When the Honda Smartkey fails

[SOOTYGULL]

Has anyone tried the procedure when the Honda Smartkey wont work ?

The handbook says :

• Remove the blue dummy coupler from the EM mode connector and connect the EM mode coupler to the EM mode connector
• Press the ignition switch (many times) to input the ID number.
• Remove the EM mode coupler and put back the blue dummy coupler
• You can now start the engine

If I leave the EM mode coupler attached will my ignition switch stay live all the time and save me using the Smartkey.

The reason I ask is that I don't like the Smartkey at all and wish it had an old fashioned key operated switch !

[horobags]

here you go

[SOOTYGULL]

Thanks Horobags.

I was wondering what the EM mode coupler is really for ... I was hoping someone would know whether if I left it connected whether I could forget about using the Smartkey anymore.

Also what would happen if I left the dummy coupler off ..hmm perhaps I will try a few things and see what happens.

It's a right faff having to enter the ID number when the Smartkey fails which is bound to happen on a dark and rainy night !

[roadster]

I spent the greater part of my working life implementing and supporting computer systems for engineering and technical use, but sadly I have come to hate both on board vehicle systems and the horrendous consequences of mobile phone/social media applications. My Kymco is a beautifully engineered machine which delivers unsurpassed riding performance. But the "connected" interfaces and general electronics are flawed such that before I had even taken delivery the battery had been allowed to go flat due to the unfathomable keyless operation and the never-off Bluetooth interface.

Recent events have found many modern vehicle owners with flat batteries because even a fully charged battery will be drained after six weeks without use. Should you want to disconnect it several of the vehicles systems may need to be reset, not all of which can necessarily be done without dealer diagnostic equipment.

[MrGrumpy]

The Tmax has a fairly similar emergency procedure in case of smart key failure, though it involves an emergency key which slides out of the smart key, so if you lose the smart key and don't have a spare emergency key, then you are in deep doodoo! The emergency key also opens the topbox, if you have a Yamaha topbox. But you still have to input a code by some complicated and error prone method I can't remember (instructions are on my phone), so I rate the chances of success of doing it on a dark and wet night as very close to zero! And I'm pretty sure that if you did get the engine fired up, if you were foolish enough to switch it off again, you'd have to go through the whole pantomime again. One could buy a spare smart key, but they aren't cheap, as you can imagine.
Yes, in some ways an old fashioned key was much simpler. The Tmax system would be alright if you didn't have to turn the smart key on and off. You can leave it on, but of course, that flattens its battery. My Suzuki Swift car key still responds to the car even if its battery is flat, which is much more practical.
As for flattening bike/car batteries, I normally leave all my vehicles on permanent trickle charge, which is obviously easier if you have a garage or at least off street parking. If your scoot now has 'live' bluetooth, if the fabled Covid19 Track & Trace app ever comes to fruition, one wonders if you'd be told that it was exposed to the virus at some point!

[SOOTYGULL]

Roadster and MrGrumpy we are kindred spirits in this.

MrGrumpy what a fool I was to get rid of my pre-smart key Tmax .... I loved it !

Roadster the battery failed on my MP3 400, I used to take my own full size car battery with me so I could start it.

I gave up on the MP3 when some electronic gizmo sitting within the fuel injection body failed and the dealer said all told it would cost best part of £600 to fix.

When I got the Forza 125 three years ago the switch that allows you to choose between opening the fuel filler flap and the seat wouldn't work properly.

It wouldn't return to the middle, leaving the ignition switch locked and I was unable to start the scooter.

After much pressure on Honda they agreed that my Honda Dealer could look into it.

They discovered that the fuel filler/seat switch was ultra sensitive and there was nothing that could be done about that and I would have to live with it.

They said to move it gently backwards and forwards until I found the right spot whereby the ignition switch was able to be moved.

If it were possible I would disable the smart switch and replace it with an old fashioned switch without hesitation.

I have had numerous Honda Motorbikes and scooters and this is the first time I have felt let down by a Honda and uncertain whether when I return to my scooter it will start.

My daily commute has often been a round trip of 100 miles all year round.

If you can suggest a non smart key scooter let me know !!!!

[Dave Weller]

Progress?

[SOOTYGULL]

Progress?

Not really Dave as I haven't had the time to experiment with the couplers etc.

Have you tried disconnecting the coupler or any of my hair-brained schemes on your NC ?

As an aside, Lings in Harleston lent me an NC something (can't remember the exact model) a couple of years ago.

750cc Honda auto with a Sport/Normal switch, think it had a cubby hole for a crash helmet.

I absolutely loved in sport mode ... to me it went like the clappers ... perhaps that was because I rode it as I used to ride my previous motorbikes or as I call modern bikes "Licence Losers"as they demand to be ridden fastish.

Does this sound like your NC and how do you rate it ?

I ride my Forza 125 with let's say spirit ! The engine seems to love it and I think it handles well in the twisties, in fact I make almost the same time on the A143 back road from Bury St Edmunds to Cambridge as I did on my Tmax.

[Dave Weller]

I have been close to selling the 600 Silverwing and getting a 125 Forza (the better of the 2 models IMHO), but have stopped short each time, I brought the NC750S to do a Scotland tour, but that got covided, The DCT on the 2016> model has won me over. I'm a left hander so not having a clutch to pull in is saving whats left of my hand joints.
My model has a low seat height, 3 sports modes and can go very well. I mainly ride around in drive, the bike learns your riding habit and can reward me with 85-95mpg.

[SOOTYGULL]

Wow that mpg is brilliant. I get over 100 but haven't got your power. I may look again when things cheer up. You mentioned COVIDED. Excuse my ignorance but what does that mean.