neutral safety switch

[lar1620]

I have replaced the clutch lever, the bushing and the plunger and I still have to wiggle the clutch lever to start while in gear. Is there an adjustment to the switch itself ? ? Thanks !

[Daniel Meyer]

No adjustment. You should be able to hear the little switch "click" when you pull it in (switch is right there at the clutch lever.

The switches DO fail/go bad. I'd suggest replacing it next. Cheap part.

[Dr K]

Do you have leather fringe things on the levers I had one that with those things I had to pull extra hard to activate the switch

[John Schmidt]

First things first....quit using that method of starting the bike. When touring the plant in Marysville, OH, I asked about it and a number of other items. Their techs said the clutch switch is mainly for emergency starting such as when you kill the motor at a light or similar. I can't recall the last time I started the bike in gear, especially if in the garage.

[Bighead]

I do t know if mine will start in gear after 21 yrs.

[Dr K]

So what is the rocket science behind not starting the bike in gear? Have I been starting all my manual shift vehicles wrong for 50+years? when it's cold and I have the choke on I always have it in gear so I don't have to jam it in gear at a higher engin speed if I waited for it to warm up when I got to the firebarn all the big red trucks would be gone with out me!   Please explain your thought to please

[h13man]

Found out last nite and 40,080 mi. later that if you don't see the green neutral indicator and you are in neutral, it will stop when kickstand is lowered. Damn good circuit sensitivity!

[Ricky-D]

So what is the rocket science behind not starting the bike in gear? Have I been starting all my manual shift vehicles wrong for 50+years? when it's cold and I have the choke on I always have it in gear so I don't have to jam it in gear at a higher engin speed if I waited for it to warm up when I got to the firebarn all the big red trucks would be gone with out me!   Please explain your thought to please

There's no rocket science involved, just good sense. You even posted a hint at why it's good sense, which is the drag from a not completely disengaged clutch. Now for the reason. Starting the engine in gear with the clutch lever pulled in imposes additional drag on the starter motor & assembly, which imposes additional demands upon the battery, causes the engine to turn over slower, and generally makes it harder for the engine to start. There, now you know.

***

[RonW]

every iffing time you start the bike using the clutch method, a Valkyrie owner on the other side of the planet forgets to remove his lift adapter until he's two miles down the road. That's on odd days of the month. On even days of the month a Valkyrie owner misplaces his Rolex.

[John Schmidt]

Thanks Ricky, I was about to give a rather sacastic answer and decided against it. I ASSUMED the reader noticed it was NOT my statement re. that method of starting but that of the techs in the Honda plant. Buy referring to his various manual shift "vehicles" I'm guessing it refers to cars/trucks, not just motorcycles. Cars/trucks....apples to oranges re. motorcycles. Keep in mind what Ricky said re. a not completely disengaged clutch. Might be from sitting for an extended period, or a problem in the hydraulics. Think of it this way....you're sitting in your garage, your clutch has been a little sloppy disengaging as of late but what the heck, I'll just jump on it and pull in the clutch handle and crank it up. You hit the starter, the switch circuit works but that sloppy clutch suddenly doesn't completely. You now have two problems; 1) still have a sloppy clutch which you should have looked at weeks ago.....2) you now have a nice hole in the wall in front of the bike.

I speak from observation, my neighbor of some years ago scoffed at my concerns. Kid darn ended up in the kitchen without using the door.

[Daniel Meyer]

Are you guys hinting that my Valk HAS a neutral?

I'm not quite sure what I'd use it for...