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Lesson Learned

GroundHawg

GroundHawg

Active Member
Headed out this morning around 7:30 for a ride. They were calling for rain later in the day but the weather was fine this morning. I figured I could get a good hour or so in before the SO woke up. Took mainly back roads and ended up at Caesars Creek Gorge Nature Preserve (its on Warren County Ohio). Neat place - there was one truck in the parking lot when I got there, no one in sight. I parked and walked around a bit. Figured it was time to head home so I went to start the bike - and the battery in the key fob decided it was time to retire... Being a safety conscious person, I had the PIN number in a safe place - at home... After about a 30 minute wait, the SO was up to answer the phone and was able to get the PIN and read the instructions on how to enter it in. I'm not sure how long it will take to forget the PIN but its in my head for now. I may write it on something in my wallet to be safe.

If you have a fob - I'd suggest giving the PIN a try before you're in a deserted parking lot 30 minutes from home with a weak cell phone signal. Or don't want 3 1/2 years to replace the battery. Oddly enough - I had a 97 Ford Explorer for 12 years - never had to replace the battery in the fob on it...
 
Good advice. My owner's manual came with a perforated wallet card that includes the instructions and a place for one to write down their PIN. Not ashamed to say I've used it.
 
I might be a little too zealous, but all my FOB, garage keypad & smoke/monoxide detector batteries get swapped every Oct (Fire Prevention Week). Guess it's the old Firefighter in me...just my thing & good reminder.
 
Cyclops said:
Good advice. My owner's manual came with a perforated wallet card that includes the instructions and a place for one to write down their PIN. Not ashamed to say I've used it.
Click to expand...

Thats the card I had safely stored at home :D

Iceman24 said:
I might be a little too zealous, but all my FOB, garage keypad & smoke/monoxide detector batteries get swapped every Oct (Fire Prevention Week). Guess it's the old Firefighter in me...just my thing & good reminder.
Click to expand...

Before today I might have thought that - not any more. I'll add the fob battery's to the list to change.
 
Yikes, I'm looking a new bike, and frankly this stuff gives me pause.

Do you have to use the fob if you elect not to? In other words, can you have the mechanism disconnected, go to "key only" or do some of these new bikes come without this system at all?

I have a A123 battery salted away in any jacket I wear when riding. That way my SureFire is guaranteed to run in an emergency. Can you carry a spare fob battery, and change it, without the thing dumping its memory?
 
The Tourist said:
Yikes, I'm looking a new bike, and frankly this stuff gives me pause.

Do you have to use the fob if you elect not to? In other words, can you have the mechanism disconnected, go to "key only" or do some of these new bikes come without this system at all?

I have a A123 battery salted away in any jacket I wear when riding. That way my SureFire is guaranteed to run in an emergency. Can you carry a spare fob battery, and change it, without the thing dumping its memory?
Click to expand...

On my bike the fob is required. Its part of the security system. I'm not sure how things work on bikes without the factory security system. The biggie is having access to the PIN number. Its easy to use the PIN method if you know the code, and know how to enter it. Entry is done with the turn signals. My problem was I didn't have the PIN on me and I didn't know how to enter it.

You could carry a spare battery, changing it does not reset anything. Opening up the fob is easy too. I used a small knife I carry - I'm guessing a dime could be used too.

I like the idea of changing the battery once a year. The battery is not anything special (I'm surprised its not a special HD battery :D) - I had one at the house.
 
Iceman24 said:
I might be a little too zealous, but all my FOB, garage keypad & smoke/monoxide detector batteries get swapped every Oct (Fire Prevention Week). Guess it's the old Firefighter in me...just my thing & good reminder.
Click to expand...

Ice..nothing wrong with being precise. Many things I do relate back to being Military Minded.
 
It's a good discipline to change Fob batteries, I write the date down that I buy them. I used to buy them at HD, but had a brand new on go bad on me. Must have been a shelf life thing. I now buy them from someplace where they move more quickly off the shelf. Yep, you guessed it, Walmart.

But I always CARRY my pin sequence and number in my wallet ON me. And make sure you have programmed your pin in for those of you have never done it.
 
This thread is so timely! I went out to start my bike today and sure enough, wouldn't turn over.

I popped the FOB and the battery registered 2.57 volts. I went in the house, got my secondary fob and the bike fired right up.

So, dug around the house and found a 2032 with 3.54 volts and plugged it into the primary FOB.

Interesting that both the OP and I have the same bike/yr... Looks like I will change these every odd year now...
 
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