Couple Questions On The Seat Lock

[Peto]

1) Can I pull the lock cylinder out of my seat/helmet lock and re-install it in the 6th gen seat lock?

2) Do 6th gens have helmet locks? I don't see anything on the passenger rearsets.

3) On the 6th gen, how does the lock cylinder housing mount to that black piece of plastic above the lower subframe bar. I don't see any mounting holes on any of the parts images...

[SEBSPEED]

I'll try and get some pics up for ya tonight. the 6th gen does not have a helmet "lock" per se; the subframe has two metal loops under the seat. To "lock" your helmet in, you remove the seat, hook the D ring of your helmet on the loop, and reinstall the seat.

I'm pretty sure you can transfer your seat lock over, but let me get some pics for you to be sure. I think it's just the standard retaining clip Honda uses to hold the cylinder in place.

[Peto]

This is a decent picture. You can just make out the helmet hooks.

The parts pages show the clip and cylinder and housing for the 6g lock as individual items, but for the 5g it shows the whole unit as one piece... might have to cut the cylinder out and get creative getting it into position for the 6g clip.

[SEBSPEED]

I was right, the 6th gen cylinder is held in with a retaining clip - pics loading...

[SEBSPEED]

Here you go:

The retaining clip is the L-shaped piece on the right:

[Peto]

Thanks Seb. I see the black clip holding the cylinder through the black plastic and into the gold stay. The lock cylinder on the 5g does not have the flared lip that yours does. I think my cylinder will push right through the black plastic part...

Probably going to have to get creative.

[SEBSPEED]

The lock cylinder should have a rib on it that aligns it into the plastic trim, and through a thin metal backing plate on the backside. Then the clip slides in to hold it there, I think there are tabs on the lock cylinder that bend out for the clip to hold. On my bike anyway.

[Peto]

Yeah there are groves in the cylinder that hold the clip.

Check out the 5g:

I'm no 100% positive yet (bike is in the crypt, right now) but it sure looks like the cylinder has no rib or lip that would prevent it from pushing through the plastic trim on the 6th.

[Peto]

UPDATE

You cannot switch the seat lock cylinder from the 5th gen to the 6th gen. Completely different. I disassembled the cylinder as far as you can and you cannot get to a point where the lock cylinders are the same.

HOWEVER, we are not out of luck yet. Lock cylinders have pins inside that prevent the cylinder from turning. When you slide the correct key in these pins get pushed to exactly to the point where the cylinder will spin. If you dont push the pin far enough up the cylinder gets caught at the 12 o'clock spot, if you push the pin too far the lower part of the pin begins to enter the cylinder and now the cylinder gets caught at the 6 o'clock position. The VFR lock cylinders have 4 of the double action pins and a double sided key to align them.

I needed to make this lock cylinder work my current 5th gen ignition/tank key. To start, I measured the depth of the key and the location of its 4 pin pushing bumps. I drew a box around the area on the cylinder sleeve. I used a dremel to cut an access hatch. Basically I wanted to see what was going on inside the cylinder when I inserted my (the wrong) key into it. It soon became apparent that pins 2 and 4 had to go. Using needle nose pliers I ripped out #2 and #4 double action pins. My key aligned pins #1 and #3 when pushed all the way in and then back out about 1/16". I squirted a bunch of graphite in there to keep it nice and smooth. I am going to use a bit of JB Weld to re-seal the piece back in place to keep the inside of the cylinder clean.

That's it, now one key works all the locks... Granted, I have a lock that's only half as complex as it used to be, but I can't imagine someone trying to pick my seat lock.

Anyway, problem solved.

[Ryanme17]

UPDATE

You cannot switch the seat lock cylinder from the 5th gen to the 6th gen. Completely different. I disassembled the cylinder as far as you can and you cannot get to a point where the lock cylinders are the same.

HOWEVER, we are not out of luck yet. Lock cylinders have pins inside that prevent the cylinder from turning. When you slide the correct key in these pins get pushed to exactly to the point where the cylinder will spin. If you dont push the pin far enough up the cylinder gets caught at the 12 o'clock spot, if you push the pin too far the lower part of the pin begins to enter the cylinder and now the cylinder gets caught at the 6 o'clock position. The VFR lock cylinders have 4 of the double action pins and a double sided key to align them.

I needed to make this lock cylinder work my current 5th gen ignition/tank key. To start, I measured the depth of the key and the location of its 4 pin pushing bumps. I drew a box around the area on the cylinder sleeve. I used a dremel to cut an access hatch. Basically I wanted to see what was going on inside the cylinder when I inserted my (the wrong) key into it. It soon became apparent that pins 2 and 4 had to go. Using needle nose pliers I ripped out #2 and #4 double action pins. My key aligned pins #1 and #3 when pushed all the way in and then back out about 1/16". I squirted a bunch of graphite in there to keep it nice and smooth. I am going to use a bit of JB Weld to re-seal the piece back in place to keep the inside of the cylinder clean.

That's it, now one key works all the locks... Granted, I have a lock that's only half as complex as it used to be, but I can't imagine someone trying to pick my seat lock.

Anyway, problem solved.

Glad to hear it worked out for you!

It is possible to re-key almost any cylinder of a pin and tumbler style lock, but sometimes it requires special tools, and it always requires pins of the correct length. Any locksmith should be able to do a proper rekey for you, not that you need it now...

[Peto]

Glad to hear it worked out for you!

It is possible to re-key almost any cylinder of a pin and tumbler style lock, but sometimes it requires special tools, and it always requires pins of the correct length. Any locksmith should be able to do a proper rekey for you, not that you need it now...

Let me start by saying this is my first modified lock cylinder, so I really don't know what I am talking about, but I think these lock cylinders are different. I don't see how you could get the pins out without cutting the thing open. Even after it is cut open and you have direct access to the unobstructed pins I had to break them out in 3-4 pieces. "pins" really isn't a good word to describe them, they look like zeros made out of flat pieces of metal about 3/8" by 1/4" by maybe 1mm thick. On the walls of the cylinder are rails or tracks to keep them in position. When you insert your key it goes through the hole and lifts the upper and lower part of the "0" into and out of the cylinder.

I am going to add a dab of jb weld on the back wall of the cylinder to build it up a bit so that it prevents my key from being inserted that 1/16" too far. Then it will be perfect and you would never know.