[BassFiddle]

Hey all, I'm a new owner of a 1985 500 v30 Magna, and I've been doing the little work that needs done and making sure that everything that should work does. Yesterday, I went to check that when I turned the key all the way past off to the left, it did actually lock the steering. It does, but it also turns my tail lights on. Nothing else seemed to be on, just them, and they turned off whenever I unlocked the steering. Does anyone have an idea what this could be?

 

[Luvs2Play]

You are in the park position, to lock it you need to go one click farther. May need to push in of the key, don't remember, but the owners manual will tell you.

From the owners manual;

To lock the steering, turn the handlebars all the way to the left or right, turn the key to LOCK while pushing in. Remove the key.

 

[BassFiddle]

I know how to activate the lock, and the lock works, the problem is whenever I do lock it it turns my tail lights on, and they stay on till I unlock the steering. This didn't seem right, since I thought you were supposed to be able to leave it parked with it locked, and leaving it parked with lights on kills batteries quick.

 

[Luvs2Play]

You are not all the way to the lock position on with the key. If it isn't working right, you need a new switch, but they are discontinued and will not be able to get one unless it's from a salvage yard.

 

[hogcowboy]

I don't know anything about the lock so I'll ask. Can the lock be pushed in and then go further to the left as was suggested in the previous post?

 

[BassFiddle]

Whenever I locked it the key went all the way, 90 degrees counter clockwise and then came out. Is it supposed to turn further? I figured there might be a wiring problem somewhere, but if I just wasn't turning the key far enough that's a simple enough fix.

 

[Luvs2Play]

I would say that the switch is probably shot then, after all, it's 30 years old. The lights should not be on when the switch is turned enough to pull the key.

You might try taking the switch to a locksmith and see if he can lube it up, might just be sticky inside. They might be able to do it with it on the bike too.

 

[BassFiddle]

Thanks for the help guys. I wasn't sure if it was me messing up, since I have been a proud bike owner for less the a month now, but I thought I was working that correctly. I'll have someone a little more knowledgeable look at that switch and see what I can do from there. Thanks again.

 

[Dodsfall]

It sounds like the switch for the tail light in the lock cylinder might be either sticking or out of alignment. Try some lock lubricant and move the key back and forth a few times to see if it will work correctly.

Once it's fixed, I would suggest checking that the tail light is actually off before leaving the bike parked in the future. You don't want to be surprised by a dead battery.

 

[junkbonds]

You can take the switch apart, clean it, lube it and reassemble.

I did that for my V65.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Hold on.

In the full clock wise position, the key is on, lights are on in the dash, neutral and so on. One click left, ignition is off, motor stopped. One more click which may require the key to be pushed in, locks the steering. The key can be removed. One more click and the tail light comes on. The key can be removed.
So, when parking the bike, turn the key only one click / spot to lock the steering and remove the key.
Watch the tail light while turning the key. It is supposed to come on when the key is all the way counter clockwise.
At least that is the way it works on my four functional bikes.

Unkle Krusty*

 

[BassFiddle]

So the key should come out somewhere between vertical and 90 degrees counter clockwise, and that's the lock position? I'll have to check and see if mines like that. If so, definitely easier then taking the switch apart. If the lights are supposed to come on when it's turned all the way the left, what's the point in that?

 

[Luvs2Play]

If you are parked on the side of a highway at night, you can leave a light on to let people that aren't texting know you are there without running the headlight and draining the battery faster.

 

[Jeckler]

On the V30, the Park (lights on) position is before the Lock (lights off) position, going counter-clockwise. The key can be removed in either position. Also, unless it's been worn off, you should actually see all this on the ignition cylinder.
If the OP doesn't have an owners manual, a scanned copy can be found online with a simple web search. It's on page 30 in the 1984 version.

 

[Critter]

It used to be mandatory in Europe to park on the side of the road. Don't know if it still is or not, we used to have a car with a switch on top of the steering wheel. Center was off, left was the left marker light and right was the right side.

 

[Luvs2Play]

It used to be mandatory in Europe to park on the side of the road. Don't know if it still is or not, we used to have a car with a switch on top of the steering wheel. Center was off, left was the left marker light and right was the right side.

Holy crap! How old are you?:coffeescreen:

 

[Critter]

Turned 70 on the 14th. That was in the 60's my folks had that car.

 

[Luvs2Play]

Happy birthday.

All I remember was the fire bombs out on the highways at night marking the road construction then.

 

[BassFiddle]

That makes a whole lot of sense, now that it's been explained. I'll have to go and see if the key will lock and release somewhere to the left without turning the lights on. It does not have these marks on the ignition, so I do suppose they are worn off, and I will be searching for an owners manual online, since I do not have one. Thank's again everyone.

 

[BassFiddle]

I did find the "lock" setting on my switch, where it locks the steering but doesn't turn the lights on. It's right after the "park" one, with the lights on. It was right past the 90 degree mark, still going counter clockwise.