C 400: Spare Plastic Key Placed WHERE? And Anyone Actually Tried This?

[wspollack]

I was reading a recent thread in another Beemer forum about hiding the spare plastic key on a bike, and it got me doing a little research on the matter, for the C 400 scoots.

WHERE:

In the owner's manual, here are the relevant pages:





Note that bit at the top of page 63:

The spare key or dead radio-operated key must be touching the rear wheel cover.

Is that a typo, someone at BMW doing a copy-and-paste from another manual? I'm talking about the part that says "rear wheel cover." I mean, is this correct? Does the rear WHEEL cover really have anything to do with this procedure?

ANYONE TRIED THIS?

For a related question, has anyone actually tried this, i.e., start the scoot with the key fob far away, or in a Faraday bag, or its battery out, etc., so just using the plastic key ... placed somewhere?

I can't actually test this myself, I discovered the other day, because when BMW swapped my broken '22 for a new '23 C 400 GT last fall, they didn't give me the plastic key with the new bike. At least, I can't find it. I DID find the plastic key for my '22, i.e., I forgot to turn this in to them, when I gave them the fob, title, etc., to my '22, at switch-over time.

By the way, I'm just sort of curious about all this. I keep a spare 2032 in my top case, so I shouldn't have a problem with the fob. And I keep an AirTag on the fob's key ring, so I shouldn't lose the fob without being able to recover it, either. And it's my understanding, from the manual, that even a fob with a dead battery should work the same as the plastic key (and I can try this myself, one of these days, just by taking the battery out of the fob).

Thanks for any comments.

 

[chillie]

I always keep the plastic key in the jacket I am using, just remember to transfer it to any change of wear. Regarding starting the bike while touching the rear wheel cover never tried it, I always present it on the battery cover it works well on C 400gt. I hope this helps.

 

[Ceesie76]

Seems to me they meant 'battery cover' not 'rear wheel cover' judging from the rest of the instructions.

 

[mzflorida]

Works like a charm. I lost my key and used it to start the bike. Just place it in front of the battery cover and Bob’s your uncle (a nod to our British owners).

 

[chillie]

Glad to help. Enjoy your rides.