Several days ago I went to my local HD dealer to pick up some merchandise I ordered..... I got ready to leave and tried to unlock my trikes ignition fork lock AND IT WOULD NOT UNLOCK the fork!!! After I frantically twisted the ignition knob for a while (while trying NOT to look like I was in a state of panic) I was forced to go inside and get a mechanic.
...........Mechanic came to the trike with his ignition tool and said it shouldnt be a problem to fix.
......20 mins. later 3 mechanics were on it and said the inside latch at the fork plate below will not release for some unknown reason!
.....they ended up pulling the entire ignition/lock cylinder mechanism which left me looking though a hole below my dash and observing the plate that turns with the steering column which would normally line up with the ignition spring mechanism to lock the fork.............Then they reflashed the trike to bypass the ignition switch and would start from the "ON" switch on the handle bars............They sent me on my way and warranty ordered an entire ignition/lock switch cylinder.
....9 days later, the keyed part came in from Harley....I took the trike back to the dealer, they installed the new part and all is well.
.....But what if that would have happened ANYWHERE ELSE???? I would have been absolutely "skee-rood!" ...could'nt have unlocked trike to even roll it away!
...............Mechanic says this happens all the time but rarely does it disable the fork lock........but it did this time with me.
..........What he told me was under the on-off-acc label plate tag on the front top of the chrome ignition switch sits a small countersunk phillips screw which gets loose over time as the switch knob is used.........the driver will not notice the loose screw because the labeled plate tag hides it.....then one day you turn the chrome switch as always and "OOPS, trouble!"
.........to avoid this misadventure, you peel back the on-off- label plate tag which is only held down only with harley sticky tape stuff.........use your fingernail or carefully ease the tag up without bending out of shape...........use a slot screwdriver or whatever to delicately ease it off...............remove the phillips screw and use loctite (blue I suppose) and re-secure the screw.....reset the label plate back on the chrome knob..............and this bummer adventure won't happen.
This is what he told me, so I thought I'd pass it along.....:xzqxz:
...........Mechanic came to the trike with his ignition tool and said it shouldnt be a problem to fix.
......20 mins. later 3 mechanics were on it and said the inside latch at the fork plate below will not release for some unknown reason!
.....they ended up pulling the entire ignition/lock cylinder mechanism which left me looking though a hole below my dash and observing the plate that turns with the steering column which would normally line up with the ignition spring mechanism to lock the fork.............Then they reflashed the trike to bypass the ignition switch and would start from the "ON" switch on the handle bars............They sent me on my way and warranty ordered an entire ignition/lock switch cylinder.
....9 days later, the keyed part came in from Harley....I took the trike back to the dealer, they installed the new part and all is well.
.....But what if that would have happened ANYWHERE ELSE???? I would have been absolutely "skee-rood!" ...could'nt have unlocked trike to even roll it away!
...............Mechanic says this happens all the time but rarely does it disable the fork lock........but it did this time with me.
..........What he told me was under the on-off-acc label plate tag on the front top of the chrome ignition switch sits a small countersunk phillips screw which gets loose over time as the switch knob is used.........the driver will not notice the loose screw because the labeled plate tag hides it.....then one day you turn the chrome switch as always and "OOPS, trouble!"
.........to avoid this misadventure, you peel back the on-off- label plate tag which is only held down only with harley sticky tape stuff.........use your fingernail or carefully ease the tag up without bending out of shape...........use a slot screwdriver or whatever to delicately ease it off...............remove the phillips screw and use loctite (blue I suppose) and re-secure the screw.....reset the label plate back on the chrome knob..............and this bummer adventure won't happen.
This is what he told me, so I thought I'd pass it along.....:xzqxz:
