Repairing the steering lock

[Prisoner62113]

So..my bike got nicked the other day. Was probably just some hoodies who got bored 5 minutes later and dumped it somewhere   The police found it and it's been recovered, but now my insurance is just being crap. Nearly 2 weeks later they still can't give me a price for repairs, so I am considering just doing it myself.

The damage isn't too bad - just the ignition switch and steering lock. I am quite happy to replace the switch and steering head myself, but the lock is beyond me.

They forced the handlebars to brake the lock - it seems the column is only made out of a soft metal, so the groove that the bolt goes into is mashed and I doubt it would work even with a new switch. I have no idea what is involved in repairing this or the cost of having a garage do it. Does anybody have any experience here?

Matt

[Juvecu]

Any pictures of the damage?

[Prisoner62113]

Not a very good picture I'm afraid, had to take it on my phone. I am having it delivered back to me tomorrow so can sort out some proper pictures then.

You can just about see it behind the cable guide. There is a groove where the lock bolt is meant to go. On the left the metal has given way when it was forced.

[Juvecu]

That is part of the frame and a frame replacement is expensive. I guess it could be repaired, but I'm not sure how viable that is. Do you have the piece that was forced out? Does it affect the use of the bike or steering at all?

[Prisoner62113]

Yeah, replacement is out of the question. I was wondering if it would be possible to repair the edge which it damaged in any way.

The ignition switch is still attached to the bike so I will check it out tomorrow - make sure that it doesn't work. I can't imagine it is very strong even if it does still lock. The steering didn't seem to be affected when I saw it, although I didn't check the handlebars for alignment. There wasn't anything on the engineers report to say it was damaged.

[Fatbelly]

I suppose it might be possible to build it up with a weld then grind it back to it's original shape? A lot of work, though, but if you had the right tools, is it possible to get into it without having to take too much stuff apart?

If you do use electric welding be sure to undo the earth/frame connection first or you could fry your electrical system.

[Juvecu]

The 650 (and maybe the 1000 too?) doesn't use the frame for earth, putting current through the alloy that the frame is made from makes it corrode. That said, I'd still disconnect and isolate the negative terminal from the battery (I'm paranoid.)

[Prisoner62113]

Thanks for the suggestions. Having had a closer look I may be able to just bash it back into shape. Will have a go as soon as I get the time and post back here.

[imacwalker]

Dd you have any luck with this - my recent attempted theft has left the frame side messed up - the tripple clamp gave way before the lock - as such I'm doing the repairs my self

[MartinW]

Looks like prisoner62113 was a member for just 2 days, over 2 and a half years ago.

So don't wait for an answer.

[imacwalker]

Haha, great,