Rally Follies

[RiderX]

Hello all. Just finished the Minuteman 1000. Nice riding in states I don't frequent.

On to the drama.

So there I was taking a required rest step at a Taco Bell (another bonus so it was a convenient place to do some laptop planning, believe it or not) and mingling with the local TB workers who reminded me the dining room would be closing in 15 minutes. Not problem, I thought I'll just download into the GPS and start repacking my rig. So I make a few trips out to the bike and check on tires and give it a once over. Okay all packed, now to suit up, replace radar detector, switch bluetooth transcievers. Okay key in ignition, misssed the slot .. . oh ****. . lost it. . NOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo. It has sliden down and took the 1000 to one shot to the engine compartment. Son of a bitch! (I'd say Million to one but I've done it before).

For the Mason Dixon, I was a little more prepared. I had socket extension and required tools in a unlocked tailbag for emergency use. I had a spare key in my Stich. Well (insert excuse matrix here) I moved the 3 days prior to the rally and didn't have time to get tools organized and continencies planned for. . .lesson learned. I also had ordered a Yamaha factory key in time for both of these rallies, but it's been lost in the mail from Yamaha to dealer. Sweet. Still waiting for the reorder. A spare key will never leave my apparel in the future. So if you ever see my riding gear lying around==free bike.

I pulled out the tools and of course didn't even have what a needed to remove the tank bolts (and uber ram bone, gps stack). It is midnight and taco bell is closing and up until this rest had run the best rally I was capable of (no drama). You get deflated in a hurry! Well one of the workers felt sorry for me and said "maybe I have a few tools in the car". He pulled out a made in china complete set up with metric hex keys and sockets. woohooo. Fished it out and went on my way. 30 minutes wasted which would have meant two more bonii. I got second place by half a bonus. Many lessons learned. Anybody lose a key in this fashion?

 

[SkooterG]

Nope. I have a ring and always some type of flexible key ring decoration on there so it wouldn't be able to go down there.

Oh..... and I'm not a spaz.

Glad it all worked out for you.

 

[RiderX]

Yes, flexible key ring decoration will be my next farkle, lol.

That was extremely frustrating!

 

[escapefjrtist]

Always wondered how easy it was to lose a key into the abyss...now I know!

Glad you found a good Samaritan and were able to retrieve the key w/o too much drama.

--G

 

[mdisher]

Sounds like you had a good rally ride. Did you go 36 or 24?

In rally mode I pretty much leave the key in the ignition for the most part, have another for getting gas. When we returned from the bridge (the next to the last bonus for us in the MD2020) my key was gone. Like gone/gone. WTF? Bike never left my sight so I must have pulled it and done something with it.

I still have not found it, but I had my gas-key and a spare around my neck. Learned that lesson the hard way on a non-rally trip. Left my keys in the restroom of a restaurant 450 miles from home in a town with a population of about 16, the only key I had a the time and they 'vanished'. A couple with a 15 year old 'challenged' kid said, oh yeah we saw our kid playing with those and wondered who they belonged too. Kid finally cop'd to flushing them after we (and the owners) started tearing the restaurant apart.

I was LUCKY to find a locksmith on a Sunday, who was able to cut me a key because I could get the numbers off the spare key I had at home (Old ZX11). From that day forward, I have no fewer than 3 keys at any one time. But I tend to lose ****.

 

[Fly Bye]

If there is a frustration in my life it's all about keys.

For the FJR I keep a set in the ignition, a spare around my neck and a spare set in the luggage.

I haven't dropped any in to the abyss yet, but to be honest if I had the Queen Mary as a key chain, I could manage to loose it.

 

[Afast03nNJ]

Up in NH last year, we turned in for the night at a B&B. All was good until the morning, can't find the key anywhere. Took the room apart and ripped through all my gear - nothing. An hour later, after calling a lock smith I remembered the last thing I did. Put my seat back on after I cleaned my windshield. Cleaner is under the seat - The key was still in the seat lock.

 

[Knifemaker]

I keep my key on something simular to this:

https://www.sz-wholesale.com/p/Plastic-spring-keychain/Plastic-spring-keychain-341078.html

Before getting on the bike I loop it around the right handle bar and the put it in the ignition. No way to lose it even if the key pops out of the ignition.

The plastic spring stretches enough to wear it around my wrist or my neck. It can be clipped to s belt loop or a helmets D ring.

No fishing trips for me.....

 

[dcarver]

If I was to rally, I'd make my feejer a keyless starter via remote hidden switch..

 

[RiderX]

Sounds like you had a good rally ride. Did you go 36 or 24?

I still have not found it, but I had my gas-key and a spare around my neck. Learned that lesson the hard way on a non-rally trip. Left my keys in the restroom of a restaurant 450 miles from home in a town with a population of about 16, the only key I had a the time and they 'vanished'. A couple with a 15 year old 'challenged' kid said, oh yeah we saw our kid playing with those and wondered who they belonged too. Kid finally cop'd to flushing them after we (and the owners) started tearing the restaurant apart.

Minuteman was 24 only. MN coming up is choose your own adventure. I'll wait for the rally pack and see (but leaning toward 36). Apparently we have 15 minutes to make a choice. I'll be fully rested unless something happens on the way!

Yeah good rally otherwise. Nice plaques for this one :yahoo:

Can't believe the little f-er flushed it! I'll have spares for sure this weekend.

 

[k1oj]

I always keep a spare key laced into my boot laces. I have been known to loose a key, but I have never lost my boots...

 

[Powerman]

Got wasted at Daytona and dropped the key for my CBR into the black hole near the tail box.

I was taking a cab to the room anyway, spare key was there. Next day I was trying to find

it in the suspension, got the attention of some Harley characters. "Jap crap don't start"?

No, lost my key in here somewhere. " Pick the ****** up and shake it" OK, be my guest. They

did, and it fell on the pavement.