Kawasaki Neutral Switch

I've been looking at the wiring diagram for a 1995 Vulcan 1500-88 for
the last couple of days to understand what makes the engine die when
you have the bike in gear, the side strand DOWN, and you release the
clutch lever to move forward.

I know it's a safety device and I've had it disabled from time to time
to isolate electrical problems (that have NOT been caused by the kick
stand switch). And I'm not planning to ride without the side stand
safety switch disabled.

What I can see from the wiring diagram is, the neutral switch is closed
(bike in gear and circuit to ground complete), side stand switch is
closed (side stand down) which appears to complete the circuit from the
igniter, through a diode in the junction (fuse) box, through the side
stand switch and then on to the battery negative terminal.

What I don't understand is how releasing the clutch lever (that works
in conjunction with the starter lockout switch) can cause the engine to
die.

Any tips, suggestions, comments would be welcome. This, along with
most things electrical, are black magic. I'm trying to put together a
simple guide to be used to diagnosis and fix, or at least bypass switch
failures for my bike.

TIA,

Manjo

 

It's probably a disabling signal to the ignitor box, like on my Yamaha.

I disconnected the sidestand switch and installed a permanent jumper
wire in the wire harness plug so my electrical system thinks the
sidestand is always up.

 

I never thought of a disabling signal. I'm too forgetful to bypass the
side stand switch. I can see myself leaving it down and vaulting into
my neighbor's garden.

Thanks,

Manjo

 

Mark,

No. I've just been trying to understand how the switches interact. I
understand Kawasaki uses this ame circuitry in their later model bikes.

Ride safe,

Manjo

 

read "ame" as "same". Does Google Groups/Reply have a spell checker
built-in?

Manjo

 

Mark,
I have a two page KAW wiring diagram in a jpg format I can send you.
Email me off line with an address.

The wiring diagram is just that. It shows no logic. I wish I could be
more helpful. But I appreciate any help or suggstions you can give me
on this.

Manjo

 

I can see myself climbing an embankment on my out-of-control dual sport
because the sidestand switch made intermittent connection as the
sidestand jiggled up and down,
because that's what actually happened.

Fortunately, the clutch lever did not break when I fell onto the
lowside of the embankment, it only bent into a curl, and I was able to
ride the motorbike out of the forest.

I didn't realize what was going on until I was riding on pavement a few
weeks later and the engine mysteriously stopped and started, stopped
and started.

This is not much fun when it causes the motorbike's chassis to
misbehave from on-again, off-again power to the rear wheel.

I remove the sidestand and clutch "safety" interlock switches from all
my motorbikes.

 

Then bypass the wires that go to the switch and use the switch to
control a back-up beeper. You can get one at JC Whitney for under 20
bux. I did that on my BMW R1100S and it works VERY well, and I can
turn on the beeper at will with the sidestand if I want to wake up the
pedestrian next to me . . . .

-Don

 

Manjo schreef:

Because nobody seems to answer, I give it a try.
But first, I don't know anything about your bike electrics,
so the following is what you GENERALLY see in
the schematics.

The three switches, sidestand (SS), Clutch (CL) and the
one in the gearbox (I name that NE from 'neutral') all are
connected to the igniter box. Usually via one (or three)
diodes, but these do not matter for the story.
What they all do is; switch the igniter box to mass.

If it was really simple, then if either of these is connected
to mass, then the igniter box is connected to mass.
In switching terms: 'this is an OR-relation"
In plain words, OR SS up, OR NE gear, OR CL squeezed will
make the engine run.

But (always a but) the CL switch usually has three wires.
One that goes to the igniter, one that goes to mass, and
the third one goes to the NEutral switch.
If you do NOT squeeze the CLutch, then it is connected
to the NEutral, IN SERIES!
And that makes this an AND relation.

Hope the following scribble makes sense in the mail.
Left=Igniter box, right is mass.

-----/ ---------- SS Up=connected to mass

----------/----- NE neutral=connected to mass
/
-----/ CL not squeezed=to NE, thus then NE
\ tells what happens
\------- squeezed=connected to mass


It is easy to see that as long as SS is up, the engine runs
no matter of any other switch.

as long as you are in neutral, the engine runs

as long as you squeeze CL, the engine runs

But, if SS is down and in gear (not NEutral) then CL
must be squeezed, otherwise non of the three wires
to the igniter are connected to mass.

It is up to you to decide which switch you would
like to bridge. I bridged my SS. Occasionally I
scrape the tarmac at the first left hand turn. It
does no longer scare me (but it sure scares the hell out
of the car driver behind me. Many of them hoot
-thank you, I already know)

If you want a jpeg scribble, send me an email, my
address is correct.

Rob.

 

Don,

Clever solution (clever is a good thing :>).
I'm not interested bypassing the switch. I'd probably do better with a
scheme were the beeper would sound as I let out the clutch with the
bike in gear and the side stand down. It's always a surprise to me
when I do this and the engine dies. At least the beeper would wake me
up.

Thanks,

Manjo

 

Rob,
This all make sense. I can see the three diodes in my wiring diagram
and the paths to mass (ground) through the possible switch
combinations. Thanks for the explanation and scribbles.

Best regards,

Manjo