clutch and neutral for start eliminator - easy fix!

[Steve Anderson]

List, I started to have a little trouble having the bike not start. Wiggling the wires to the clutch switch remedied the problem - time for this switch to go! Last few times I've been out in very challenging, steep conditions, I was lamenting not being able to start the bike in gear with the clutch pulled in - time to fix this whole starting circuit business!! The fix: After reviewing the wiring diagram, I came up with an very easy 'fix' to allow the start button to work regardless of the gear, or clutch position, you can even engage the starter with the bike in gear, and the clutch out, although I don't intend to do this as it is probably a little hard on the starter! The fix will take about five seconds to reverse too, if I ever choose to reverse the fix (read: loaning the bike). I know there is a 'fix' posted, but it looks more difficult to implement, and I didn't feel confident that it would allow me to start with the bike in gear. What I did was to take a very small slot screwdriver (a 'tweaker') to allow me to extract the blue/red wire from the connector going to the starter circuit relay. Not the starter relay, but the little relay just below it. I then ran an 18AWG ground wire to this connector. I put a 1/4", quick disconnect with heat shrinkable insulation (obtained at the local car parts store) on the end of the ground wire. Plug the connector with a now empty "hole" in it, and slip this new ground quick connect through the hole in the connector onto the blade of the relay where the old blue/red wire went. This took about five minutes to implement, including removing the seat to run the ground wire securely. How it works: Normally +12V runs from the battery through the 20A fuse; through the ignition switch (when 'on'); through the kill switch (when in 'run'); through the starter button (when pressed) and then to the coil of the starter circuit relay. Ground runs from the battery through the neutral switch, through the clutch switch (when the clutch is out) and then to the blue/red wire to the starter circuit relay. When the starter circuit relay engages, it simply passes the +12V it gets from the starter button to the starter relay. This engages the starter relay which connects the battery to the starter and voila (thump, thump, thump....)! The fix simply routes ground around the neutral and clutch switch directly to the starter circuit relay thereby 'eliminating' them from the starting circuit, without effecting the neutral switch illuminating the neutral lamp. BTW: I was also tempted to run the +12V from the starter button to the starter relay directly, completely eliminating the starter circuit relay; I may do this yet. It's just that this 'fix' was so easy to do... If I decide to try this other possible fix, I'll post the results. I also don't know if this works on A4's or earlier, as they have some differences in the starter circuitry I didn't try to figure out. Good luck and happy rides, Steve Anderson