Ignition switch starting to fail

[Steve Case 955]

I have begun to notice the ignition switch is starting to play up and not always turning on the bike without a wiggle. Could be the contacts in the switch or the connector.

 

i was wanting to ask if anyone has had this issue, what it actually turned out to be and is it easy enough to get out and replace?

[Xactly 5,418]

Could be a worn key that leaves fine bits of metal in the bottom of the keyhole. It happened to a friend’s VFR. Try blowing out the keyhole with compressed air. Might be something else of course…..

[MatBin 5,085]

My Sprint, which I used as a commuter bike did this as it got older, basically the continuous turning of the bars in town fractured the wires going into the steering lock, so I cut them all back, spliced them into a hidden switch and just used the steering lock as a lock without any wiring.

Today's bike wires are so thin they aren't man enough for continuos twisting. 

One advantage of the separate wiring was it made it difficult for anyone to hot wire as they couldn't find the wires.

[Xactly 5,418]

Triumphs were (still are?) notorious for being really stingy with wiring around the headstock. It therefore gets strained and then breaks or only makes intermittent connections. BMWs clamped their wiring too tightly in the headstock area. Cheapskates.

[Steve Case 955]

I will try blowing out the keyswitch, however if thats not sucessful then...

I intend to swap over to the Triumph in April which will give me the opportunity to look for the cause, but it is either the connector, damaged cable or the contacts in the switch and the easy solution is to get another key switch and remove the contact block from the bottom and replace it.

 

Or it will fail completely beforehand...

[MatBin 5,085]

2 hours ago, Steve Case said:

I intend to swap over to the Triumph in April 1st

Burn the witch!!!

[Steve Case 955]

I would like to ride something with performance and decent suspension if only for a short short while!

 

It does allow me to do some remedial work on the Honda such as check for this keyswitch fault and finally get the centerstand off the bike.

[Steve Case 955]

Just had a thought, transponder in the key?

 

I have dropped the key a few times.

[RC166 694]

Always worth trying the spare key. It’s thats the problem, nice and easy solution. Just remember to get a spare new one cut and coded ASAP. It can get scary pricey if your one and only HISS key gets lost or broken. 👍

[Steve Case 955]

Replacement blank key is around £70, but that would still need cutting and encoding.

 

I am using the spare key so will see if that cures the problem, if it does I'll get another key.

[Xactly 5,418]

37 minutes ago, Steve Case said:

Replacement blank key is around £70, but that would still need cutting and encoding.

 

I am using the spare key so will see if that cures the problem, if it does I'll get another key.

I once thought I’d lost the spare key to my Crossrunner. I enquired of the supplying dealer what the process for getting another key is. Apparently Honda will supply one additional key; they all come from Germany and a record is kept of the fact that a third key has been issued. The key is sent to the dealer who cuts it and encodes it to match the bike’s HISS. From memory (it was late 2020) it would have cost around £140, but you would get a kosher authorised key. As it happens I found mine and cancelled the order. Or you could try an internet fix…..

[RC166 694]

I got spare keys and programmed them myself for 2 other Hondas with HISS. Bought key blanks complete with chip off auction site for about £10? Got cut locally for £5 .Googled to find out how to programme keys, made up (or you can buy) simple wiring harness then did it myself successfully. Haven’t needed to do any for my NC, but it’s prob a very similar process.

 

Never heard of that German process. 

[Slowboy 20,504]

The Hiss keys are pretty simple to programme if you have the bit of wiring you need and the workshop manual.

My Super Cubs keyless system is also reasonably straightforward if you have access to the workshop manual. Helps the Scroats though, which is not so good.

The Super Cub workshop manual was only available from the US, but it does cover most versions.

[Steve Case 955]

Thanks everyone but this is kinda getting away from the fact it may be the transponder in the key but it may not.

[Steve Case 955]

Ain't the transponder, I'll get to an air line and try blowing it out next.

[Steve Case 955]

The keyswitch that is, not the transponder!

[skorpion 945]

Drop of oil in the lock could work, my new bike had also developed a sticky ignition switch, oil sorted it OK. 

[Steve Case 955]

Its not sticky when the key is turned its not always turning the bike on, give it a wiggle and its fine.

 

I've lightly 3 in 1'nd the key a couple of times over the last 3 years.

[MatBin 5,085]

Obviously new bike time

[Sinclair48K 16]

I had it on mine, its done 60K miles on a 2016 plate. I used good ole WD40 and all seems good again :-)

 

[Steve Case 955]

Matt - just no.

 

Thanks Sinclair, mines 47K 17 plate so I kinda expect wear and tear. I thought of just wd40 the lock but I was thinking the locks not the issue.

In reality it not causing the bike to stop but I would just like to confirm what it is so I'm ready if it fails completely.

[Steve Case 955]

Amyway i'm starting to think this is a contact or possibly wire/connector issue.

Another reason i was asking is that the trip is reseting at random intervals and i wanted to make sure the 2 things are not related.

One thing i've not covered is possible water ingress, but that will have to wait.

[Steve Case 955]

No worries, trip reseting is the display and friend of mine with 2 NC's imformed me it was a Honda recall.

[MikeBike 5,005]

@Steve Case I was going to post about that but then thought that it was years before your 17 model. IIRC about 2013/4. Put your VIN number into the Honda motorcycles website checker to see if any recalls apply to your bike.

Edited April 1, 2022 by MikeBike

[Steve Case 955]

My friend had a 2014 and a 2017 and both needed the dash reset because of this.