motorcycle gas cap key?

Probably not; drilling a gas tank is not something anyone wants to think about. It may just have a stuck wafer, or some crud in the lock. Or the key or lock may just be a bit too worn, which may not be obvious to the eye -- remember, in some locks a few thousandths of an inch makes the difference between opening and not opening.

Get a locksmith to diagnose it. He (or she) will know what to look for.

I'm presuming that the tank is still attached to the bike... Have you tried any penetrating oil? You might try putting the key in and tapping on the gas cap with the handle of a screwdriver before you try to turn it. If the inside of the lock cylinder is gummy or dirty sometimes the tumblers stick and the springs don't push them down against the key. If you do get it off DON'T PUT IT BACK ON....(you'd be surprised how many people do this just to see if it will work the next time) If it is a wafer lock and you have tried to force it you may have bent some of the wafers also. If it isn't a lot of work, before I would drill it I would take the tank off and take it to your local 'smith and have him take a look at it. Just some ideas...

Leon Rowell

jsmith wrote:

Huh, most car locks and stuff like that are far, far from being sensitive to a thousand of an inch.

regards - Ralph

True. But (a) "most", and (b) the point is that a layman is unlikely to recognize when a key is worn enough to be causing trouble. (Heck, I'd probably want to measure it myself rather than trying to guess by eye, unless the damage is _very_ obvious.)

^"A few thousandths" could be 2, maybe 3,possibly 4. for instance, GM sidebar (thats older 6-cut)can handle quite a bit of slop up or down(.009-if memory serves correct)wedge shape slot on Sidebar helps. But try that on a mopar double sided ignition(y155-3 down-2 up),It will jam up-don't know exact tolerance.Mechanics replace lots of these-bent wafers from worn out key-but key does'nt look bad-they say.

my 2. The "other Ralph"-LOL

goma.

Correction-I meant the wedger shaped slot on the wafer that contacts the sidebar-slap me later-LOL