Problem Keyless Steering Lock

[Taxpayer]

My bike is a 1250 GS Rallye te 2020, which i traded up from a 1200 GS te recently.

I have followed the instructions & L & R positions & only Once in a Blue Moon does it lock !

You can hear it whirring & a click then it whirrs again, without locking. The bike is under warranty, but i would like to hear from the experts, rather than go to the local dealership, as the original one is about 95 miles away.

Thanks for your hopeful wisdom,

 

[littleade]

IIRC the steering lock on my 2020 gs only works on left full lock.

 

[Cyber]

IIRC the steering lock on my 2020 gs only works on left full lock.

Correct…

 

[GSMarky]

Steering to the left, not full lock but almost and it'll go straight in!

..well that's how mine works anyhow.

 

[jtb]

My bike is a 1250 GS Rallye te 2020, which i traded up from a 1200 GS te recently.

I have followed the instructions & L & R positions & only Once in a Blue Moon does it lock !

You can hear it whirring & a click then it whirrs again, without locking. The bike is under warranty, but i would like to hear from the experts, rather than go to the local dealership, as the original one is about 95 miles away.

Thanks for your hopeful wisdom,

As others have said, the later bikes only lock the steering in the left position. My 2016 bike would (very conveniently) lock in either left or right, but my subsequent 2020 bike was left-only. And it doesn't lock on the stops, it locks when the steering is just shy of the stop.

 

[Taxpayer]

Thanks for info, i will persevere with the left just short of the stop idea & test the result.

 

[trebor]

Having had no problems with my steering lock in the first 22 months of ownership I now have an intermittent issue that started 4 weeks ago.
I rode a few miles from my house to collect a blood bike, when I came to lock my bike the steering lock would just not engage.
The sound it made was much louder than normal. I tried several times with the steering in slightly different positions but it just wouldn't engaged.

The next day I rode the bike home and when I put it away the lock engaged without any problem. I tried it several times and it was fine.

I used the bike a few times without any problems during the next couple of weeks then, just over a week ago, the same thing happened, I tried a few times but it wouldn't lock and it was making the much louder noise as before.
I tried turning the bars to a position where I knew the lock definitely wouldn't engage, of course it didn't lock but the solenoid sound was normal as it tried to engage then disengaged. I immediately then tried locking it with the bars in the correct position and it worked.

The lock has refused to engage a couple of time since then, but trying the trick of activating the lock with the bars in the wrong position, then moving them to the correct position worked each time.

The bike is due for a service within the next couple of months so I'll get it looked at then.

Won't Bowkers in Preston sort yours out under warranty?

 

[Neil W]

As others have said, the later bikes only lock the steering in the left position. My 2016 bike would (very conveniently) lock in either left or right, but my subsequent 2020 bike was left-only. And it doesn't lock on the stops, it locks when the steering is just shy of the stop.

Mid 2017 onwards even with key ignition will only lock to the left due to the provision for keyless

 

[Colin_S]

Having had no problems with my steering lock in the first 22 months of ownership I now have an intermittent issue that started 4 weeks ago.
I rode a few miles from my house to collect a blood bike, when I came to lock my bike the steering lock would just not engage.
The sound it made was much louder than normal. I tried several times with the steering in slightly different positions but it just wouldn't engaged.

The next day I rode the bike home and when I put it away the lock engaged without any problem. I tried it several times and it was fine.

I used the bike a few times without any problems during the next couple of weeks then, just over a week ago, the same thing happened, I tried a few times but it wouldn't lock and it was making the much louder noise as before.
I tried turning the bars to a position where I knew the lock definitely wouldn't engage, of course it didn't lock but the solenoid sound was normal as it tried to engage then disengaged. I immediately then tried locking it with the bars in the correct position and it worked.

The lock has refused to engage a couple of time since then, but trying the trick of activating the lock with the bars in the wrong position, then moving them to the correct position worked each time.

The bike is due for a service within the next couple of months so I'll get it looked at then.

Won't Bowkers in Preston sort yours out under warranty?

My 2018 1200 had a similar problem but only that it made an extra loud mechanical type noise every time it operated and for a good few weeks. It sounded like it was about to fail but never did, instead it sorted itself out and went back to working normally. It did however lock every time when making the noise.

 

[Pablo1]

Could it be the battery for the remote key ? CR2032 btw

 

[Flipfly]

My wife’s 40th has just had this exact same issue of the steering lock not engaging.

The result was a completely new keyless mechanism (thank goodness for the warranty!).

Brilliant service by Williams, as always

 

[Taxpayer]

I tried the various options, but without success. I visited Bowker & both a salesperson & technician also failed. Their answer was to order a new mechanism, which i'm waiting for, under warranty. Luckily, upon checking the Vin details a gearbox electronic update is available which is also being sorted.

 

[trebor]

Sounds like a result!

 

[GSMarky]

Glad you have it in hand bud!

 

[blues n twos]

Mines been playing up for a while now. Forgot about it until I read this. I tried all sorts but just won’t engage.

Typically it was in last week for software update and vent thingy in swing arm

Have to book it in again

 

[Piggers]

Mine does it occasionally when cold outside

I have a 2020 bike and it occasionally does this when it is cold out. It did last Feb and then was fine all year. Went for a quick blast recently and it would not lock again. I suspect when it warms up a bit it will work fine again !!

 

[NeuroticAnt]

This happen to moi, the mother ship changed the locking mechanism under warranty. Never had a problem since, until the blind four eyed twat in a tipper decided to side swipe me.

Be fire being written off my bike was a 71 plate GSA triple black.

 

[SBD]

My lock would not disengage one morning. Realised I had parked bike, put lock on, then got off bike and front wheel was hard against tool cabinet.

Stood it up, lock disengaged normally on next press.

 

[Rushy]

It’s great that these are being replaced under warranty but I wonder what the cost of this would be outside of warranty. A new GS a is well beyond my bike spending budget with the CCM parked beside it so if I came back to the fold it would have to be 3-4 yrs old.

Currently looking at a Husky or BMW again but F900XR instead , would consider The F850GSA but seem to be almost as heavy as a 1250 but massively down on power in comparison.