Hello All,

Put a new clutch lever on my '09 KLX 250S today. And in process broke off that "pin" that goes in and out of the "clutch switch"....eeeee.....Yes, I was pissed!! But I guess I should have been more careful. Anyway, what does the clutch switch do? I thought it would make me have to have the bike in neutral to start the bike....but I am able to start it in 1st gear with the clutch pulled in....hummm???

Looks like a new switch is about $17-$18 bucks. And I will probably replace it. Just not sure why I need it?

Jeff

 

Can you start the bike in gear without pulling in the clutch? I would imagine that the broken default would be to keep the circuit open, and not allow any changes. I bet you could follow the wires on that switch and plug them in together....although if it were me I would want it back to "normal"

 

Just did the same to my clutch switch, oops. With the pin broken off the safety circuit thinks you have the clutch pulled in all the time. Starter will engage with lever out & bike in gear, the same as doing the bypass.

 

This weekend i was doing some trail riding and hit a tree (don't ask) haha...

anyway, my 09 has the opposite problem from JeffNY, it will ONLY start in neutral. If it's in gear and I have the clutch lever pulled, it won't turn over...

What switch should i focus on? Clutch? or Stand? for the record, i hit the tree with the right side of the bike, but it fell to the left.

Thanks!!

 

Clutch...I have been having some weirdness with the bike not starting with the clutch pulled in. I always have made it a habit of putting the bike in neutral when I park it at home the post office or the store, but trail riding you stop and go so fast its better to have it working properly. Let us know what you find out.

 

Oh and



#1 rule...if your bike takes a dirt nap you gotta get a picture. LOL

 

While most will agree that the sidestand switch is usually disabled for the better, there's a reasonable debate as to whether one wants to ditch or keep the clutch switch. This is a fairly preferential issue. The upside of disabling the switch is that you never have to worry about it failing on a ride, and the fact that some may want the bike to turn the starter under all conditions whether the clutch lever is engaged or not. On the other side, some want the switch there as a safety for the odd but dangerous time that having the starter engage with the bike in gear and with clutch out might cause you to fall over in a precarious spot...like the side of a mountain or canyon wall. You could think it's in neutral when it's still in gear for a restart, and when you hit the starter, the bike rocks forward in an unwanted direction or time. Probably not a common deal, but if you ride much, you know the place or situation I'm referring to where this unexpected jerk of the bike might be bad.

I had my KLR650 clutch switch disabled, but I get into more precarious situations with this KLX, so I've left mine connected at this time. You just complete the connection between the two wires where the switch is to disable the switch. You can just use a jumper wire or a scotch lock connector to do this without hacking up the safety switch or wire.

 

Haha, we didn't bring the camera as it was POURING rain! I asked my riding buddy if it at least looked cool (cuz i smashed my finger and knee pretty bad), he said no, "It looks more like you just turned left into the tree."

TNC - Throughout my search i read a few stories of people who disconnected their clutch switch and it ended up being pretty hazerdous... so I think i'll look into fixing it...

Thanks for the info guys! - I'll take my crappy camera on all rides from now on!

 

Check the schematic, the manual calls this the starter lockout switch (which is the clutch switch). With the clutch lever pulled in, the switch should be closed. Try jumpering the wires and give the starter a bump in gear, if you are able to start then you have nailed it down to that switch which sounds like what it is. Good luck.

 

Get some hand guards man!!!



and yes you can get them in green