So I have been the proud owner of a 1991 Suzuki GS500E for the past 2 months. It's been a great bike to me these past couple of months, and I've run into my first problem. I accidently left the parking light on all last night, and it killed my battery. So when I stuck the key in the seat release to get to the battery, I had bent the key. Didn't see any damage to it other than that it was bent. Took some needle nose pliers and straightened it back out. Stuck it in the ignition and the tip of the key split into two small pieces, and a splinter. I was able to get the other two pieces out, but one is stuck down inside. It's the only key I've got for it. I only got one key when I bought the bike, and when I went to the Suzuki dealer to get a couple blanks, they had to order them. They also have a shop, but they're closed on Monday. So, this couldn't really have happened at a worse time considering my 240sx is getting a CA18DET motor put, so this is my only form of transportation.

I could always drill the lock out, but then I can't really lock the bike up. I've got experience with picking locks, but I can't get the last 2 pins above the shear line because of the broken piece. I live in a relatively quiet neighborhood where it's not going to be bothered, but that can't really be said about parking the bike while I'm at work. I can only imagine how much it would cost to have a locksmith come out and re-key the lock, somewhere in the sights of $300, which I don't have right now and won't for another week. How hard would it be to replace the ignition switch cylinder, if I do decide to drill it out as a quick fix? Or does anyone have any other ideas as to what I could do? It's Driving me up a wall.

I suspect rent-a-wreck or the like (rent a vehicle until you get it sorted) will be cheaper and less destructive (and less likely to get your bike stolen at work) than drilling out your lock...

If you have the pieces of the key, a real locksmith should have the tools and experience to extract the remaining part and simply make a key (if he's got suzuki blanks) with no re-keying required. That would be good, because you need 3 cylinders for all the locking parts.

FWIW - I have a bent key. It's my only key. I have quite deliberatly not straightened it, becasue that often causes breakage, and I'd rather get copies made before it breaks, or have it break as it's mounted in the key machine. Thanks for reminding me to get this done sooner rather than later.

You need a broken key extractor. If you have a decent set of lockpicks, you might actually have one already... Also, you can try pulling the cylinder out, turning it over and shaking the broken bit out. I have found that pushing down on the seat above the latch greatly reduces the amount of effort required to turn the lock, and will probably keep you from bending your key in the future. On a side note, keys are usually so brittle that once they are bent, you're much better off not using them ever again because of this exact problem. I'd recommend against destroying the cylinder at all costs. Not only are those suckers expensive, you'd also have to rekey the gas cap and seat lock, which can't be cheap. I'd discreetly hotwire it if I were you, then chain it to something heavy when you get to work. Motorcycles are always at risk of a couple of guys literally picking them up and walking away, so having your bike hotwired isn't really a huge deal... I had a friend with a 70's bike that didn't even have an ignition, you just kicked it over and rode away. He never even locked the thing, just left it sitting around...

I guess you've learned a valuable lesson about the necessity of spare keys. When you do get blanks in, make like 3 copies and distribute them around so if you break another key, you won't be totally screwed like you are now...

Not that this is very helpful but I get 2 extra keys made every time I buy any vehicle or locks for the house. I keep 1 extra at home and a set of extras at my Sisters house.

Can you rent/borrow a truck and take your bike to the locksmith? I know they dont charge much if you bring it to them... prob like $30 or so...

I finally got the rest of the key out at around 3:30pm, half an hour before I was supposed to be at work. So, I have my broken half and the rest of the key, enough for a skilled enough locksmith to make a copy.  And of course, the first shop I go to, a guy who spoke hardly any english and had been on the job less than 3 months couldn't understand what  I was trying to say and what I wanted him to do. Luckily, there was another shop close by, and we both had the same mother tounge. Needless to say, communication went a little smoother. We were missing the very tip that would show us the depth of the final tumbler, so he just made one of each. Two of them worked, and was able to get another one working with a little elbow grease using a key punch and a file. Good thing I didn't have to just buy a blank from the foreign guy and make the key completely by hand, or a bump key. Not how I would want to spend the evening.

I should just buy a keyless starter...