The detail here applies directly to Honda motorcycles but is very common to most other Japanese bikes.
This is the cheapest way to get a key cut for your motorcycle. There are numbers on the body of the lock assemblies, helmet lock and gas cap. Here’s a picture to show you where to look.
Look carefully, the codes are highlighted with green. For Hondas from early 70s through mid 80s (at least), there are a combination of letters and numbers. If you’re lucky and your parts are all original. The code from any of the three sources will give you a key to fit everything.
There’s a combination of letters and numbers. If you’re lucky and your parts are all original, If so, one code from any of the three will give you a key to fit everything. On some models like the 77 550K, they used a pretty generic key for a locking panel hiding the gas cap, and a specific key for the ignition & helmet lock.
Locksmiths tell me they only need the last four digits usually, but it’s always good to take the lock with you because sometimes the key isn’t quite what the code states. Locksmiths work from a “cut sheet” which you can ask for and keep for your records if you want. If you have a collection of bikes as I do, it’s a good idea to keep a file about the history and maintenance of each bike, and include a spare set of keys that you have tested to be sure they work.
Next is the Hondaline hard bag latch & lock. Sorry for the fuzzy photo but you get the idea.
The code is on one of the edges that face down against the box. Undo the three nuts fastening the latch & lock from the bag, turn it over and there you go. Like with the items above, it’s best to take a latch & lock assembly with you to the locksmith, just to be sure you get something that works.
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