Kick stand engine shut off

[droydx]

For some reason my 03 Rosso has decided to shut off whenever the kickstand is down, including when neutral is selected. Used to be it would only shut down when a gear was selected. Is there a neutral selector switch that can be adjusted?

 

It's tough to tune it with the clutch pulled in all the time!

 

Andy

[dlaing]

With 99 percent certainty I would say it is the sidestand relay or the wires connected to it that are failing.

[Martin Barrett]

I had issues with my neutral light not working, I think this also effected the side stand cut out circuit, but it was so long ago I can't remember. It was sorted at it's 500mile/first year service. Thet said they changed the switch.

 

I would think if the neutral light is coming on it wouldn't be the gearbox switch. It does sound like the side stand end - lots of WD40 and also check the clutch conectors does it make a difference if the bars are wiggled a pair of connectors to the left front under the tank can also be prone to poor connection.

[Guest Nogbad]

If the bike cuts out in neutral with the sidestand down, but works OK with the sidestand up the sidestand switch must be ok. The logic is that the engine is ok to run if not sidestand down OR in neutral so the neutral circuit must be the one to look at.

[droydx]

If the bike cuts out in neutral with the sidestand down, but works OK with the sidestand up the sidestand switch must be ok. The logic is that the engine is ok to run if not sidestand down OR in neutral so the neutral circuit must be the one to look at. 

83660[/snapback]

 

That's my thinking too. The kickstand switch is operating, because you can start it in neutral with it up, but , flick the stand down and it cuts out. I'll check the switch and connectors back from the tranny.

Thanks!

Andy

[Dr Gil]

I'm confused.

 

As some of you may be aware I crashed my Le Mans last year due to my neglecting to put up my side stand and then riding off. The side stand kill switch has been disconnected by a previous owner.

 

When rebuilding the bike I reconnected the kill switch. Now the bike will not start unless the sidestand is up. Once started I can put the sidestand back down, put it in gear, whatever and the bike still runs. This is the only bike I've ever seen like this. On other bikes if I were to put the stand down while the bikes in gear it would kill the engine. I just figured it's a "Guzzi" way of doing things."

 

Am I to understand that my side stand kill switch is still not working properly?

[dlaing]

If the bike cuts out in neutral with the sidestand down, but works OK with the sidestand up the sidestand switch must be ok. The logic is that the engine is ok to run if not sidestand down OR in neutral so the neutral circuit must be the one to look at. 

83660[/snapback]

Good Grief, do I have to explain everything?

Nogbad's logic is perfectly accurate, but we can determine from the evidence to go straight to the relay.

IMHO the sidestand relay should really be called the neutral safety relay.

It is triggered by the neutral switch and not the side stand switch.

If the neutral light is working, than the switch is fine.

That only leaves the relay as a possible culprit, other than a bad connection.

It is much easier to swap than to trace down a bad connection.

And for what it is worth, from what I can tell, the only place you are likely to find a bad connection, given that the neutral light works, is at the relay....of course, I could be wrong, but in this case it is with great certainty that I implore you to check the relay and waste no time elsewhere.

[dlaing]

Am I to understand that my side stand kill switch is still not working properly?

83704[/snapback]

With greater than 99% certainty, if the engine runs in gear, with the sidestand down, it is NOT working properly.

[droydx]

I think this is the culprit as you say:

 

No Neutral Light!

 

I tracked down my problem to a in-operative neutral switch on the transmission. It wasn't closing it's internal contact to close the circuit and light the neutral lamp when the transmission was in neutral.

Here's why I'm writing. They've seen a couple of these fail and I believe I know why it happens. It's metal fatigue of the internal spring that pushes the plunger out to make the contact that lights the neutral lamp. If you park it in neutral all the time as I do it compresses the plunger and holds it compressed. It's just a matter of time before the spring weakens if it spends alot of time compressed like that. I always park it in neutral

and it's been parked the last month that way.

 

Solution?

Ride more! ;-) If it's in gear, it can't weaken and fail.

 

Better solution?

Make a habit of parking it in gear. It's easy enough to just pull in the clutch lever when you want to move the bike. That hydraulic clutch has very light action to it anyway.

 

By Rich Maund

rmaund@pinn.net

[dlaing]

I think this is the culprit as you say:

No Neutral Light!

83709[/snapback]

Better solution?

Make a habit of parking it in gear. It's easy enough to just pull in the clutch lever when you want to move the bike. That hydraulic clutch has very light action to it anyway.

By Rich Maund

83709[/snapback]

It is probably a good habit also because it never fails to surprise me when you go to start it after leaving it parked near a grade school, and some smart assed kid left it in fourth gear.

The kid probably made two stroke motor sounds while shifting it, whiiiiinnnngggg, whiiiiinnnng, whinnnnngggg, whieinnnnnngggahgha.

hhhmmmmm???

But I just had a thought.

Inside the gear box, I believe there is a spring that drops the bike into neutral.

The spring is in a more relaxed position when in neutral.

Perhaps it may fatigue if left in gear for twenty years??????

[Guest Nogbad]

Quod erat demonstrandum.

[timnic]

The neutal light on my Scura stopped working within the first months of having the bike. I put this down to a faulty bulb as all the switches stand, clutch ect. all seemed to work correctley. At about 3yrs old it stopped starting with the side stand down. I removed the gearbox neutral switch gave it a very good clean in hot soapy water working the plunger in and out until I got a reading on the multimeter indicating it was now making contact. Dewatered the switch put it back in and six months later it's still working perfectlly and as a bonus the neutral light now works.