Key popped out of ignition

I had the strangest thing happen to me tonight. I got home after leaving the restaurant, parked my bike, hit the kill switch, took my helmet jacket and gloves off...then went to take the key out only to find it wasn't there. Somewhere in the 10 miles that I rode, the key popped out of the ignition. So my ignition was stuck in the ON position, so I got my second set of keys and it wouldn't go into the ignition all the way. However, I can just put it in half way and turn the ignition to OFF/LOCK/P.

Has anyone ever heard of this? The road I was on has a lot of speedbump like bumps (wires ran under the road and they did a horrible job repaving the horizontal strips), so the bike does take some abuse...I just would have never thought the key would be able to come out of the ignition like that while in the ON position. Now I'm stuck trying to get another ignition for the bike, because anyone can just walk up with any key and turn it on. :?

 

The keys can normally come out in the on position, presumably so you can pop the seat or helmet lock with the bike running. The fact that you can only get your second key half way in and the cylinder still turns sounds like the key broke off in the cylinder.

 

I thought that was a possibility. I also had no idea the key could come out.

I went back and retraced my route, hoping that maybe I would see the keys in the middle of the road, but nothing. Had it been a short trip, I would have looked a few times, but going back and forth 10 miles each way...it would cost me more in gas than it would to replace the damn switch.

 

Just went out to the garage, grabbed my pick and flashlight...and it looks like the key is still in there.

 

I found out the key comes out with the bike on accidentally, had a blown fuse so I grabbed the key out of the ignition to pop the seat. I was putting the key back on before it dawned on me the bike was still running with no key.

Good luck getting the key out of there.

 

The key should not come out when in the on position just for that very reason if yours does you might want to fix them before you end up in Carbonxe,s delimma

 

Both my Yammies will NOT let you take the key out when in the ON position.

 

both of my yamahas , the xs400, and my brothers does, I haven't tried it on the vstar.

I like it, made life easier when I had some fuse box problems, never had a key come loose while riding. Of course neither did carbonxe his key broke off while he was riding.

 

My bike (82 XJ650) will allow you to take the key out while it is on. In fact once I wanted to save two seconds and not take the bike key off my larger key ring and just stuck it in and I hit a bump and out they came. Lesson learned use the bike key by its self. When I took my MSF course all the bikes there would let you take the key out with it in the on position and the bike running.

I had a 78 Olds Starfire as my first car, I could do the same thing with it too.

 

Yes, I can also remove the key from my bike (82 JX550) while it is in the on position. I was told that this is normal.

 

I had a similar issue only worse......
My whole tumbler would come out...with the key....!!
New ignition time there....

 

Sounds like the retaining latch/wafer isn't popping back up -- if it's there at all.

If it's there but won't spring back up, I'd say it's time to pull the wafers out and clean them and the slots in the lock plug where they go.

(And yes, I did see where you said "had". I'm guessing you've already replaced the ignition by now.)