ignition switch relocation
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 277
Likes: 31
From: texas
ignition switch relocation
For those who have done this mod has the ignition key become worn from engine vibration over time ? I'm wondering if rubber grommets would help curtail the wear.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,374
Likes: 50
From: In the foothills of southwestern NC - US of A
There's at least one thread on this forum where a number of folks had reported issues with their ignition keys after the ignition relocation, due to engine vibration.
The whole reasoning behind this has always eluded me...more than a few folks have had/created their own issues because of this ["Hey I just noticed that my key is half worn through!"] and other "mods" like tank lifts ["...now I gotta' fill up more often and my fuel indicator ain't accurate no mo!"], coil relocations ["I did this mod and now my bike runs like $hit, HELP!!! [they reversed the coil wires]"], and wire tucks ["...now my bike won't start, the speedo is black, my signals don't work, and I'm blowing fuses. What's wrong?"]. I've often been branded a "hater" when I mention my dislike of the afformentioned even though I mention in my responses that it's not my bike and I couldn't give a rats **** what they did with theirs.
The fact remains that if you just leave the ignition in the MoCo location where it's always been, the problem becomes non existant!
Do yourself a favor and give this and any other mods plenty of forethought before implementing, then whilst considering any possible snafu's down the road along with your skill and knowledge level pick your poison [or lack thereof] accordingly!
=8^)
The whole reasoning behind this has always eluded me...more than a few folks have had/created their own issues because of this ["Hey I just noticed that my key is half worn through!"] and other "mods" like tank lifts ["...now I gotta' fill up more often and my fuel indicator ain't accurate no mo!"], coil relocations ["I did this mod and now my bike runs like $hit, HELP!!! [they reversed the coil wires]"], and wire tucks ["...now my bike won't start, the speedo is black, my signals don't work, and I'm blowing fuses. What's wrong?"]. I've often been branded a "hater" when I mention my dislike of the afformentioned even though I mention in my responses that it's not my bike and I couldn't give a rats **** what they did with theirs.
The fact remains that if you just leave the ignition in the MoCo location where it's always been, the problem becomes non existant!
Do yourself a favor and give this and any other mods plenty of forethought before implementing, then whilst considering any possible snafu's down the road along with your skill and knowledge level pick your poison [or lack thereof] accordingly!
=8^)
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 253
From: Northern Los Angeles area.
my key did break from the mod -
i dont mind at all
the stock keys were garbage to start with ...
the rubber didnt really help all that much for vibration
i got a new set of keys from harley -
they were another kind of cut, harley said i had 2 codes for the bike i chose the second and the keys work awsome, and they even go in smoooooth
the stock key i had to fight with to get it to go in ... and it only worked if i had it in one direction if you flip it , it wouldnt work .. the new set works either way
its better the one key did break - the new set is perfect - im sure it will break again but hey i just keep an eye on it , i may remove the switch in time but not now
if u look at your key u will see a smalll slice in it near the head , just keep eyes on it !
other then that i love my coil-key mod dk rocks !!!!
i dont mind at all
the stock keys were garbage to start with ...
the rubber didnt really help all that much for vibration
i got a new set of keys from harley -
they were another kind of cut, harley said i had 2 codes for the bike i chose the second and the keys work awsome, and they even go in smoooooth
the stock key i had to fight with to get it to go in ... and it only worked if i had it in one direction if you flip it , it wouldnt work .. the new set works either way
its better the one key did break - the new set is perfect - im sure it will break again but hey i just keep an eye on it , i may remove the switch in time but not now
if u look at your key u will see a smalll slice in it near the head , just keep eyes on it !
other then that i love my coil-key mod dk rocks !!!!
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 431
Likes: 3
From: Virginia
Can you elaborate on that? Toggle switch?
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Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 218
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
It's like a on/off button instead of a key. That's all your key switch is doing, turning on/off, just gotta have the key to change it from on to off
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My key quit working at 5k miles when it was in the stock location. HD replaced it at no charge.
It has now been relocated for over 20K miles and had no problems.
It certainly makes sense that a relocated ignition switch, that is subjected to more vibration, would be more likely to fail. Even though it is counter-intuitive, we have not seen it.
We have seen that there is a pretty large variation in quality of the switches HD uses...Some fail, most don't, no matter where they're located.
There is one thing we've seen...if you have other keys or doodads hanging off the key ring, it is far more likely to wear a groove in the key and started getting more difficult to turn, until it eventually "locks up".
btw, folks have been relocating their ignition switch to various places on their bikes for decades before we started making kits for it. HD has had models off and on for years where the ignition switch is located on the left side of the engine, in the same place where it is with one of our kits.
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