So I broke my key in the barrel of my top box lock, it's the genuine yamaha ally one but I'm having difficulty finding a replacement barrel any help would be most appreciated as I now have a top box which is completely useless thanks in advance Rich.

Barrels and keys to fit the OE accessory panniers and top case are available but can only be bought from a Yamaha dealer. Many moons ago, when I had a Yamaha top case (and panniers), I replaced a lock barrel for exactly the same reasons as you... The keys are made of cheese!

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Thanks for the info I may get a new barrel and sell the box on and buy something more robust, just out of interest were the replacement items also made of cheese?

I had the same problem. I received, under warranty, a new set of locks for sidecases that also fitted the topcase. The new set is somewhat better (larger key) but is made out of some better cheese but still made of cheese.

My wife nearly bought me a Yamaha top box for Christmas. But she bottled it at the last minute & gave me a voucher to the value instead. I'm glad she did after reading about the dramas people have had with them so I've just ordered a centre stand & Barkbusters instead. Top misses.

As Arjen has mentioned, the keys were revised in 2009 and were offered as a warranty replacement for broken bent keys from the original batch (which mine were). The only difference with the later keys is that they are shorter. One of the main reasons the early keys failed was the shaft was unnecessarily long and (with a stiff lock barrel) tended to bend all too easily because of the additional leverage. The newer shorter keys seem to last better, but you still need to take care not to force things as they are still made out of the same Spanish cheese from the Shad dairy!

Have you read this thread yet? It explains the historical issues.

I wish I'd never opted for the Yamaha cases when I bought the bike, but the dealer made an offer that was too good to be true... and it was to good to be true. There are much better/cheaper/roomier cases out there now, although back in 2008 there were no other options at all until Touratech brought out a rack/case combo at the beginning of 2009.

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After searching for a replacement barrel with no joy I took the barrel out and took it to my local lock Smith five minutes and �4.90 later a more robust key and original working barrel, bargain.

My question is after removing the broken off part of the key out of the barrel, is there any special proceedure for reassembling the catch so its spring loading works? I can't seem to make it work.

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Two wheels keeps you young. Regards. Russ