Key Fobs

[bkromer]

Hello, Just purchased a 2012 C14, but had to leave it at the Dealer until road and weather conditions get better here in Minnesota. I was curious how the key fobs work? If you were to lose the active fob, how do you start the bike with the passive fob? and do you recommend buying a second active fob? Bruce

[MrPepsi]

Search is your friend, but essentially...
Active fob is lost, you pay about $100-$300 for a new fob with activation to your ECU.
Passive fob is held against the steering stock in a specific location to allow the bike to start.

[maxtog]

Hello, Just purchased a 2012 C14, but had to leave it at the Dealer until road and weather conditions get better here in Minnesota. I was curious how the key fobs work? If you were to lose the active fob, how do you start the bike with the passive fob? and do you recommend buying a second active fob? Bruce

Congratulations!!! Welcome!

Start reading and searching the posts/threads for valuable info.
That particular question is answered in the owner's manual in detail.  Takes a while to really understand the whole KIPASS thing.  The cost of buying a spare active fob now is the same as later, so I wouldn't bother.

The owner's manual is on the Kawasaki site, but I have attached it to this message for easy access.

[gPink]

Congratulations!!! Welcome!

Start reading and searching the posts/threads for valuable info.
That particular question is answered in the owner's manual in detail.  Takes a while to really understand the whole KIPASS thing.  The cost of buying a spare active fob now is the same as later, so I wouldn't bother.

The owner's manual is on the Kawasaki site, but I have attached it to this message for easy access.

God love ya Max, thanks for the link. 

[bkromer]

Thank you all for the welcome and the answer to my question. When I pick up the bike , they are going to do a walkaround with me, but I was curious about the fobs.

[maxtog]

Thank you all for the welcome and the answer to my question. When I pick up the bike , they are going to do a walkaround with me, but I was curious about the fobs.

The manual is horribly Engrish  ( http://www.engrish.com ) but still a good educational tool.  You might end up knowing more than they...

[Rhino]

Welcome! It's gonna be Christmas early this year when you get to ride that baby home!

[Conrad]

Thank you all for the welcome and the answer to my question. When I pick up the bike , they are going to do a walkaround with me, but I was curious about the fobs.

Welcome and congrats! A walk around can be very informative, assuming that your dealer knows these bikes, not all do.

I'd recommend reading the owner's manual before you pick up the bike (either the electronic version that Max posted or stop by your dealer and pick up the manual). That way if you have any questions you can ask them here or maybe your dealer will have the answers for you when you pick up your new beauty. 

[stevewfl]

The Fob has mad pow-ah.  Take good care of it, like let it sleep in a bed of roses and such

[Rhino]

The Fob has mad pow-ah.  Take good care of it, like let it sleep in a bed of roses and such

Oh man I guess I'm in for some bad karma cuz mine typically sleep in the pocket of my jeans on the floor. 

[Wayne]

My reading comprehension is apparently evaporating. I'm standing over the bike, manual in hand looking and feeling kinda stupid. My question is-
Lets assume you lose your FOB and have to get home using your "spare FOB with the emergency key" can someone take me through the process of how I start the bike. I apologize if I missed an existing thread on this.

[jimmymac]

You hold the mini fob against the ignition housing. That's the meat and potatoes of it.

[maxtog]

My reading comprehension is apparently evaporating. I'm standing over the bike, manual in hand looking and feeling kinda stupid. My question is-
Lets assume you lose your FOB and have to get home using your "spare FOB with the emergency key" can someone take me through the process of how I start the bike. I apologize if I missed an existing thread on this.

There are a zillion threads on this.... but so many it can actually be a bit overwhelming.  As you can see, I warped your thread right into something relevant.

 jimmymac is correct.  Hold the passive fob with the arrow on it on the ignition key housing near the bump facing the front of the bike for a moment, then turn the metal key and you are done.  Process is exactly the same using the active fob if the battery is dead (since it is also a passive fob).

And welcome to the Forums!  If you are so inclined,  show us your Concours in http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=52.0

[just gone]

There are a zillion threads on this.... but so many it can actually be a bit overwhelming.  As you can see, I warped your thread right into something relevant.

 jimmymac is correct.  Hold the passive fob with the arrow on it on the ignition key housing near the bump facing the front of the bike for a moment, then ...(still holding the passive FOB in that position) push down on and release the stove knob key. Then, after the audible click and the LCD screen lights up,..turn the stove knob key clockwise (or the emergency metal key if you've also lost the stove knob key) (place the emergency FOB in a safe place like a deep pocket) and you are done.  Process is exactly the same using the active fob if the battery is dead (since it is also a passive fob).

FIFY

  ..not picking on you max', but noobs tend to do exactly what you tell them, and not what you meant to tell them to do.
 Like others have said, it's best to test this procedure before you actually need it, remembering to keep the active Fob at a good distance away from the bike so you are in fact actually testing the emergency FOB. If you wish to test the passive portion of the active FOB than you must remove the battery first.
Simple Huh?   

Oh yeah, Welcome Wayne!

[rwnielsen]

All hail the Fob 

[B.D.F.]

Congrats on the new bike and best of luck with it.

As others have said, hold the spare fob against the knob or boss on the front of the ignition switch housing and press the key down; when the system 'sees' and reads the spare fob, the LCD will illuminate and you will be able to turn the key.

I suggest you practice this until you understand how it works and can make it work at will. Just leave the thicker fob well away from the bike and use only the thin or emergency fob to enable the bike to start.

By the way, you do not have to actually start the engine to know that the spare fob worked; if you can turn the key, KiPass has been activated and "has worked", no need to actually crank the engine over to see if it will start.

Brian

My reading comprehension is apparently evaporating. I'm standing over the bike, manual in hand looking and feeling kinda stupid. My question is-
Lets assume you lose your FOB and have to get home using your "spare FOB with the emergency key" can someone take me through the process of how I start the bike. I apologize if I missed an existing thread on this.

[maxtog]

FIFY    ..not picking on you max', but noobs tend to do exactly what you tell them, and not what you meant to tell them to do.

I suppose I composed too quickly.  When you break it down to every detail, it does seem pretty complex

remembering to keep the active Fob at a good distance away from the bike so you are in fact actually testing the emergency FOB.

Excellent point!

[VirginiaJim]

All hail the Fob 

 

[JoeRau]

I'll second Brian's suggestion of practicing too.  I make it a point to re-learn at the beginning of the riding season each year.  I have never needed it, but just in case.....

[elp_jc]

Hold the passive fob with the arrow on it on the ignition key housing near the bump facing the front of the bike for a moment, then turn the metal key and you are done.

In case a newbie just read your post, YOU NEED TO PRESS THE KEY FIRST , just like if you had the big fob within range. Once the KIPASS sign is lit in the screen, then turn as always. And yes, everybody needs to try BOTH FOBS passively, to make sure they work. And since you need to remove the battery from the main fob, check the battery. It was quite low already on my 2015 bike, so I changed it to get at least a year of service out of it. The best battery for those things is PANASONIC, since they're one of the very few with hash marks on the '-' side, which assures better contact. By the way, I stashed the spare fob into the tool kit compartment, in case I ever lose the main fob (extremely unlikely, but you never know). And have a spare key in the storage compartment (I removed the lock mechanism). Tried velcroing the key (in a velcro pouch) under the black panels (where the storage compartment is), but zero adherence. Even with industrial velcro and cleaning surfaces with alcohol. Will look for an alternative location where there's metal. The pouch I have is waterproof, so no issues there.