What to Do if You Lost the Keys to Your ATV?


One of the most annoying things that can happen to you is losing your ATV keys, and in fact, it’s quite common and has happened to me tons of times and I’m sure it has happened to at least every rider. No wonder it happens; this is because keys are really very small and easy to lose.

In fact, a lot of people panic about losing their keys while not even knowing that there are many simple ways of how they can get new keys.

What should you do when you lose your ATV key? If you lost your keys, there are a number of ways of how you can get new keys; the two main ways are through the agency or through a lock breaker that can design a new key for you.

In this post, I will explain to you in detail the 5 main steps you will need to take after losing your key.

Here are all the 6 steps I will talk about in this guide

Step 1. Relax & Search again the last area that you reached
Step 2. Ask a locksmith to build a new key for you
Step 3. Ask the dealer or agency to get you a new key
Step 4. How to prevent losing your key
Step 5. Do I need to replace the key locks if I lost my ATV key?
Step 6. How to start an ATV without a Key

Need ATV safety gear? Click here to buy safety gear for dirt bike riding on amazon , or go check my sales pages of recommended safety gear page click here to view.

Step 1. Relax & Search again the last area that you reached

The first thing you need to do before you even think about getting a new key is to calm down and look for the keys in the last area you reached and not give up. A lot of people easily give up and think their key is lost without even trying to look for it, whereas the key can be at any place you have previously reached.

Here are some of the most common places people forget their ATV keys and it is important to look for it in all these places:

  • Pockets of Your Clothes – The most common place where you can find your key is in your clothes’ pockets while so many people check elsewhere for their key even before they check on themselves, and when I say pockets, I mean every pocket in your clothes like your hoodies, jeans and anywhere else you think your key can enter.
  • Your ATV – If you don’t find the keys in your pocket, you need to go straight to the area where your bike or ATV is located, while the key can be anywhere in between a seat, in the seat next to the floor and anywhere possible, so it’s important to scan all over the place.
  • In Your Home – Your key can be almost everywhere possible in your home and if you have a very big house, it will take a long time to look For It. So, I would recommend you do a quick scan in the last places you reached in your home and if you can’t find the key after searching it for hours, I would, first of all, recommend that you tell your family members that you are looking for your key in case they help you to see it and give them at least a few days until you finally come across your key, and if it is not found, then it seems that it is not in your home.
  • Last places you visit – When I say last places, I mean restaurants, a friend’s place, or even office, just go to the same place and ask your boss or boyfriend if they help you find your key while it’s important that you go to the restaurant, for example, tell the landlord to write down your phone number so that they can reach you in case they find the key.

By the way, an amazing way that you can use to locate your key is by using an amazing app called Smart Key Finder that will alert you on your cell phone every time you are near to the key. Just install the app and find the key smart card, attach it to your keys and connect it to your phone. With this, you can easily find your key.

Step 2. Ask a locksmith to build a new key for you

A way that I think is far simpler and far more effective than agencies is to simply ask a lock-breaker to easily design a replacement key for you, while this process can take a few hours to a few days, and the basic price the locksmith will require is between $30 to $50 for one key the price is always changing. Despite the price of locksmiths, they are still far better off than an agency because they can really provide you with a new key in a number of days, while an agency may not necessarily do so. Although expensive, remember that locksmiths are worth it.

In addition, if you have a very complex key, the truth is that the locksmith may not be able to replicate you a new key because most locksmiths can only provide replacements for simple keys.

It is also very important that you do some market research and see which locksmiths are the best in your city while it is also important that they have good reviews and are reliable. The difference between busty locksmiths and professional locksmiths is that professional locksmiths require your credentials to prove that ATVs or bikes are yours.

Finally, I highly recommend you ask the locksmith to design two keys for you. Although it will cost you more money, believe me, it is worth it because you will not want to be entangled again and wait for a long time until the lock intruder will lock in for you if you lose your keylock, and in most cases, they give you a discount for buying 2 keys.

Step 3. Ask the dealer or agency to get you a new key

Another efficient way to get your key back to you is through the agency or dealer who you bought your ATV from but you also need your VIN and information to prove that the bike or ATV is yours because the agency or dealer will not want to risk theft.

To get a new key from your agency or dealer, you need to follow these steps:

  • Step 1 – The first thing you need to do is to go online and find your or ATV agency like Yamaha or Honda and then see what their rules, regulations, and procedures are for getting a new key or even call them to get more details which is the best way.
  • Step 2 – The second step you need to take and the most important thing is to get your ATV or bike VIN which is basically the identification number if you do not know what VIN is.
  • Step 3 – Once you have found the identification number, you should also get the proof that the or ATV is yours, which can be a sim card, your purchase receipt, document dates, and more. I am sure the agency or company will give you clear instructions on how to provide that.
  • Step 4 – After you have gotten the proofs, then you need to take them to the agency company, they will check everything and give you a new key. However, it is important to talk to them before you complete this process and make sure they can do it for you because there are agencies that will require you to pay extra amount varies from agency to agency while a private dealer can do this for you cheaper than the agency.

Step 4. How to Prevent Losing Your Key

The most annoying thing in the world is losing your bike or ATV keys. It is also very easy to lose the keys because they are very small, but at the same time, there are some simple steps you can take during your day to avoid losing your key.

  • Stay neat – The first simple tip that will not only prevent loss of the keys but also general loss of objects is to keep your house tidy and when I say to keep your house tidy, I mean you put every item back in place after using them, which could be from shelves, crockery and more. This will help not only prevent losing your key but will also help you to be more organized.
  • Place the keys in a fixed area – Another thing that will prevent you from losing your key is to set a fixed and dedicated area in your home to put your key. With this, there is no risk that the key will be lost because you have a fixed place to put your key. I would also recommend that you say this place to your family and set boundaries that no one can touch the keys.
  • Make a note of the location of the key – This tip is designed for people whose safety is important to their keys. To make a note on the phone or even to yourself where you placed your keys, and believe me, you will never forget where your keys were.
  • Make your keys larger – If you have very small keys, I highly recommend you make your keys larger by using a bundle of keys where you can add all kinds of keychains that will increase the size and volume of your keys and make them more visible and general to the environment.
  • Use Bluetooth tracker – And to end with the most effective and efficient tools you can do to avoid losing your keys is to use Bluetooth tracker on your phone. There are loads of apps that will allow you to do that by connecting to your key in small files so that you can always find the location of your keys on your phone.

Step 5. Do I need to replace the key locks if I lost my ATV key?

When it comes to figuring out if to replace the key lock of your ATV key, it varies and there is no definite answer because it all depends on different factors. In my personal opinion, changing the lock is not necessary and it is a waste of time because the key you lost is for your ATV or bike, not the key to your home. Also, beyond that is chances are that no one knew it is yours and they just wouldn’t touch it while there are rare cases that those who find it knew it is yours. However, I would recommend that you replace the key lock if you’re sure someone stole your keys for the safety of the ATV.

It is also important to know that you replacing the key lock will cost you more money, so paying attention to that.

If you are still unsure if you should replace the lock of your ATV or bike, here are some important questions you should ask yourself to help you understand whether you need to replace the lock or not.

  • Where do you lose your keys? In most cases, of course, you don’t know where you lost your key, but you can always at least comment on it and guess where you forgot the keys, maybe while you were out of town or on a family trip to another country. In this case, there is little chance that anyone will know they are your keys. But if you were in the city with the keys and you think they could be lost next to people you knew or even someone stole them, then replacing the key lock here can be very important.
  • Do you have any budgetary restrictions? Think about this deeply because changing the keys lock is not the cheapest thing to do and the more complex key lock you want, the more money you have to pay. Therefore, you have to check prices and consider them.
  • What are the chances of someone stealing your ATV? The bottom line is that you want to replace your ATV or bike locker only because of the risk that someone knew the keys were yours and wanted to steal your ATV. But think about the chances of that happening because they were lots of people who know you have an ATV or bike or the number of people you have talked about the keys with. So, think about it and if you don’t think anyone can just come and steal your ATV or bike, you don’t have to replace it.

Step 6. How to Start an ATV without a Key

If you can’t really find the key of your ATV or bike anymore and you want to ride your ATV without having to wait for an agency or locker to design a new key for you, you might be surprised that there are some ways you can turn on the ATV or bike without the key. They are:

  • Enable the pull or kick start
  • Hot wiring
  • Jump the starter relay/solenoid wires with a wrench
  • Disassemble the ignition to manually trigger it
  • Use scissors or screwdriver
  • Have a replacement key made
  • Replace the ignition switch

Summary

In summary, if you have lost the keys to your ATV, it is very important to relax and read this guide, which I hope will help you while it is very important to review each step and complete the instructions.

Need ATV safety gear? Click here to buy safety gear for dirt bike riding on amazon , or go check my sales pages of recommended safety gear page click here to view.

For any questions, you may have or opinion on the article, feel free to write us a comment, and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

Thanks for reading, until the next post.

Rob

I’m Rob, the owner of RX Riders Place. My family and I have a long history of riding dirt bikes and ATVs and want to share what we have learned.

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