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Honda Key Issue

ADD A SPARE OR RE-PROGRAMME A HISS KEY

Recently I had one of my HISS keys break, on inspection, I noticed the other key was also starting to split. I have frequently alternated use between both of my keys so they were pretty much at the same point of wear. I had noticed that it was the constant opening and closing of the panniers and seat lock that was causing the real damage to my keys (I have a Honda Pan European ST1300). So now I was at decision time, both keys really needed to be replaced, and the time to do it is when you still have one key that is in one piece and still working. Go beyond this point and it will have to be new keys from Honda at £300 per key (or worse could mean a new ECU and Keys at £1000.00).

New chipped key blanks for your model bike from Honda are approx £26.00, from a locksmith £40.00 and from David Silver Spares £20.00. I decided to get my blanks from David Silver Spares and made a saving of £12.00 on the two blanks. Took them to my local key cutting shop and had both blanks cut for £6.00. While I was at it, I also had some chipless blanks cut (friendly key cutting shop supplied these). These chipless keys would in the future be used to open the fuel tank lock, seat lock and panniers. The keys for these locks do not need to be chipped or programmed and as I have already noted, it is these locks that do the real damage to the HISS programmed keys. The chipless keys were supplied and cut for £6.00 per key.

Right, spoke with my not so friendly Honda dealer about programming my pre-cut HISS keys, I was quoted £80.00 per key to carry out the programming…….mmmmmmmmm…..must be a cheaper fix I was thinking…..so after some time on Google, various forums and a few chats with some friendly mechanics, this is what I came up with.

Fix 1

Do this fix with the broken original key first so that you still have the original working key safe!!!
Place the broken key so that the shiny side panel on the key head is uppermost (it will have the word Honda printed on it). Using a fine blade carefully prise this panel out and off the key head, try not to damage it. Underneath this panel, nestling in a rubbery covering is the chip. Carefully, with a small electricians screwdriver (or similar), prise the chip out of the key head. This can be done gently as it does not require force to get the chip to dislodge. Repeat this process on one of the newly cut keys. Place the chip from the original HISS key into the space of the new key. At this point put a little silicone sealant,
(ordinary bath sealant will do) into the other space at the side of the chip and then replace the shiny side panel to reseal the key. Do not put in too much silicone sealant as the shiny side panel still retains enough sticky to help reseal the panel. JOB DONE…..take the key to the bike and start up…..if it has not worked then you still have the original working key to go to fix 2.….however if you have not been heavy handed this Fix1 should work….it did for me, so I proceeded to do the second key in the same manner, and that worked also. So onto the other fix, which I am assured does work, but for which I cannot personally verify.

Fix 2

For this you need to make up a simple wiring harness using two wires of about one meter in length (one positive wire, red in colour and one negative, black or blue in colour, any colour really so long as you know which is going to be positive and which is negative). A couple of small crocodile clips, or spade connectors (what you use will depend on the type of connectors you have on your Crankshaft Sensor plug). You will need a 1k resistor, a soldering iron to solder the 1k resistor at a halfway point in line of the red (positive) wire.

Okay, remove the fairing that covers your Crankshaft Positioning Sensor Plug (CKS) and remove the connector from the CKS. Attach one end of your positive wire to one of the CKS pins, and attach the other end of the positive wire to the positive terminal on your battery. Attach the negative wire to the other pin on the CKS (careful that the wires do not touch). The other end of the negative wire goes to the negative terminal of the battery.

1. Put the working Hiss key into the ignition lock and turn on
2. The HISS light will come on and stay on.
3. Remove the positive wire from the positive terminal of the battery, the HISS light will remain on.
4. Wait 2 or more seconds, the Hiss light will start flashing 4 times and repeat this pattern
5. Turn off ignition and remove key. Do not put this key back into the ignition it is already coded, only insert un-coded keys as detailed below.
6. Insert your new key…a pattern of 4 flashes of the HISS light means your key has coded.
7. Insert your other new keys for the 4 flash duration and they will code. You can only code a total of four keys (This includes your original already coded key) with any HISS system.

Hope this write out helps you out, and saves you some money.
Why wait until you have broken keys, try programming 2 more so that you have plenty of reserves, or at least get a chipless key cut to take the brunt of the work with the fuel lock and panniers….see you on the road.

Easyrider, May 2010