Starter switch momentary failure

[Dirty Dave]

I know that the starter switch needs cleaning after a while. My question is, is failure intermitent or does it just plain crapsout? Had my 1st momentary "moment" 350 miles from home. Lotsa battery but no action at the starter button. It was hot and humid that night.

[CASABROKER]

Check the headlight if it's out it's the switch.

[Dirty Dave]

Thanks. The headlight was on at the time. Only happened the one time. Gremlins.............

[Fudd]

You can pull up to a wall or something that you can see the reflection of your headlight and "rub" your finger lightly across the start switch.  Sometimes if the switch is about to go out, you'll see the headlight lose it's electrical contact.

[kid4evr]

Mine was intermittent for a long while, however, I was probably lucky.
Changed the entire Assy, as I probably messed the switch when I change the housing to chrome, which requires changing the internal cabling to the new housing.

[Daniel Meyer]

Just take it apart and do the service/clean/lube it. Not hard, and then you'll know!

[bigguy]

Just take it apart and do the service/clean/lube it. Not hard, and then you'll know!

+1  If you are having a contact problem in the switch, you want to get it fixed before arcing causes more problems.

[RonW]

The movable component of the start-button is nylon. While nylon is supposedly self-lubricating which is the desired property, it also easy to melt from heat. Specifically, heat from the contacts. It's wiser to attend to the contacts before a poor connection causes heat to sink the tiny copper button into softened nylon. Once the nylon deforms the tiny copper button gets buried alive in a divot after the nylon cools and hardens around it. The movable contact is then permanently out of whack. Disclaimer: Theoretically.

[Micky]

I have been having same problem here lately. Switch is only about 5 years old. Battery is showing 14.2 amps when runing. However battry is probably close to 10 years old. Sometimes it starts right up, sometimes u have to keep pushing switch. When I push switch, headlight goes out, then it either cranks and headlight comes on as suppose to, or u hear a cliclking sound. Any more suggestions?

[CASABROKER]

Take it apart and clean and lube it's easy, faulty contact is the problem