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Problem with inserting key into ignition lock

Philipp

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I have a really hard time inserting the key into the ignition of my 700x. I have to fumble and wiggle to get the key in. Not sure if this is normal or if anyone else is having these issues but its driving me crazy. Sometimes I'm sitting on my bike for a while until I get it started up.

Any thoughts?
 
I have been experiencing the same thing on occassion. Seems the little protecter piece is able to rotate and not line up with the keyway. Don't know if there is anything Honda can/will do about that or not.
 
I have this issue a lot of the time myself so it is not just you. It has not been a big enough issue for me to pursue but I might mention it to the dealer the next time I am there.
 
There are similar problems reported in NC700 forums in France, very weak and bent keys, and at the moment, some people with the lock blocked by cold or ice comming from humidity and strugling to start.

I bought a kind of key spray, used it on my car, home key, and NC.

But noticing that the Honda key and lock are... well, mmh, cheap, poor ? I try to be very carefull.

B.R.
 
Glad I'm not alone. I find this highly annoying, especially in the dark when it can take me up to a minute to get my key going. So embarrassing when people watch you fumble with your keys to get your motorcycle started. Do you think this issue affects only certain bikes or the entire 700x line?
 
Mine has only 70 miles and I've noticed that it's notchy, too, so it might well be all of them. Realistically, it's an inexpensive bike. Honda had to cut costs to get it down that cheap to buy.
 
hay guys i cut keys for a living and i can tell you i had the very same problem my key was very difficult to get it the lock and when it was in, the barrel would not spring up to release the steering lock and getting it out was a nightmare nearly snapped it a few times. but this is what I found. The tip was difficult to get in because its all about the angel at witch you use if its of by a few mm makes it so hard to get in so just try left to right motion. I found the reason the key was difficult to get in and the spring would not release was that Honda or the garage/dealer used a liquid lubricant now this dose work for a short time but when using a new key it beds in shedding very fine peace's of mettle this mixes with the oil/wd40 and jam's up your lock so all i did was to use a small amount of wd40 to clean the barrel then i dried it using a standard air canister the type you use for cleaning a pc or keyboard then use a dry lubricant now i got mine at work its called graphite powder its also available at amazon or eBay but most lock places will sell it pop a bit of that in the lock every couple of weeks or when needed that will sort you out. hope that helped.
 
key locks

hay guys i cut keys for a living and i can tell you i had the very same problem my key was very difficult to get it the lock and when it was in, the barrel would not spring up to release the steering lock and getting it out was a nightmare nearly snapped it a few times. but this is what I found. The tip was difficult to get in because its all about the angel at witch you use if its of by a few mm makes it so hard to get in so just try left to right motion. I found the reason the key was difficult to get in and the spring would not release was that Honda or the garage/dealer used a liquid lubricant now this dose work for a short time but when using a new key it beds in shedding very fine peace's of mettle this mixes with the oil/wd40 and jam's up your lock so all i did was to use a small amount of wd40 to clean the barrel then i dried it using a standard air canister the type you use for cleaning a pc or keyboard then use a dry lubricant now i got mine at work its called graphite powder its also available at amazon or eBay but most lock places will sell it pop a bit of that in the lock every couple of weeks or when needed that will sort you out. hope that helped.
this is really good info for all. dale
 
hay guys i cut keys for a living and i can tell you i had the very same problem my key was very difficult to get it the lock and when it was in, the barrel would not spring up to release the steering lock and getting it out was a nightmare nearly snapped it a few times. but this is what I found. The tip was difficult to get in because its all about the angel at witch you use if its of by a few mm makes it so hard to get in so just try left to right motion. I found the reason the key was difficult to get in and the spring would not release was that Honda or the garage/dealer used a liquid lubricant now this dose work for a short time but when using a new key it beds in shedding very fine peace's of mettle this mixes with the oil/wd40 and jam's up your lock so all i did was to use a small amount of wd40 to clean the barrel then i dried it using a standard air canister the type you use for cleaning a pc or keyboard then use a dry lubricant now i got mine at work its called graphite powder its also available at amazon or eBay but most lock places will sell it pop a bit of that in the lock every couple of weeks or when needed that will sort you out. hope that helped.

So you just put some W40 down the lock and the sprayed it dry? How long do you leave the W40 inside before blowing it out?
 
I guess I'm in the habit of inserting such keys with a bit of sideways wiping motion so as to slide the dust door over while at the same time sliding the key downward. A little dry lubricant can't hurt, either. It should improve as the rough edges get smoothed over.

Greg
 
I thought it was just because I'm left handed that I have an easier time getting the key in with my left hand but it could be that using the left hand naturally gives a better angle and a left to right motion.
 
The Honda lock is cheap nasty quality. I found myself in the embarrassing situation while out at my favourite bike spot of my key wouldn't go into the lock. The bike at the time had around 500 miles on the clock. In all the years I've been riding and all the bikes I've had I've never had such a nasty crappy lock as fitted to the NC.
 
The Honda lock is cheap nasty quality. I found myself in the embarrassing situation while out at my favourite bike spot of my key wouldn't go into the lock. The bike at the time had around 500 miles on the clock. In all the years I've been riding and all the bikes I've had I've never had such a nasty crappy lock as fitted to the NC.

yes that would be embarrassing...they already think we ride a scooter!!! lol
 
I've got 20k miles, and have had the bike for its first 20 months. I lost the original key I've been using and so needed to rely on the new spare. I went to a locksmith and had him make a copy first. I called him today and told him the key he made didn't work. He told me to bring the bike in. It was a miracle I could get the original spare to work. He was nice enough to refund me the cost of the key. I called another dealer last weekend and he told me the price of a replacement ignition and trunk lock would be $232 plus 3 hours of labor. The locksmith advised me to speak to the owner of the Honda dealership to demand they fix it (I've been having the problem for over a year and recently tried the graphite fix). The dealer said there were no recalls. Maybe I should buy an extended warranty. We'll see.
 
I have a really hard time inserting the key into the ignition of my 700x. I have to fumble and wiggle to get the key in. Not sure if this is normal or if anyone else is having these issues but its driving me crazy. Sometimes I'm sitting on my bike for a while until I get it started up.

Any thoughts?

The OEM keys that come from the factory have "Burrs" or sharp edges along the cuts on both sides of the key. I suggest buffing the key on a wire wheel to "Soften" all those sharp edges. Also buy some lock lube, which is powered graphite that comes in a tube and put some into the lock tumbler to lubicate it.

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Also slight bend or twist to the key may add some level of difficultly to inserting and operation the lock tumbler. This happened with my nephew on a ride we did a few months ago where he twisted the key out of shape.
 
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Are you guys moving the handlebars as you insert the key?

Btw, graphite spray works great for stubborn locks, most hardware stores carry it.
 
Only time I have a problem is at night when I have it locked. I just can't get the angle right. I mentioned in another thread something about it would be nice to have an led right there that could turn on with a button (I didn't go into that much detail, just that it would be nice.)
I might try to find one.....
 
Mine was a bit stiff too and I totally solved the problem by running both sides of the key on a fine wire wheel on my bench grinder. There must have been some sharp edges or tiny burrs and now they are gone and it slides in really smoothly. A bit of dry lube or graphite powder will help too, but I didn't need to resort to that. My fix took all of 1 minute.
 
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