Hey All,

First off, I have been lurking the forum trying to find an answer to my problem since I got home last night, but unfortunately this one seems pretty niche. I left to go to Detroit for a few days for work and when I came back, my bike was moved from the spot I park on in the street. I went to start her up and move her to a different area and noticed that the forks weren't unlocking. I can get the forks from full left to dead-center but no further right. All I can make are left turns. When I go to turn the key in the fork lock cylinder, the cylinder can turn past just the lock and unlock position, which makes me think someone may have just tried to twist a screwdriver in the barrel. I noticed that the fork lock cylinder was also protruding from it's housing, which also makes me think someone tried to just pull it out. Does anyone know how I can unlock the forks? I am trying to exhaust all my options before I call a tow this afternoon.

Thanks in advance.

 

I had issues with my lock. It would not unlock (got stuck in lock). Since my bike was under warranty, dealer replaced the lock...3 times. Still no luck. Found out the frame where the lock is housed was bent so the locking pin/bar was getting caught up. So removed the entire lock and plugged the hole. Told the dealership to replace the lock with a smart alarm and smart siren in lieu of the lock.

I bought the bike used so I suspect someone tried to break the lock by placing some force on the handlebar and the dealer was not aware of it when I bought it.

 

This is what I am thinking as well. Honestly, the disc lock is what stopped them from getting away, the fork lock was just an inconvenience. I am taking it to the dealer, I noticed that when they tried to wheel it off with the disc lock still on it, they bent the front rotor pretty good too..

 

Well the disc lock did its job...prevented the bike from being stolen. Good luck with the repair.

 

Good thing the thieves are amateurs.

Looking down the steering neck, you can see the lock's bolt at the 10 o'clock position.


Here, you can see the bore in the steering stem that receives the bolt.


One, or both of those components are, most probably, F'ed up. No doubt, your lock cylinder is toast. The lock cylinder/bolt are held in place by a pin that's driven flush with the frame/cylinder mount. Drilling out that pin, liberates the cylinder. You can see the pin on the top of the cylinder mount. It's the shiny spot, about the size of a fat pencil lead, at the 12 o'clock position of the mount.


If it were me, I'd want to see both the stem and the inside of the neck, in person, before it was buttoned back up. Perhaps, pics would suffice, if I couldn't get there. Might as well check/replace the neck bearings, too. While it's half-way apart, new fork oil and fork seals wouldn't be too far. Put some anti-seize on the axle. If you're really freaked out, I'm not saying you should be, but, who knows what happened to the axle or wheel bearings while the amateurs were jackin' around bending the rotor. May as well true the front spokes, just to be certain they're not tweaked.
Let us know how it goes.

Edit: Thieves, should be...

 

Thanks for the insight. The dealership in Chicago is going to take a closer look at it to see what else may have happened. Just from trying to ride the bike onto the lift, I can tell the rotor was bent, but not terribly so. The bike rolled smoothly until it hit a small area of the rotor, then the brake lever went soft and pulled all the way to the grip. What worries me the most is that they severely damaged the stem...

 

The dealer got back to me today, they said I will need to replace the following from the damage that the thieves caused:

-New upper and lower triples
-Steering head bearings x2
-Fork lock assembly
-Front brake disc
-LH Fork (this I am skeptical of)

With labor, this is gonna cost me. Do these look right? The only one that really surprised me is the fork assembly, which doesn't really align with the damage and is going to be expensive.

Thanks for all your input.

 

If you have comprehensive insurance, pay your deductible and let the insurance company take care of the rest.

 

Is this not covered by insurance?

 

It is, if you carry full or comprehensive coverage..