How to replace Yamaha Virago Key

[Dr Wobble]

I got my Virago 535 back on the road after 5 years. It,s taken alot of hard work. Anyway on the way back from getting it MOT'd the key fell out the ignition. After spending hours on the interweb this is how you get a new key without a photo/number or other ID. This may not work for every bike but it's worth a go.

Under my ignition barrel was a piece of black tape about an inch long by 1/4 inch. I peeled it off and with the use of a very bright LED torch and a magnifying glass I made out some numbers. In my case there wa sa letter followed by five numbers,a gap and four numbers. After talking to a nice bloke at keys galore in London (0207 586 9710 ) he told me that its the letter and the first five numbers he needed and the last number should be either a 1 a 0 a 3 or a 7 . The key cost a tenner with 1.50 postage.

Got the keys this morning and I,m back on the road. When looking for a solution I found places on auction site who said they could do it. After ringing three,of which only one rang back,I gave up as they all sounded dodgy. I tried a Yamaha dealer with the "I,ve got my log book,do us a key"routine which got me nowhere,I also tried ringing the dealer who origenally sold the bike to see if they had the number which led me to keys galore. Thanks Wigan Yamaha centre. Also tried my local locksmith to see if he could pop one in the post,but understandably he wasnt happy doing this. Couldnt get to his shop as I couldn't fill the bike up with juice as I hadnt got a key. Catch 22.

I hope this helps if you end up in my situation. Andy.

[1987xv535]

Good to know, Andy. Thanks for posting this.

[mrirbic]

Thanks for the Info.

[Jake]

I got my Virago 535 back on the road after 5 years. It,s taken alot of hard work. Anyway on the way back from getting it MOT'd the key fell out the ignition. After spending hours on the interweb this is how you get a new key without a photo/number or other ID. This may not work for every bike but it's worth a go.

Under my ignition barrel was a piece of black tape about an inch long by 1/4 inch. I peeled it off and with the use of a very bright LED torch and a magnifying glass I made out some numbers. In my case there wa sa letter followed by five numbers,a gap and four numbers. After talking to a nice bloke at keys galore in London (0207 586 9710 ) he told me that its the letter and the first five numbers he needed and the last number should be either a 1 a 0 a 3 or a 7 . The key cost a tenner with 1.50 postage.

Got the keys this morning and I,m back on the road. When looking for a solution I found places on auction site who said they could do it. After ringing three,of which only one rang back,I gave up as they all sounded dodgy. I tried a Yamaha dealer with the "I,ve got my log book,do us a key"routine which got me nowhere,I also tried ringing the dealer who origenally sold the bike to see if they had the number which led me to keys galore. Thanks Wigan Yamaha centre. Also tried my local locksmith to see if he could pop one in the post,but understandably he wasnt happy doing this. Couldnt get to his shop as I couldn't fill the bike up with juice as I hadnt got a key. Catch 22.

I hope this helps if you end up in my situation. Andy.

[These guys are fantastic http://www.keytrader.co.uk/]

[Swissmaxie]

These guys are fantastic http://www.keytrader.co.uk/

[JoeyVanBeersftw]

Did you have to pull the ignition switch out? I just got a XV750 without a key

Whoops, didn’t see this is a 5 year old thread.

[Jake]

Did you have to pull the ignition switch out? I just got a XV750 without a key

Whoops, didn’t see this is a 5 year old thread.

The ignition, gas cap and helmet lock use the same key from the factory. If the helmet lock is still on the bike and hopefully original, along with the switch and gas cap. You can take the helmet lock off and check the key code on it, it should be the same.