Neutral light not coming on = no start... ?

Hi,

So i rebuilt my carbs, got them (somewhat) dialed in and setup on the bike.

I had a very hard time getting the bike started, but eventually i got her started (I know, exciting, right?) while running, I held in the clutch and dropped into first..
Then I realized I didnt want to try moving yet because i didnt have the seat on, so I tried to put the bike back back into neutral.. I shifted the lever up and down all through the motions and the neutral light would not come back on.
Eventually i had to kill the bike.

Now, when i turn the ignition ON, i do not get a neutral light. I shift through the gears and the light will not come on! It seems that if this precious little green light doesn't have its sweet illuminous glow, the bike just doesnt want to start.

I have a service manual on the way from somewhere, but i apparently got the slowest shipping available or maybe their shortcutting through south pole?

Is this a common issue? Can anyone recommend the correct procedure or process to checking a non-illuminating neutral light so i can start my bike again?

Thanks!!

 

It's possible that the NEUTRAL Switch is stuck.
Possible.

But, ... the Light may be blown-out and a Safety Switch stuck, too.

The Neutral Switch has a Light Blue Wire running from it.

 

Thank for you suggestions!

Where on the bike might I locate this neutral switch.

 

Right by the side stand. It has a little plunger that the side stand pushes in when down.

 

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Right by the side stand. It has a little plunger that the side stand pushes in when down.

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no, thats the side stand switch, the neutral switch is in the gearbox, you can locate the wire onto it at the back of the gear shift cover,
stu

 

Ah, nice. I know what your talking about and this bike has that switch but it was never hooked up. As in the little banana plugs were never plugged in, so I pulled off the switch. Yes, I had the bike running at a point in this fashion.

That must mean its bypassed somewhere further up the wiring chain, right?

I got the neutral light to come on eventually by moving around some wires I front and switching the clutch foot selector up and down. It's obvious that something is shorted if the switch is disconnected and the neutral light intermittently refuses to come on when it's actually in neutral.

The PO had bobbed this thing out and the wiring looks like a spaghetti bowl just sitting on top of the battery. A mix of splices with blue butt connectors and actual solder/heat shrink tubing.

It has no fuse box really. It looks like the guy terminated all the fuse ends with the blade style connectors (4 of them) and they pretty much free float on top of the battery area.

I just learned in another thread that there are wires that are stored behind the head light. While I looked at the headlight very briefly, I couldn't figure out how to remove the light to get behind there. I could see a bundle of wires that ran out of te housing. I imagine the wires probably won't look any better.

I will have to figure out how to pull the light after work today.

Thanks or your help

 

To open the headlight.
Look for the two screws in the housing located at approx 4:30 & 7:30 clock positions.
Removing these screws will allow the headlight to be pulled out, and upward to remove the bulb from the housing.

Once inside the headlight make sure all the conections are clean, and securely pluged into each other.

Ghost

 

That's why I should just go to bed after a night shift.

 

Hold on now.

This is a 550. First off, if the sidestand switch is simply unplugged, the bike thinks the stand is down; "bypassing" it involves plugging the harness leads together. So if the bike has been starting, somebody has also bypassed the clutch switch so that it thinks the clutch is always pulled in; or the neutral switch has been "signaling" neutral all the time, which I kinda doubt.

The NEUTRAL switch is a simple contact plate; and on the 550s it's located behind the forward sprocket cover. It's that rounded, triangular plastic piece held on by three screws with a wire sprouting out of the center of it.

 

Thanks bigfitz,

When I first got the bike, i had troubles starting it for a couple days. I then learned that there was a kickstand switch. I tried pushing in the switch and leaving it out all while attempting to start. (Issue ended up being the carbs) but i did remove the switch and did a continuity test, the switch works. I jumpered the banana plugs when i removed the switch and had it that way for awhile, but i eventually removed the jumpered wire and it seems to start regardless.

When the neutral light wasnt coming on, i was not able to even turn the starter regardless of the clutch being pulled in or not.

I pulled the cover over the front sprocket as i suspected a switch to be in there somewhere. While i didnt know what exactly I was looking at, i did see that it was a just a filthy, greasy, nasty mess inside that cover. Last night i cleaned it out with brake cleaner and a tooth brush. Shortly after that cleaning and the jarring of cables by the headlight area, the neutral light began coming back on.

I had suspected the yellow triangle thing with the wire of being a sensor of some sort.

I didnt mess with anything, just cleaned it out and replaced the cover.

i cant wait for my service manual to come in.

Glad to know where the neutral switch is. Thanks!

 

Are you sure that the switch isnt working.

Confirm that the Bike is in Neutral.

Select NEUTRAL and rotate the Rear Wheel.
Be sure that the Shifter isn;t indexing right past Neutral.

 

You're talking about the kickstand switch or neutral switch?
After i cleaned out the inside of the front pulley cover, the neutral switch seems to work fine.

If you talking kickstand switch, its completely off the bike on my bench and the leads arent shorted

I had it started and running just tonight a couple times.. albeit ran very rough, it did start.

 

The cut out relay can give you this problem, it's under the seat, 3/4" square & 2" long, you can open it & clean the contacts, or just bridge it, 2 red / white wires (I think)

 

If the sidestand switch is removed and the leads NOT connected, the bike thinks the stand is down. Therefore, if eveything else was working as it should, the bike should only start/run in neutral, and die as soon as you put it in gear. Remember, it's not supposed to run in gear with the stand down; and it won't START in gear unless the clutch is pulled in, and the sidestand up. Something's definitely not right.

On the 550 Max, the starting circuit cutoff relay is located between the frame rails up under the tank, just forward of the flasher relay and slightly aft/below the coils.

PM me with your email address and I'll send you the "starting circuit" fault isolation diagram from the factory book. Your safety circuit is confused.

This might help in the meantime: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=27543.html

 

Beware of the "RELAY-TRAP"

There is a dramatic difference between;
• Safety Relay
• Power Relay

A Power Relay substituted in place of a SAFETY Relay will make the Bike seen to be haunted.

The difference is in the LOAD Contacts:

Safety:

(+) -<>- (+)
( - ) ...... ( - )

Generic:

(+) -<>- ( - )
(+) ....... ( - )

A Generic Relay Substituted for a Power relay will REVERSE some functions and make the Starting Circuit dangerous.

For Example: The Starter will NOT Spin with the Clutch Lever PULLED.
WILL Spin and Bike will START with:
Lever Released
Button Pressed
Bike in Gear