Why do bikes have locking petrol tanks?

[Biker 1]

I just managed to break the key off in the petrol tank lid whilst attempting to fill up.
Luckily I was close to home & had a spare to hand.
Got me thinking: surely nobody's going to bother nicking a couple of gallons out of a bike? Why not save a couple of ££ by not having this feature in the first place & therefore saving some of us a ball ache......

[Mr Squarekins]

Because people can't help themselves and idiots would kindly drop stuff in it for you. Can you imagine if someone tipped stuff in there?

[ntoskrnl]

If you really want a keyless fuel cap then buy one, they are out there.

A more interesting question is, how'd you manage to snap your key opening it??

[GriffoDP]

If people were knocking holes in car petrol tanks the last time fuel went up a bit, motorcycles with free fuel would be a delight :P. People nick tyre caps, and wheel trims, and their parents' hopes and dreams .

[Biker's Nemesis]

When I was young I was once told there are no stupid questions.

[CoolHands]

I always find they nick the whole bike, so I agree a locking cap isn’t doing much!

[Triaguar]

I think legislation states ALL petrol caps must have a lock. Safety rather than security I think.

[Biker 1]

CoolHands said:

I always find they nick the whole bike, so I agree a locking cap isn’t doing much!

Which is pretty much my thinking...
Anyway, KTM690SMC. Key made of cheese/monkey metal. Plastic rear fuel tank with ridiculously stiff plastic concentric opening mechanism. Stupid design. They could have at least used a traditional circular motion device.
At least I have a spare & the official key code. I'm guessing replacement keys are not going to be cheap....

[DirtyHarley]

Triaguar said:

I think legislation states ALL petrol caps must have a lock. Safety rather than security I think.

No such legislation at all.

The overwhelming majority of cruisers do not have fuel cap locks. Never had any issues with people syphoning off fuel, putting stuff in the tank, or otherwise having an issue with not having a lockable cap.

[CoolHands]

Biker 1 said:

CoolHands said:

I always find they nick the whole bike, so I agree a locking cap isn’t doing much!

Which is pretty much my thinking...
Anyway, KTM690SMC. Key made of cheese/monkey metal. Plastic rear fuel tank with ridiculously stiff plastic concentric opening mechanism. Stupid design. They could have at least used a traditional circular motion device.
At least I have a spare & the official key code. I'm guessing replacement keys are not going to be cheap....

I used to have one of those. I don’t remember the fuel cap particularly, perhaps you can try and lubricate the rubber with silicon lubricant grease. Here was mine

[markymarkthree]

One of the MOT fails last year on my bike, was because the muppet MOT chap couldn't undo my fuel cap.
It was unlocked and requires a simple push down and twist.

[Biker 1]

I just removed the cap & cleaned the crap out of everything, including copious quantities of silicone cleaner. Action seems smoother, but I'm sceptical it'll last. Man maths suggests according to milage, the cap was opened/closed around 70 times. My immersion heater switch at home is rated at 50,000 cycles. How hard can it be?
I looked at an aftermarket keyless cap, but it looks a bit Chinese tat/gash: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NICECNC-Filler-Compatible...
Any better cheap alternatives?

[CoolHands]

Aluminium one for 40 quid off aliexpress might be ok

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002237714527.h...

Edit just realised the the same, just cheaper.

[Biker 1]

Looks a bit bling cheapo aftermarket. I just want an unbranded plastic replacement.
Or maybe just order several spare keys & keep an extra about my person whilst riding...

[Rick448]

Biker 1 said:

Looks a bit bling cheapo aftermarket. I just want an unbranded plastic replacement.
Or maybe just order several spare keys & keep an extra about my person whilst riding...

This is what I have on my ZZR1400.

https://www.roadraceperformanceshropshire.com/prod...

[Biker 1]

Rick448 said:

This is what I have on my ZZR1400.

https://www.roadraceperformanceshropshire.com/prod...

Looks reassuringly expensive!!
Nice - I'll look into whether they do a KTM fitment...
Edit: doesn't look like they do a compatible part.

[rodericb]

Biker 1 said:

Rick448 said:

This is what I have on my ZZR1400.

https://www.roadraceperformanceshropshire.com/prod...

Looks reassuringly expensive!!
Nice - I'll look into whether they do a KTM fitment...
Edit: doesn't look like they do a compatible part.

I have one of those TWM caps on my 999R, except the plate bit is carbon fibre as one would expect.....

Anyway, fuel caps for KTM 690SMC's - how far did you look on the Internet for a replacement?

[underwhelmist]

markymarkthree said:

One of the MOT fails last year on my bike, was because the muppet MOT chap couldn't undo my fuel cap.
It was unlocked and requires a simple push down and twist.

My MOT tester tried using the ignition key to open the cap, luckily I was there to tell him he had to use the other key on the keyring - the cap had been replaced before I got the bike.

[GSA_fattie]

ntoskrnl said:

If you really want a keyless fuel cap then buy one, they are out there.

A more interesting question is, how'd you manage to snap your key opening it??

no you don't they are the work of the devil or sadistic BMW engineers

they always fail to open or close at the busiest times in a petrol station resulting in frustration and cut hands thumping the thing open or closed as the queue gets longer

a simple robust key or no lock at all is all that is required

[Bob_Defly]

The CRF450RL petrol cap doesn't have a lock, as it has the breather hose right in the middle of it. I also replaced my RC51 with an aftermarket twist off one as it looked a bit nicer. Never had a problem with people stealing fuel...