Key would not go in

[nugz]

Went to put key in yesterday and the key would not go in. After fiddling with it it went in but turn on hard any one out there had this same problem. Should I replace it or is it fine. Any info would be great.
Thanks
Nugz
Sturgis sd

[Capt. Morgan]

The little plastic dirt/water protector probably broke inside. You should be able to get it out with a small pick. There will also be some small springs. Mine broke 3 years ago, cleaned all the pieces out and have had no problem

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

Mine did the same thing about 4 yrs ago. Still running fine.

[gordonv]

Key wouldn't go in because cover wouldn't move out of the way. Key was hard to turn because of those pieces for the cover that where in the way. You could also remove the lock tumbler to get those pieces out of the way.

My ACE T saddle bag locks both did this my first full year, 2009, and still no problem.

Just remember without the cover that you have the potentail of more dirt and water getting in, so keep it properly lubricated. (Just don't ask me what that is, becasue I just use spray lithium grease)

[hubcapsc]

Here's a picture of the little door that shuts over the keyhole... mine went whacky too...



There's a whole bunch of different things you could do about it, ranging from "nothing"
to buying a whole new lock-set from HDL for $125 or so. I did "nothing" for a while, which
works great, but every now and then the little door floating around in there made it hard
to get the key in... I really wanted to be able to get my key in, so I replaced the lock-set.

Replacing all the locks is not only a big pain in the rear end, but massive overkill.

Some folks reported (when I talked about it here) that they had gotten good local locksmiths to
fix it for them. My good local locksmith said she could take it apart and take the broken bits
out, and put it back together, but that she couldn't fix the little door. Perhaps, if I had bought
just a new ignition switch (cheaper than the whole lock set) she could have used the door parts from
the new ignition switch and the "key parts" from the old switch and
I still would have only one key... didn't want to have one key for the ignition and another key for the
other locks...

-Mike

[RonW]

Do you think that rounding off the tip of the key would keep the 'little door' in its hinges? The profile of the key is tapered in the face view but it still is a little square at the point (bottom photo).

[Valkpilot]

Do you think that rounding off the tip of the key would keep the 'little door' in its hinges? The profile of the key is tapered in the face view but it still is a little square at the point (bottom photo).

I believe the little "door" actually slides to the side when you insert the key and has tiny springs that push it back into position when you remove the key.

The problem is that it's made of plastic and plastic gets brittle over time due to thermal cycling and  UV (sun) exposure.  Eventually it starts to crumble and either pieces of the "door", or springs, or both fall down into the lock and block the key or keep the lock pieces from moving as they are supposed to.

This happened to me two weeks ago. Thirty minutes with a dental pick set and spray lubricant cleared the lock.  If it hadn't, I'd have had to pull the ignition lock and fish around from the back side or dismantle the lock.

I think rounding the key tip only delays the inevitable as our bikes age.

[NITRO]

The same thing happened on my Standard a few years ago. I picked out a broken spring and part of that door, then everything worked fine. I bought a new ignition switch but never installed it and ended up selling it. No problems whatsoever.

[Russell Rice]

If you notice the chrome flaking off your key, I would recommend that you replace your key. When the chrome flakes off guess where it goes? ??? Thats right, it is flaking off inside the switch. When that happens you will find that your key gets hard to insert and remove. I understand that the little key flap is plastic but think about the undo amount of pressure you are applying to get the key in or out, moving it side ways and up and down and pulling and pushing on it. The little plastic flap takes a beating and sooner or later it is going to come from togather ( aka come apart ) Just my 2cents

[RonW]

I wasn't aware that the door of the key is more a pocket door than hinged.

As far as the flaking on the surface of the key, it's just the camera.