Just finishing up a rebuild. motor kills in gear

[Bandittwo2]

Hey guys, well long story short, im halfway through with a full streetfighter rebuild and frame repainting and im having some trouble. after i got hte bike put back together, i started it and tried putting it into gear and it died. this happened several times so i adjusted the clutch cable took the cover off and checked the discs and everything was good and working correctly. then I realized that it wasnt he clutch sticking but something was killing the bike when i put it into gear electronically. now ive done research and checked out the wiring diagram and im not sure where my issue is yet. is there adjustment for the kickstand switch? does the rear brake switch need to be hooked up for the bike to go into gear? diagram is unclear about this. also the bike starts only when in neutral so i know the neutral switch works. im baffled because it worked before and ive got it hooked up the same way!













1989 katana 600 btw and a 93 motor and harness

[iaminsider]

It sounds to me like an issue with the kickstand switch. You are either A: Putting the bike in gear with the kick stand down. B: You did not re-install the kickstand switch or C: The kickstand switch is faulty/the wiring for said switch is faulty.

[Bandittwo2]

the stand is up and the switch is there. i never unhooked it. why would it go bad all the sudden?

[shpielers]

They just do. It's not terribly uncommon. But if you painted over it and it was a loose connection, paint may have gotten in. Or if you pulled the harness before painting, possible a connection became loose. Pretty easy test - just jump the connection. Same for the clutch safety switch. If jumping either works, fix the problem, don't just leave it jumped.

[iaminsider]

+1. Electrical issues can just happen. The contacts inside the switch can become corroded or burnt. The wiring can become brittle and crack. The plugs can become corroded among other issues.

[steves]

On the Pre98, the side stand safety is also routed through the clutch safety. They use the same color wires (yellow with a green stripe if memory serves). Sounds like you have one hooked up, but not the other.

If it's only starting in neutral, it's a sure sign that something isn't right in the circuit.

[maniac1886]

my kickstand safety switch was real finickity. every time I hit a bump shed fall on her face n puff black smoke cuz it was like a hair trigger. I got sick of it one day and wrapped the kickstand knob that presses the switch with a thin piece of duct take like 8 times so it would push the switch in farther until I had time to tinker with it. either jump the switch or zip tie it all the way down n try poppin it in gear.

Very nice paint job btw. Be sure to post finished pics.

[Kreylyn]

OP
Yeah, it's definitely the kickstand switch issue. I would double check it's correctly plugged in. A simple test on it can confirm it's working with a digital meter. Kickstand down it's an open switch, kickstand up it's closed.

my kickstand safety switch was real finickity. every time I hit a bump shed fall on her face n puff black smoke cuz it was like a hair trigger. I got sick of it one day and wrapped the kickstand knob that presses the switch with a thin piece of duct take like 8 times so it would push the switch in farther until I had time to tinker with it. either jump the switch or zip tie it all the way down n try poppin it in gear.

Very nice paint job btw. Be sure to post finished pics.

Your issue isn't the switch, it's the kickstand being worn/loose. You probably need to replace the shim inside the Y mounting point on the kickstand with a thicker one. A simple test here, with the kickstand up... are you able to pull it /push it... away /towards the bike. If you can move it like that, then what is happening... is the springs are pulling it into the bike and that leverages the contact point for the switch away from the switch, so it's not pressing it far enough in. It will also allow for the stand to be loose as the springs won't be pulling as hard on it and allow for more movement when it's in the up position.


Krey

[maniac1886]

yah my spring is hit. But with his bike being a pre, i figured that may be the issue to look into with his too.

[Bandittwo2]

i tired holding the switch in by hand, still no go. where on the wiring diagram is the clutch wired into the kickstand switch?

[steves]

Not sure about on the wiring diagram, but the pass throughs should be up in the harness that comes out of the headlight cluster and down along the right side of the bike.

There should be two sets of wires with bullet connectors on them. The clutch safety routes through the sidestand safety.

Will the bike stay running if you keep the clutch in?

[Bandittwo2]

no, it will kill with the clutch in or out

[Kreylyn]

i tired holding the switch in by hand, still no go. where on the wiring diagram is the clutch wired into the kickstand switch?

It's not the clutch switch. Clutch safety switch prevents the bike from engaging the starter with out the clutch pulled in. By passing this switch (yellow, green strip wires located under the gas tank near the coils) will only allow you to start the bike with out having to pull in the clutch.


The side stand switch kills the engine when the trans is put into gear. I would suggest you test the switch (use a volt meter!), verify the switch is properly plugged into the harness by the battery, and confirm the wires between the switch and the plug are not damaged.


Krey

[Bandittwo2]

ok im goin up there today

[steves]

It sounds like it's probably connected, but faulty then.