Ignition fork lock not working
Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,036
Likes: 65
From: Earth
Ignition fork lock not working
Anyone have any thoughts as to where I should start looking. On my sons 2006 Ultra the ignition will lock and turn the way it should. However the lock for the forks will not engage when you typically turn the wheel to the left. Nothing was done to bike recently that would have caused this to be inoperable.
Should I be pulling the ignition and taking a look inside the locking mechanism?
Should I be pulling the ignition and taking a look inside the locking mechanism?
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
Not without a service manual, or a decent idea of what you will find! There is a small leverage system that engages a locking bar in a hole in the top tree when you press down on the switch, which probably needs adjustment.
Road Master
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 773
Likes: 124
From: Between purgatory and retirement
The alignment tool should not be your worry.
Plenty of pics and videos about making your own. Mine is made from old steel brake line. To ease things just put a stop on it. I used an old lug nut and taped it to the flattened tool leaving about 3 ź inches of the tool exposed at the bottom. Now I don't have to work it up and down to get it to work, it just sits there and turns like the keyed switch. Cost -$0.
But then there is the Ignition Switch Connector Remover another special tool over a hundred bucks.
Made one out of an old thin steel rod, ground the tip and it is long enough to fit and bend over the triple tree nut so I don't have to loosen the radio. Cost -$0
But if that 06 is like my 09, you will need to pull the handle bars to get the switch out.
Then you can look at it to see if something is wrong and there is something you can fix.
Is that a task you want to handle?
Plenty of pics and videos about making your own. Mine is made from old steel brake line. To ease things just put a stop on it. I used an old lug nut and taped it to the flattened tool leaving about 3 ź inches of the tool exposed at the bottom. Now I don't have to work it up and down to get it to work, it just sits there and turns like the keyed switch. Cost -$0.
But then there is the Ignition Switch Connector Remover another special tool over a hundred bucks.
Made one out of an old thin steel rod, ground the tip and it is long enough to fit and bend over the triple tree nut so I don't have to loosen the radio. Cost -$0
But if that 06 is like my 09, you will need to pull the handle bars to get the switch out.
Then you can look at it to see if something is wrong and there is something you can fix.
Is that a task you want to handle?
Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,036
Likes: 65
From: Earth
Is this really a safety issue. The front end is tight and turns like it should. The ignition just doesn't lock the forks is all. The ignition does lock the ignition if that makes sense?
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,013
Likes: 1
From: South Bay, CA
I don't believe it would ever be a safety issue. I don't see how it could lock up in the forward position. Just not designed to do that. Just to make sure, nobody has pulled it out and put it back in incorrectly?
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
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Likes: 65
From: Earth
Nope . The lock was not touched. Or anything on the front end for that matter. Is the locking mechanism internal I'm guessing?
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,013
Likes: 1
From: South Bay, CA
Yes it is. Scan over the manual. It is easy to take out and put back in. I think where some people get into trouble, is when they pull the locking unit out with the wheel straight a head, then turn the wheel to the left and it gets locked on them. Then, I think you can get the unit back in but it will not lock the forks. There is a good video on here that explains how that happens and what to do to get things working again.
The key for operating fork lock with the unit out is easy to make. I cut mine from a piece of 1/8" aluminum plate.
The key for operating fork lock with the unit out is easy to make. I cut mine from a piece of 1/8" aluminum plate.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
My Glide is an International spec and for some reason has an additional steering lock, in the side of the steering head, so when my 'normal' lock started playing up I simply disabled it and use the other one.