Help! My key wont turn

[packie]

plenty of ignitions you have to push down or push forward or whatever

Sorry Your Dudeness, but you are totally incorrect on this one. Perhaps if you care to read a Fazer 600 Owners Manual and also look at the diagrams you will see that clearly. To turn the ignition on, you just turn the key clockwise. There is no pushing down..pushing forward or whatever.


When you want to lock the steering, you push down and turn as with all other bikes. There is still no pushing forward, jiggling about, or "whatever" involved.


For me, Lewis and a few others, you have to 1) push the key down, 2) then jiggle it forward, and 3) then turn. There should be no stage 2). This is a flaw in the barrel.


What seems to be happening is that over time, our barrels are moving inside or have some play and needs to be pushed forward a little to be aligned properly. That is not the design as you suggest. And people aren't doing anything wrong as you suggested earlier too. So it is handy to point out because I didn't know that there was a workaround (pushing it forward) to use the steering lock. When I used the proper procedure is was stuck solid and I was in danger of damaging the key.


If your ignition hasn't given away or hasn't that trait...then thats great and i'm delighted for you. But you are dead wrong in thinking that our barrels are perfectly normal or that we haven't a clue how to turn our ignitions on properly. I have personally owned about 15 bikes and driven another 30 models and everyone of them work in the same way as described in the first two paragraphs above. So I think I have a fair idea when something out of the ordinary is happening. Cheers.

[His Dudeness]

no need to get your knickers in a twist

[DryRob]

Sounds like its either cheap pins in the lock wearing down or cheap keys been worn down by the pins, this would explain how a new key seems to solve the problem.

I dont mind though, anything that makes my bike harder to start makes it harder to nick.

Thats a jinx and half right there...

[packie]

no need to get your knickers in a twist

I'm cool here, dude. I do appreciate your posting and thank you because you did give a solution to the problem along with Lewis that probably has saved me buying a new barrel. You also have been most helpful to me in the past....so kudos.

But that I needed to dispute your insistance on this "pushing the barel forward" was normal. I apologise if my dispute was a bit heavy. But I have no doubt in my mind that from 20 years experience with many other bikes, that any barrel that needs to be pushed forward or jiggled about in anyway is in fact dodgy. I felt that in the best interest of other Fazer 600 users and those who have yet to come, that this was important to be clarified here.

I personally would rather know about a problem with my ignition than being mis-informed and told that a problem doesn't exist at all. Al least it allows me the opportunity to make a few decisions then. I can either keep using the ignition with the "workaround" that was given and just keep an eye on it. Or I can use it more cautiously without the steering lock in case one day it has a major malfuction and that I get stranded somewhere. Or I can make a decision to just replace the barrel now. Being (innocently) mis-informed and told there was no a problem at all removes the opportunity to make any those choices above and could lead to a disaster down the road.

[stevierst]

Talking about making the bike harder to steal, does anyone still use the underseat immobiliser? (white plug under the nearside of the seat) It just hasn't been mentioned in a while.

[DryRob]

I remember when I found out about this problem, I'd just picked the bike up and stopped for some petrol on the way home. I couldn't get it unlocked and was shitting myself as the shop closed after I left. It unlocked eventually and must of sprayed nearly a full can of WD40 on it when I got home. 

[His Dudeness]

no need to get your knickers in a twist

I'm cool here, dude. I do appreciate your posting and thank you because you did give a solution to the problem along with Lewis that probably has saved me buying a new barrel. You also have been most helpful to me in the past....so kudos.

But that I needed to dispute your insistance on this "pushing the barel forward" was normal. I apologise if my dispute was a bit heavy. But I have no doubt in my mind that from 20 years experience with many other bikes, that any barrel that needs to be pushed forward or jiggled about in anyway is in fact dodgy. I felt that in the best interest of other Fazer 600 users and those who have yet to come, that this was important to be clarified here.

I personally would rather know about a problem with my ignition than being mis-informed and told that a problem doesn't exist at all. Al least it allows me the opportunity to make a few decisions then. I can either keep using the ignition with the "workaround" that was given and just keep an eye on it. Or I can use it more cautiously without the steering lock in case one day it has a major malfuction and that I get stranded somewhere. Or I can make a decision to just replace the barrel now. Being (innocently) mis-informed and told there was no a problem at all removes the opportunity to make any those choices above and could lead to a disaster down the road.

ok