Bike stops sometimes when put in 1st gear

My bike stalls sometimes when put in first gear, is there a way to test the switch?

 

It cuts out electrically - or drags the motor down??

Is your side-stand down?? The sidestand relay or switch are your suspects.

 

See: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27543.html

 

Put you bike in neutral, put up the kickstand.... Hope you have long arms--- now reach down and see if you can pull the side stand switch plunger out any farther .... Even the tiniest bit. Now try putting it in gear

I suspect that before anything else

 

A guy was doing a safety on my bike years ago and one of the idiots in the shop pulled the full weight of my bike onto my side stand so that the mechanic doing the safety could check the swing arm play with the back wheel up. (my side stand is gone to accommodate the exhaust)
When I went to leave after getting my safety pass and an exchange of words with the mechanics helper, exactly that happened to me.
The bike would stall as soon as I put it into gear.
I had to do what Hogfiddles said. I had to reach down and pull the plunger out a little further to make it work!
Later I pulled the switch off and straightened things out and lubricated it.
Now all is well