Does anyone know if it is still possible to obtain keys to fit the original steering lock?
I know that new sets of locks and keys are available, but the Mk3 parts book shows replacement keys were available if the engine number was quoted, so I assume records were kept?
Obviously Andover is the first port of call, just wondered if anyone else has been down this road?
It certainly wasn't possi…
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Ah, Richard... the bearer…
Ah, Richard... the bearer of glad tidings
Many thanks for your input, though.
Yes, a lot of work involved, hence my trying the other avenue. The bike came with the business end of the key broken in the lock, by sheer good fortune I managed to extract that piece today (after many frustrated attempts in the last five years!)
I know the blank name and profile, and it would appear that some locksmithscan cut from a good photo (I have no key/lock numbers), so efforts are in hand, but the easiest option is always the first to try, no?
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There is a company named L…
There is a company named Lincoln Security who will cut keys to code, and motorcycle keys made to locks. They are a specialist key cutting company - their phone number is 01522 532038 or contact them by e-mail. I have used them for both a steering lock and an ignition lock, as both of them did not have any keys. They are very good at what they do.
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Good afternoon Mr Curzon..…
Good afternoon Mr Curzon....
...and thank you for your input. Sadly I have no numbers or codes, just the broken portion of the key!
Looking at the new lock, I can see that there is are four numbers stamped on the upper face, alas 30 plus years of gloved fumbling (steel on brass!) has obliterated anything that may have been on the old lock.
I have sent a scan/photo of the business end to a firm who claim to be able to reproduce from good images, failing that I will send them the part to copy from first hand.
Failing THAT.... then no lock 'til the forks need reconditioning and the spanners come out!
Thanks again.....
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Did the key break flush wi…
Did the key break flush with the face ? If so, and the broken part is the full 'business part' then a locksmith should be able to clamp it to his cutting machine and copy it. It might just mean a bit of fiddling depending on whether he gets the stop in the right place.
I dropped my Abus lock and chain once and had a key made just from the broken part.
On a normal motorcycle, it's fairly straightforward to change locks by removing the top yoke but on later Commandos the stem is attached to the top one (why ?) which means there is quite a lot of dismantling. A good opportunity for the planned maintenance replacement of bearings, bushes and seals though ! 
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Yes indeed, Richard... I d…
Yes indeed, Richard... I do have all the important 'squiggly' bits, and did take them to my friendly locksmith this very afternoon...
.... only to see: 'Closed Monday' on the window 
Whether he or the local high street chain will have the proper blanks is another question. I believe BMW motorcycles (whatever they are) also shared this pattern, and Peugeot cars too.
If I can achieve a result from the comfort of my armchair then so be it, what on earth is this 'planned maintenance' of which you speak?? (Bearings are found (or lost!), bushes are trimmed, seals have been fed!)
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Neimann locks were used on…
Neimann locks were used on lots of things. Some Italian stuff too, I believe.
'Planned maintenance' takes place in a garage accompanied by all necessary parts, a mug of tea and a packet of hob-nobs. Unplanned maintenance in my experience occurs in a lay-by (if I'm lucky) in the rain...so I plan mine as much as possible (and I'm a compulsive tinkerer anyway).
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Having spent WAY too much…
Having spent WAY too much time chasing an elusive oil weep (just how does it go sideways?**) I am determined to get some miles done before the spanners are wielded again in earnest....
Even more so considering the response I got from one woman, who upon learning I rode British, remarked: 'Those are the ones always in bits in the shed, aren't they?'
**And how do spanners grow legs every time you put them down?
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It certainly wasn't possible in the early 1980s when I bought mine. I replaced the lock and had a couple of extra keys cut.
Removing the lock does mean dropping the forks out though.