I hate key fobs

[TheMunsie]

I 100% understand the frustration with fobs in general, but I have not had a single issue with the one used for my Rocket. I wear a riding jacket with multiple front pockets on it, and leave the fob in one of them at all times. I do not power it down between rides, and simply hang the jacket inside my house away from the bike. When I want to ride, I put the jacket on and start the bike without thinking about it. The current battery has lasted the past 12 months and shows no signs of dying yet, even though I leave it on 24/7.

My passive keys are either in my pants pocket or in the house at all times, and it's extremely rare I need them for anything other than when I use my panniers.

 

[lotus]

Ok.....I called my local Triumph dealer and ordered two Passive Keys. $154 and 10 days to have in hand.
The parts guy patiently listened to me whine about the situation and when I took a breath,
he said "Yeah...it sucks. Will that be credit or debt". I said credit and he said "There'll be a $3 added on for
transaction fee". Argh
Well worth the peace of mind I guess. He told me if it was the FOB, that would be ~$500. He then
added he had a customer drill a hole in his Passive Key to attach to his key ring. Drilled right through the
embedded chip. Oops

I'm thinking about surgically having the FOB embedded in my left ass check. Hmm, maybe not. Every time I'd sit
down, I wouldn't know if it turned on or off. I've never heard of having to turn ON a FOB before.
Also, putting it in my left pocket doesn't always work because I forget to NOT put my cell phone in the pocket with the FOB.
I discovered the cell phone will jam the signal.

Ahh, the old days of a simple mechanical key.......
In my 64 years and 200K miles of riding motorcycles, I have never heard of ANYBODY having a problem with the mechanical key.
I believe it's all about revenue generation.

I do absolutely love the bike though....

So now it's September and had purchased a set (2) of passive keys. Out of caution, put a bright green lanyard on the FOB so if I drop it in a
parking lot, I'll be able to easily see it? Also taped a label on the FOB that states "If found, please call xxx-xxx-xxxx". This worked on my cell phone a couple years ago.
Hmm.... now where do I put the passive key on the bike. Magnetic box on frame, tape, ty-wrap? At the same time being secure and accessible. I have found my solution using "3M Emblem Tape" that is used to fix emblems to cars. It's great stuff I've used for years. High temp, waterproof and long lasting. I won't try to explain where I ended up putting the key, just look at the attached pics. The passive key is close
to the forward antenna, but since the forward antenna doesn't recognize passive keys, it hasn't proved to be a problem.
I'm not at all concerned about theft, as you wouldn't notice it, and if you did, where would they use it. Hell, I can't get it to work half the time without moving back and forth over the antenna area. Argh
I'm satisfied......

 

[Kiwicol]

Nice tidy solution. You realise there's another antenna up front near the headlight? Just wondering if leaving a coded spare key in this vicinity might leave the bike able to be started with a push of the ignition switch, best ya check it.

 

[Tal]

Nice tidy solution. You realise there's another antenna up front near the headlight? Just wondering if leaving a coded spare key in this vicinity might leave the bike able to be started with a push of the ignition switch, best ya check it.

Hmmm...you sure about that 2nd antenna??...hadnt heard of that one?...where is it ?

 

[Einar]

Hmmm...you sure about that 2nd antenna??...hadnt heard of that one?...where is it ?

It's inside and to the right (as you're sitting on the bike) of the fairing/box above the headlight.

 

[rick danger]

It's inside and to the right (as you're sitting on the bike) of the fairing/box above the headlight.

Oh, is that what that is? I just had the lid off that box, and I was wondering what that was. Gonna test it out with
the extra key

 

[Einar]

Oh, is that what that is? I just had the lid off that box, and I was wondering what that was. Gonna test it out the extra key

It doesn't seem to work with passive keys, at least not when put together. Haven't tried it when I've had the cover off. I presumed it's meant for the active key in scenarios where the rider's body degrades the signal before it reaches the rear antenna (like sitting in a front right pocket).

 

[bcar00]

Hmmm...you sure about that 2nd antenna??...hadnt heard of that one?...where is it ?

As I understand it, the front antenna is for the active remote only. I tried, and no matter where I place a passive key, it would not start the bike. I even took the little piece of plastic off and placed the passive key right on top of the sensor, and no go.

 

[lotus]

Einar....
When thinking about the Key FOB, I understand there are two functions: "Active" AND "Passive" key access to ignition.
Do you know if there are two different data fields contained within the ECU that contains the ACTIVE key code and another
for the PASSIVE key code? The reason I'm asking is the the ACTIVE key mode works fine. The PASSIVE function in the FOB
doesn't seem to work.
I'm about to pay my dealer to "pair" the passive key function in both FOB and physical keys). I'll be asking to make sure the "Passive" code is correct
for the FOB portion AND physical keys.
Thanks....
Argh.....this is so unnecessary.................. I still say this implementation is a revenue generator for Triumph

 

[Nungers]

Lotus, I don't think it is a revenue thing from Triumph, they all do it now, I just think it is a gimmick same as the service light, lane assist etc etc. No real value just a PITA