'00 V11 Sort - neutral/start switch

[Guest jim_in_pdx]

Howdy - this is a minor, but annoying condition. On occassion, my neutral switch won't light in the display. With the sidestand down, the safety kill switch is triggered and prevents me from starting my bike until I retract the sidestand.

 

Where is this switch/sender unit located on my bike?

 

I think the switch just needs some lubrication, as opposed to a failing unit.

 

Any info will help.

 

Jim Smith

Portland, OR

webmaster: www.orguzzi.org

[al_roethlisberger]

The neutral switch is inside the transmission, although you can remove it... thus draining your trans fluid in the process though

 

If you look down by your shift linkage, you will see the wire hanging off of the switch.

 

It is just a simple plunger switch, and it is immersed in the trans fluid, so "lubrication" per se usually isn't the issue.

 

 

But, they do stick. If you can't get it to work, you can disable your sidestand switch cutout, and a search of the topic should turn up several threads, or I'm sure someone here that has done so will provide detailed info on how to short the clutch and sidestand switch circuit.

 

 

But, specifically to the neutral switch sticking, I know some folks disagree... but I picked up a tip from another list that worked for me. The tip was that parking the bike in GEAR, not in neutral, will help keep this from happening, and even "free up" the switch.

 

I used to park my bike in neutral all the time, and the switch started to stick quite a bit. Then once I heard the "tip" and started parking the bike in gear, my switch rarely stuck ever again... so take the advice with an appropriate grain of salt, but it worked for me

 

al

[twhitaker]

Your brake light switch is a subminiature microswitch mounted up near your brake lever. Inside the brake lever housing is a little steel ball that pushes the switch open. Pull on the lever and the spring inside the switch pushes the ball away at the same time makes the contact inside the switch. Some debris or grease inside the hole is all it takes to make the ball stick.

 

Don't lose the steel ball.

[titan41]

Might just be the connection not actually the switch. My switch was replaced under warranty, within a week was acting up again. Upon investigation, the connection was loose at the switch. Did a little manupulation and voila. No more problems.

[dlaing]

Might just be the connection not actually the switch.  My switch was replaced under warranty, within a week was acting up again.  Upon investigation, the connection was loose at the switch.  Did a little manupulation and voila.  No more problems.     

45090[/snapback]

And to test the Neutral Switch is pretty easy .

The connector to it is right under the starter.

It is simply a ground switch. So if you are neutral, the terminal should be grounded and if you are in gear the terminal should lose ground.

Just pull the rubber protector off the switch terminal, hook up a continuity tester with one lead on the terminal and one lead to a good ground.

Go in and out of neutral several times to make sure the test is consistant.

An optional way to test is to just pull the rubber protector off, ground out the terminal with a wire with alligator clips at each end. Turn on the ignition and you should see a neutral light regardless of what gear you are in.

If you do not see a neutral light the problem is not your switch but the wiring or something else???

If you see the neutral light the problem is almost surely, either the switch or the connection to the switch.

[dlaing]

snip

or I'm sure someone here that has done so will provide detailed info on how to short the clutch and sidestand switch circuit.

45019[/snapback]

I have not shorted the clutch switch but I have eliminated the sidestand switch.

To do so is also pretty easy.

Keep in mind that disabling the sidestand switch is hazardous.

If you drive off with the sidestand down you will likely crash.

There are many ways to do it.

Basically all you have to do is permanently connect the two wires that go to the switch.

Here are the steps I took:

1) Turn off the ignition.

2) Pull the tank.

3) Follow the wire from the sidestand switch up to a two wire connector.

4) Cut the two wires just past the connector. (eliminating the connector, eliminates a point of potential failure)

5) Remove the pair of connectors and the switch. (The bike now looks cleaner!)

6) Splice the two wires and insulate. (I stripped the wires about 10mm, twisted the wires together, soldered, sealed heat shrink tubing, and wrapped with electrial tape.)

7) Warning! If you drive off with the kickstand down you may die and or injur yourself, your passenger, and worst of all damage your Guzzi!!!!

 

Perhaps a better solution would be to wire it so that if the bike was in gear, the clutch was out, and the stand was down, your horn would go off instead of your engine dying.

[Guest jim_in_pdx]

I've been trying the "park in gear" option and so far so good. Thanks for all the input!

 

Jim

 

The neutral switch is inside the transmission, although you can remove it... thus draining your trans fluid in the process though 

 

If you look down by your shift linkage, you will see the wire hanging off of the switch.

 

It is just a simple plunger switch, and it is immersed in the trans fluid, so "lubrication" per se usually isn't the issue.

But, they do stick.  If you can't get it to work, you can disable your sidestand switch cutout, and a search of the topic should turn up several threads, or I'm sure someone here that has done so will provide detailed info on how to short the clutch and sidestand switch circuit.

But, specifically to the neutral switch sticking, I know some folks disagree... but I picked up a tip from another list that worked for me.  The tip was that parking the bike in GEAR, not in neutral, will help keep this from happening, and even "free up" the switch.

 

I used to park my bike in neutral all the time, and the switch started to stick quite a bit.  Then once I heard the "tip" and started parking the bike in gear, my switch rarely stuck ever again... so take the advice with an appropriate grain of salt, but it worked for me 

 

al

45019[/snapback]

[DeBenGuzzi]

Don't lose the steel ball.

45027[/snapback]

 

I'm tellin ya folks if you have lost one, check out the local hobby store for a replacement I bet there is an RC car out there that uses the same size ball bearing in its diff. Hobby stores can sometimes be as useful as an autoparts store for things of that nature, o-rings, electrical doo-dads and so on.

"Don't Panic"

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