How To Unlock a Fuel Door Without a Key—and the Part To Buy To Make Sure You Never Have To Worry About It Again

If you're stuck on the road and stumbled across this, here's the fast answer: go buy a barrel key blank from a hardware store (or borrow one from a local business; many cash registers use the same barrel keys we do on our bikes). Most of the time, any barrel key will open a fuel door lock.

And if you're reading this and you're not in a hurry? Let me explain this somewhat unique problem for owners of Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycles: Some riders on stock motorcycles choose to leave the ignition lock cylinder unlocked, much in the same way many leave the saddlebags unlocked. This is by design; H-D doesn't force the use of a key to operate the ignition switch or the bags.

However, that's not true of the fuel door. It is very possible to fire up the motorcycle and leave a destination without a key. Due to the large fuel capacity, it's easy to travel over 200 miles before realizing the mistake—a little far to ask most friends or loved ones for help. In a bind, the above barrel key trick works, but it's not a reliable method. What happens if it's late at night or you're in a remote area?

So one of the modifications I make to any dresser I buy within this rather large span of years affected is a pushbutton latch for the fuel door. This is a fast modification, completely reversible, and prudent. It takes just a few minutes to install the keyless latch. You can set your old one on the shelf to swap back in when desired.

Does this leave your bike more susceptible to malicious fuel contamination? Sure. But for me—like most riders—that's a far less likely occurrence than forgetting the key.