Spyball immobilizer/fob not working

[sc0ttie]

Hi all. I just got back from 2 weeks in Argentina today. Hell of a long flight, about 16 hours in all. I just want to sleep really. I just went to my bike, which has been in the back garden for the past 2 weeks, its an FZS600 and it has a spyball fitted. I have owned the bike 10  months, I was given 1 fob with the bike when I got it so I don't know how long the battery has been in the fob in all. I press the raised green button as usual to try to disarm the immobilizer but nothing happens, no lights flash. I did not arm the alarm before leaving, but just let the immobilizer cut in automatically before I left for my holiday and I padlocked the bike up. I needed to use it for the morning as I have staff training at work on a different site. Guess I will be getting the trains.


Can anyone advise me, would this more likely be the fob battery not the bike battery? Can I install a fob battery myself or is there something that needs doing during change of battery, i.e. codes etc? I never experienced this so I appreciate any help on where I should start.

[darrsi]

Does it have an infra red light like a tv remote control?


If so turn your mobile phone camera on then aim the fob into the camera and press the button, if it's working you will see the light flashing on the screen.

[BBROWN1664]

Is the bike battery flat?

[sc0ttie]

Does it have an infra red light like a tv remote control?


If so turn your mobile phone camera on then aim the fob into the camera and press the button, if it's working you will see the light flashing on the screen.

I cant see any red light on the fob, i have looked all around it. The fob itself is green with 2 buttons, one raised one not. The alarm is a spyball Patriot.

[sc0ttie]

Is the bike battery flat?

I can't tell at the moment as it is dark out so I cant see much and I dont have a voltage meter. If I buy a charger tomorrow can I charge the battery in situ on the bike? I ask because I am not sure if I remove the battery the alarm will go off?

[darrsi]

Does it have an infra red light like a tv remote control?


If so turn your mobile phone camera on then aim the fob into the camera and press the button, if it's working you will see the light flashing on the screen.

I cant see any red light on the fob, i have looked all around it. The fob itself is green with 2 buttons, one raised one not. The alarm is a spyball Patriot.

You wouldn't see it light up with the naked eye if there was one, but a camera will see it flash clearly.
I'm not too familiar with them to be honest, they always seem to cause more trouble than they're worth.


It has been very cold recently so if the bikes been sitting outside for a couple of weeks and the battery was not in great condition or just old, then there is a chance that it has just pegged out.

[sc0ttie]

I am just reading my spyball manual that the previous owner gave me with the documents of the bike. It says there that after 5 days if the bike has remained stationary the spyball will engage its automatic switch off function where the alarm will go into sleep mode and the fob will not activate it. In order to activate it says press button one on the fob, keep it pressed and switch the ignition on. that supposedly reinstate the normal function of the alarm and fobs.
Blimey, this must be what happened, I have been away 2 weeks.

[sc0ttie]

[BBROWN1664]

With the immobiliser on, you should still get sidelights of the neutral light turn on if the bike battery isn't dead when you turn on the ignition.

[sc0ttie]

I just went outside and followed these instructions. When the ignition is turned on you have to keep fob button one pressed for about 3 or 4 seconds then you hear a noise and the alarm is restarted. then I just switched off ignition, armed the alarm and disarmed it to make sure. all is fine now, just rode the bike out the garden and I am very glad I don't need any new batteries or chargers. I never knew that about spyball, I wonder how many people have had this issue and spent money changing the alarm over it. Thanks to everyone who responded, I love the way this forum helps us all, hopefully this post might help someone else with the same problem one day.

[darrsi]

I just went outside and followed these instructions. When the ignition is turned on you have to keep fob button one pressed for about 3 or 4 seconds then you hear a noise and the alarm is restarted. then I just switched off ignition, armed the alarm and disarmed it to make sure. all is fine now, just rode the bike out the garden and I am very glad I don't need any new batteries or chargers. I never knew that about spyball, I wonder how many people have had this issue and spent money changing the alarm over it. Thanks to everyone who responded, I love the way this forum helps us all, hopefully this post might help someone else with the same problem one day.

That trick with the phone camera you can try with your tv remote control and see what i was on about.


Glad you got it sorted anyway. 

[Kosmic Kartman]

As mentioned above Spyballs go in to deep sleep mode to save battery. What I used to do is move the bike about until it started bleeping or alarm went off, then pressed the key fob to turn off the alarm. That seemed to wake it up. Can't advise more than that as I no longer have the bike it was fitted to.