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Kipass things to know...(Beginners should start here...)

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mcgyver74

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BDF said:
There are just a few things that I think all C-14 owners should know as soon as they buy the bike or preferably beforehand so things like only getting one fob with a new bike do not happen. I am going to keep this really short because I do not think newbie type, helpful information should be pages long, just the really big highlights about a system that is new to everyone purchasing a C-14 and unique to that model, so far anyway.

1) ALL C-14's come with TWO FOBS as of the 2013 model year bikes. The first generation C-14's (2008, 2009) came with two full function fobs that are identical to each other. The second gen. C-14's (2010 and later) come with one full function fob and one 'emergency' fob. If you buy ANY C-14, new or used, of any year (as of the 2013 model year at least) and anyone says that it once comes with or originally only came with one fob, that person is either mistaken or fibbing.

2) Any fob type will work with any year C-14. If an early model C-14 only has one fob, the owner can buy the later, 'emergency' type fob as the second fob for the bike- they are considerably less expensive (approx. $35 vs. $200 for a full- function fob, heavily discounted from retail price).

3) You should always have two fobs that the bike has been programmed to recognize. One fob will operate the bike fine and will do so forever but it that one fob is lost or mechanically damaged, the bike will need a NEW KiPass ECU which will be quite expensive ($700 or more, even heavily discounted and not including labor and programming the bike). If you only have one fob, I strongly suggest you purchase another and have the bike programmed to recognize it as soon as reasonably possible.

4) All C-14 fobs have a key inside them, and those keys will operate any / all locks on the C-14 including the ignition switch.

5) The motorcycle must be programmed to recognize a fob. The factory programmed the bike to recognize the two fobs they supplied with it but any fobs purchased separately require that the bike be programmed to recognize them using a hardware / software package that <most> Kawasaki dealers have. There is no standard but it seems that a lot of dealers charge about 1/2 hour to program the bike to use a new fob.

6) If you buy a new fob, there is a number on the outside of the package that the dealer will need to program the bike to recognize it. This number does NOT appear anywhere else so keep the package. A used fob is only useful on a bike different than that which it was supplied with IF that number comes with it, otherwise the bike cannot be programmed to recognize the fob.

7) Take a few minutes to read the part of the owner's manual that deals with KiPass, especially the part about how to use the fob and the system when (not if but when) the battery in the fob fails. There is a very easy work- around built into the system but you MUST know how to use it for it to be useful.

That's it- all the main points. Everything else is supplementary IMO but these questions come up and / or are misunderstood all the time. If someone wants more info. about KiPass, has other or more in- depth questions, it would be best to start a new thread.
 
BDF said:
With a battery, a fob can be used w/in about a 5 foot range of the bike and so can be carried on a person and does not have to be touched or used to fully use the bike. Without that battery, the fob must be w/in less than one inch of the ignition switch housing to work; that means having to handle the fob to use the bike and then put the fob away somewhere after the bike is started.

The point is that you absolutely do not need a battery in the fob to start the bike. Said a little bit differently, there is no need to be concerned about a fob battery getting weak and / or going dead as you CANNOT be stranded by a dead fob battery. The bike can be started any number of times with a dead battery and once it is convenient to do so, another battery can be purchased and installed in the fob at which point it will again work when in the owner's pocket (or hanging around the owner's neck, etc.).

Of the many misunderstandings and misconceptions about KiPass I believe this is one of the worst; that a dead fob battery can cause a situation where the bike cannot be started. Mitsubishi and Kawasaki both knew that such a system would absolutely be subject to a dead battery sooner or later and built in a secondary method meant to be used what that situation happens. The procedure is clearly documented in the owner's manual and it would be in all C-14's owner's best interest to spend five or six minutes reading that section of the manual before ever needing to use that functionality. It should only take five minutes to read and understand how it works while the whining, moaning and complaining when one does not know how to use that function seems endless at times.  ;D
 
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