand...
That IS IT!!!

Thank you for that, I will order a replacement right away.

I contacted Lectric and once again:

I contacted customer service by phone several weeks ago to ask for help to get my step-thru unlocked (see https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/looking-for-a-solution-for-lost-key.43651/). I authorized the locksmith to drill out the key switch as a last resort. I was able to fix the battery so I could use the bike, at the expense of voiding the battery warranty. I am contacting you now to request a replacement keylock switch to restore my step-thru security. Also to confirm if the XP and step-thru both use the same key blank part number since I own both types of ebikes (version 1).

And once again they failed to come through for me. Here is their reply:

Hey Thomas,

Thanks for reaching out!
I'm glad you were able to get a locksmith to help you.

We cannot sent any replacement parts for the battery- I do apologize for this inconvenience.
The batteries do all use the same blank key code!

Please let me know if there's anything else we can help you with!

Best,
Cass

Pretty poor support when the part in question can be obtained from ebay.
 
Hey joyrider were you able to fix the lock switch with the above ebay product? If so, how hard was it to do?
 
I know a little bit about locksmiths, had a close friend who worked for one. First off they have to have a blank. No blank they can’t do it. When I saw it done they burned the key, to put soot on it. The soot would leave impressions from the tumblers. Then you would file it to make the correct key. It’s a very painstaking process. I’m betting there is a higher tech way now than soot on the key.
 
To prevent all this from happening on our bikes, I have one key tie wrapped to the charger cord, and a second key tie wrapped within a bundle of wires on the bike which pretty much make it invisible even when you are looking at it. Fwiw....
 
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