Re Keying Cases

[Ebbo]

For anyone interested in re keying their R1200RT cases I’ve written up a walkthrough here

http://www.ebbo.org/re_keying.php

 

If anyone spots any glaring errors, please let me know

 

Thanks, ebbo

[Albert]

Yikes! That is VERY nicely done. Thanks.

[keithb]

Damn. Really nicely done! Maybe we will employ you to spruce up everybodies submissions. Great job.

[Ebbo]

Damn. Really nicely done! Maybe we will employ you to spruce up everybodies submissions. Great job.

Cheers guys, but I think I’ll pass on the job offer thanks

[BereIsland]

Thanks, a great run through.

I bought a second set of panniers on ebay a while back and have been using them with the key that came with them, its been a pain having two identical keys.

 

Steve

[tealc]

Thanks Ebbo,

 

I was resigned to using 2 keys for the bike,

have tried a few times to relaese the lock using a tool similar to the one in the attached picture but not knowing what to depress I was fighting a loosing battle plus a lot of hair.

Your posting will help greatly on my next attempt.

 

Will let you all know if I succeed.

 

regards

 

T

[JayW]

Very well done - and great photos too.

 

I bought a used 49L top box (from this site), for my RT and was all ready to blow an hour or 2 changing out the tumblers. To my surprise, my key fit without changing a thing. It makes me wonder how many different permutatations there can be to this system - either not that many, or I am very lucky.

 

Jay

[decorbin]

Where were you three days ago!

 

BMW sells a "special tool" to do the same thing your screw driver/paper clip does....for $70. Being the cheapscape that I am, I opted to disassemble the side cases to do the job. I do not recommend this. The interior of these was designed by someone who believes in torture. I got the job done, but it sure took a lot of time.

 

Your post is very well done and will save a lot of people a lot of time.

[markprice]

Well, You may get sick of hearing it ebbo but that was swell! Professional looking job.I've saved you to favorites.

Mark

[keithb]

Small thread hijack. Amen Dan on the torture test getting into the interior of the side cases. I thought the person or persons that designed this were probably smart but also sadistic.

[Ebbo]

Where were you three days ago!

 

BMW sells a "special tool" to do the same thing your screw driver/paper clip does....for $70. Being the cheapscape that I am, I opted to disassemble the side cases to do the job. I do not recommend this. The interior of these was designed by someone who believes in torture. I got the job done, but it sure took a lot of time.

 

Your post is very well done and will save a lot of people a lot of time.

Yes do let me know how you get on, and if you can find out what the part number is for BMW's official extractor is I'll add it to the page,

 

Thanks everyone

[tealc]

Well a BIG THANK YOU to Ebbo,

 

I did mine today and thanks to the the instructions provided only took minutes to get the lock out, after replacing the recoded lock back in the topbox I realised I had not greased the barrel, it took less than a minute to get the lock out again (easy when you know how).

Put your link on the BMrider site in the UK, hope you don't mind,

http://www.bmrider.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=8919#post8919

 

If I ever meet you Ebbo, I owe you a pint or two.

 

Thanks again

 

T

[Ebbo]

Well a BIG THANK YOU to Ebbo,

 

I did mine today and thanks to the the instructions provided only took minutes to get the lock out, after replacing the recoded lock back in the topbox I realised I had not greased the barrel, it took less than a minute to get the lock out again (easy when you know how).

Put your link on the BMrider site in the UK, hope you don't mind,

http://www.bmrider.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=8919#post8919

 

If I ever meet you Ebbo, I owe you a pint or two.

 

Thanks again

 

T

That’s great tealc, well done lad!

[Merch]

Ebbo;

 

Please let me add to the long list of appreciative folks...great stuff

 

Now the disturbing news: Once I pulled out the barrel, it became obvious why I had to 'jiggle' the key just right in order to lock/unlock the topcase. The local dealer who did the 're-code' when I bought the topcase apparently filed/ground the wafers to fit (just not a very good job). Obvious flat spot marks, wearing away the plating on all three of the locking tabs. GRRR I've never been particularly happy with this dealer, and this one sealed it!!!

 

Anyway, can anyone tell me how to get the wafers out of the barrel? It must be simple/obvious, but I'm missing it!

 

Thanks

Dave

[Merch]

Attached is a photo of the dealer's "work"

[RoadJunkie]

Ok, I'm not holding my mouth right...or something. I can't seem to be able to remove the lock wafers from the core. Key is out but something seems to be retaining them. Any help?

[lubie]

I got one side case hit (by my wife on her R1150R ) and it broke the tab that slides up and locks the case to the bike. Had to tear the case apart and jb weld the tab. Torture isn't the word. Is it just me, or does anybody else think that lock system is WAY over-engineered? What ever happened to keep it simple?

[Jim VonBaden]

OK, I'm feeling stupid.

 

I got the lock out, but cant figure out how to get the tumbler, lock wafers out?

 

Any advice, as the instructions are lacking that step.

 

You have options modifying the lock to suit your key:

 

1, You can buy BMW's Lock Repair Kit. Part No: 51 25 7 698 204 to obtain spare wafers and springs.

 

2, You can try swapping around the incorrect wafers in the lock barrel as they can be correct when placed in another position.

 

3, You could leave out wafers and spring that you cannot correct (don't leave out too many as this reduces security)

 

4, After swapping wafers around to obtain the best fit, remaining incorrect wafers could be ground off flush (which I don't recommend!)

 

 

 

Once you have all the lock wafers correct it's time to replace the lock barrel.

 

Maybe I'm blind, but I have been messing with it for an hour.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Jim

 

PS I simply took the case apart to get to the tumbler release. It was easier and less frustrating than trying to hook into the little release hole.

[Jim VonBaden]

OK, I'm feeling stupid.

 

I got the lock out, but cant figure out how to get the tumbler, lock wafers out?

 

Any advice, as the instructions are lacking that step.

 

You have options modifying the lock to suit your key:

 

1, You can buy BMW's Lock Repair Kit. Part No: 51 25 7 698 204 to obtain spare wafers and springs.

 

2, You can try swapping around the incorrect wafers in the lock barrel as they can be correct when placed in another position.

 

3, You could leave out wafers and spring that you cannot correct (don't leave out too many as this reduces security)

 

4, After swapping wafers around to obtain the best fit, remaining incorrect wafers could be ground off flush (which I don't recommend!)

 

 

 

Once you have all the lock wafers correct it's time to replace the lock barrel.

 

Maybe I'm blind, but I have been messing with it for an hour.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Jim

 

PS I simply took the case apart to get to the tumbler release. It was easier and less frustrating than trying to hook into the little release hole.

 

The missing instruction is to pry off the chrome cap and remove the rod holding the plates in place.

 

Beware, there are tiny springs in there holding the rain/ice shield in place.

 

After getting the rode out, changing the key plates to the ignition key was easy.

 

I'll post pics tomorrow.

 

Jim

[tgrrdr]

If anyone spots any glaring errors...

 

Thanks ebbo for posting this - I had given up trying to remove the lock mechanism from my topcase. With my new tool - patterned after yours - I had it out in only a few minutes.

 

It's not a glaring error, but I have one question. In your instructions you go from "...these obviously are the ones to change" to "with the correct lock wafers in place..." the missing part for me is: How do you get the little wafers out of the lock barrel?

 

thanks again for the clear instructions and the great pictures!

[Ebbo]

Jim & tgrrdr,

 

It seems there is a type of lock barrel with a pin through holding the wafers in; I’ve not seen that before.

 

Jim, I’d be very interested in pictures of your lock barrel, if you can post them here. I’d like to include them on the walkthrough

 

Cheers, ebbo

[tealc]

Well a BIG THANK YOU to Ebbo,

 

I did mine today and thanks to the the instructions provided only took minutes to get the lock out, after replacing the recoded lock back in the topbox I realised I had not greased the barrel, it took less than a minute to get the lock out again (easy when you know how).

Put your link on the BMrider site in the UK, hope you don't mind,

http://www.bmrider.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=8919#post8919

 

If I ever meet you Ebbo, I owe you a pint or two.

 

Thanks again

 

T

 

When I took my lock out I could not get the pins out either so I took it to local dealer who made me up a new lock barrel coded to bike key.

The barrel kit is less than 20 GBP which is about $40, so if you are planning to change the lock it may be worth getting the kit before you start.

 

Regards

 

T

[Ebbo]

Cheers tealc, there maybe more of these ‘pinned’ barrels around, maybe it a feature with early bikes?

 

I’ll wait for Jim’s pictures and document it as soon as I can.

 

Thanks all, ebbo

[RoadJunkie]

Well, I successfully keyed a "pinned" core without too much trouble. While holding the core--lightly--in a vise, I used a bottle opener to pop off the top. I expect you must be careful on the type of bottle opener used. Mine has a large opening with a square cutout that supported the leverage at the far end of the pry point. Once the top is off you must carefully remove two spring loaded doors that keep dust, etc., from entering once the key is removed. The pin is located behind the doors and slight taping moves the pin out far enough to grab with tweezers. Set your lock wafers, reinstall the spring-loaded doors, pop the top back on and your done.

[Merch]

Or pay the dealer for a new lock set and get a ground down mess like I did!

[tealc]

Or pay the dealer for a new lock set and get a ground down mess like I did!

 

The dealer I went to had a box full of different wafers and it only took him a few minutes (as I watched) to fit into a new barrel, obviously all your dealer did was to get the old lock and grind all the protruding wafers off as he could not get them out instead of assembling a new lock barrel.

I think a note to BMW Motorad would be in order along with photo of the damaged lock.

[Ebbo]

Or pay the dealer for a new lock set and get a ground down mess like I did!

It is a bit of a mess Merch, maybe its a pinned barrel and they took the easy way out, I don't suppose they expected you to see the carnage

With a Dremel and a little carefully work it could be improved quite a bit

[Jim VonBaden]

Jim & tgrrdr,

 

It seems there is a type of lock barrel with a pin through holding the wafers in; I’ve not seen that before.

 

Jim, I’d be very interested in pictures of your lock barrel, if you can post them here. I’d like to include them on the walkthrough

 

Cheers, ebbo

 

Here you go!

 

 

Following on the excellent work here,, I found a couple missing parts, and thought I would supplement this with a few important notes and pictures of my own.

 

My GF has an R1200ST with system cases, but with non-ignition keyed tumblers. It was a pain for her, so I thought I would earn a few points and fix her up.

 

I had a very hard time trying to get the bent paperclip to unlock the tumbler. I just couldn’t get enough control over the paperclip, and couldn’t find the release. So I decided to take the case apart before my frustration made it happen in a less than controlled way!

 

The following are my supplemental instructions.

 

First remove the lid with the 4 Torx T25 screws.

 

Remove all the screws indicated by the arrows. These are Torx T-20 and T-25 screws. Make a note of their positions as it is easy to forget which is which.

 

Using the dreaded paperclip, I easily found the hole and pushed the release. You must have the working key in place to do this. Simply turn the key part way while pushing the release, and pull the key and tumbler out together.

 

Note how they come out as one piece.

 

Be careful not to let the locking mechanism come out of place, and make sure the control rods are securely in place as well. I found that just simply holding in position until I removed the tumbler was enough. Then just let it rest as is.

 

Here is the tumbler with the original key. Not that all the tumbler blades are flush without pushing on them.

 

Here is the new/ignition key. Notice how many of the tumbler plates are not flush. Also notice how some are? Mark the ones that are flush. You do not want to remove them.

 

I found the hardest part was removing the chrome cap that is on the top of the tumbler. It is very sturdy stainless steel, and will resist removal.

 

Place a bladed punch or screwdriver in the dimpled edge and tap firmly with a hammer. You will have to do this repeatedly until the dimples are nearly smooth.

 

Then take a punch to the edge while holding the tumbler at an angle and tap it firmly to remove it. It takes a bit of patience, but isn’t really hard.

 

Beware that under the stainless cap are two small blocks for keeping out rain and dirt, and two very small springs. Do not lose them, they are hard to replace, and necessary.

 

Once the cap is off you will find a locking rod made of brass. This rod keeps the tumbler plates in place.

 

Note the rod held in place.

 

 

Pull it out with a pair of small pliers. It is not in firmly, but the grease in the tumbler will keep it from just falling out.

 

Once the rod is out the tumbler plates can be easily remove by simply pulling them out. Be a bit gentle as not to disturb the small springs. Only pull the non-marked ones. Use the pulled ones to rearrange them and find the combination that gives you the most number of flush plates with the ignition key in place.

 

Here is what I ended up with using only rearranged plates. I had four good slots, and two I could not use. That is fine. Four of them should be easily sufficient to discourage the casual thief.

 

When you get them maximum number of plates in place, you are ready to reassemble the lock tumbler.

 

Put the rod back in place. It just slips in.

 

Then install the rain guards carefully. Beveled side up, and towards the center aligned with the key slot.

 

Install the springs. These go in easily, but will pop out of the tumbler is roughly handled.

 

Once you get the springs in, place the stainless steel cap in place and lined up with the key slot, tap the cap in place with a firm tap of a light hammer or other tool.

 

Place the lock on its side and remove the little springs from the unused plate slots.

 

Using a punch, or small screwdriver, tap the dimples back into the cap to hold it in place.

 

Note: The cap may not be really snug, and that is fine.

 

Test the key one more time for smooth action, and to ensure the tumbler plates are still flush.

 

Install the barrel with the flat positioned as in the picture. Turn the lock gently and pull the key.

 

Carefully reinstall the liner and replace all the screws.

 

Test the locking mechanism for functionality, and make sure it will allow you to lock and unlock the hold-down mechanism that latches the case to the bike.

 

Get congrats and gratitude from your SO!

 

Jim

[Jim VonBaden]

Well, I successfully keyed a "pinned" core without too much trouble. While holding the core--lightly--in a vise, I used a bottle opener to pop off the top. I expect you must be careful on the type of bottle opener used. Mine has a large opening with a square cutout that supported the leverage at the far end of the pry point. Once the top is off you must carefully remove two spring loaded doors that keep dust, etc., from entering once the key is removed. The pin is located behind the doors and slight taping moves the pin out far enough to grab with tweezers. Set your lock wafers, reinstall the spring-loaded doors, pop the top back on and your done.

 

Sweet, I should have tried that!

 

Jim

[tgrrdr]

ebbothere maybe more of these ‘pinned’ barrels around, maybe it a feature with early bikes?

 

As several previous posters have noted the early lock cylinders (like mine) have a different retaining wafer than the later ones. What I didn't know is that if you have one of the earlier models you (or someone else) can extract the core from the topcase with a bent paperclip - even if the case is closed and locked!

 

The problem is that the newer locks have a split retaining wafer (as pictured on ebbo's website .) The older ones have a solid wafer making the lock core very easy to remove.

 

My lock wasn't installed in the topcase at the time but the parts guy's demonstration was very convincing.

[Ebbo]

Jim, a brilliant walkthrough of the pinned lock barrel, well done

 

PS, I've tried to PM you, but your inbox is full,

[Jim VonBaden]

Jim, a brilliant walkthrough of the pinned lock barrel, well done

 

PS, I've tried to PM you, but your inbox is full,

 

Thanks for the compliments. I have done a few of these, and really enjoy it.

 

I'll clear my inbox.

 

Jim

[Ebbo]

Thanks Jim, I'll work on the webpage over the next few days to show the Pinned lock and your solution.

[Ebbo]

I've updated the page with a few of Jim's pictures describing the Type 2 pinned lock, thanks everyone for there contribution.

 

ebbo

[onedae]

Well - I must be totally inept. I tried to re-key my 28L topcase and after 2 hours of sheer frustration, I gave up. These instructions are great and easy to follow - BUT - no matter what I tried, I could not get the lock cylinder out. Using a wire hanger, bent into the right shape, I probed through the inspection hole and found what I thought was the release hole but nothing came loose. So I removed all the screws holding the inner case in place and attempted to remove the inner case so I could get to the lock more easily - BUT - something was still holding the inners in place. I think it was the handle mechanism which looked too intimidating to mess with. So, now that all the screws were removed, at least I could get my flashlight in between the inner and outer case and I could see everything much more clearly - BUT - still could not find the release hole. So after few more valiant attempts, I finally gave up.

I know I should let the dealer handle it but I would love to get this done myself. Any words of wisdom?

[tealc]

Dave,

 

I did my large topbox with no problems really, the wire hanger you were using may have been to thick, the use of a paper clip sized probe may work better, needs to be about 1mm in size.

When I first tried poking around in topbox I was using a thick piece of wire about 2mm thick and had no luck, but thanks to the instruction from Ebbo and a thinner paper clip I had no problem.

 

Good luck in your probing

 

Tealc

[Jim VonBaden]

Well - I must be totally inept. I tried to re-key my 28L topcase and after 2 hours of sheer frustration, I gave up. These instructions are great and easy to follow - BUT - no matter what I tried, I could not get the lock cylinder out. Using a wire hanger, bent into the right shape, I probed through the inspection hole and found what I thought was the release hole but nothing came loose. So I removed all the screws holding the inner case in place and attempted to remove the inner case so I could get to the lock more easily - BUT - something was still holding the inners in place. I think it was the handle mechanism which looked too intimidating to mess with. So, now that all the screws were removed, at least I could get my flashlight in between the inner and outer case and I could see everything much more clearly - BUT - still could not find the release hole. So after few more valiant attempts, I finally gave up.

I know I should let the dealer handle it but I would love to get this done myself. Any words of wisdom?

 

It is very likely you didn't get all the screws out.

 

It pretty much comes out easily if you remove every visable screw.

 

Jim

[onedae]

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked everywhere and I am sure I got all the screws out - except for the ones in the handle/latch mechanism (which I'm not fooling with). So unless there are screws hidden under the rubber bumpers or the rivets need to be removed (which I also won't touch), I guess I'm giving up. By the way, did you work on the topcse or saddlebag - I think the insides are different.

Any other ideas??

[Jim VonBaden]

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked everywhere and I am sure I got all the screws out - except for the ones in the handle/latch mechanism (which I'm not fooling with). So unless there are screws hidden under the rubber bumpers or the rivets need to be removed (which I also won't touch), I guess I'm giving up. By the way, did you work on the topcse or saddlebag - I think the insides are different.

Any other ideas??

 

You could be right. Mine was the saddlebags. I would loosen the screws for the latch mechanism, but not remove them. If the liner becomes loose, remove one screw at a time until it comes out.

 

In my experience if you carefully remove the liner, reinstalling it isn't too difficult.

 

Jim

[tgrrdr]

...the wire hanger you were using may have been to thick, the use of a paper clip sized probe may work better, needs to be about 1mm in size.

When I first tried poking around in topbox I was using a thick piece of wire about 2mm thick and had no luck, but thanks to the instruction from Ebbo and a thinner paper clip I had no problem.

 

Tealc

 

+1 on the paper clip, -1 on the hanger.

 

I too first tried the wire hanger without success, then I used a "large" paper clip bent into the correct shape. That combined with ebbo's excellent probing instructions and the lock came right out.

 

I don't want to pirate ebbo's picture/bandwidth, but this was the key picture for me.

 

thanks again ebbo.

[clangenw]

I used your instructions to re-key a 28L top case for my F800-ST... It worked beautifully on that model too. Thanks!!

[Dietrich]

Great job!

I did my re-keying by taking the large R1200RT top box apart, liner, everything. What a job. It worked, but took me two hours of tinkering to get it back together. I think a similar post was available than, but I looked for it only after my ordeal. Well, it wasn't that bad. Felt good to have it back in one piece. I was proud of myself. You live and learn - hopefully.

Dietrich

[BMWED]

Anyone disassemble the 28 Litre top box? Additional problem, I don't have the original key. It will be a challenge.

Ed