DR650 - sidestand switch problem?
 

Ahoy all,

Yesterday I started to make some modifications to my bike and nipped off the sidestand killswitch. I tested it with the wires cut to make sure it couldn't start...and it didn't. And then touched the wires and bingo it starts...

However, now all of a sudden the bike is starting while the wires aren't touching!? Unless there are other wires touching somewhere I can't think of any other reason for this. Can you suggest anything?

Cheers,
Rossy.

Hi Rossy,
Can't speak for the DR650, but on other bikes I've owned the sidestand switch doesn't quite work like that.

If the bike is in neutral with clutch out, it should start wherever the sidestand is, up or down.

When you select a gear with engine running, if the sidestand is still down the engine will stop.
The sidestand switch only prevents starting when the bike is in gear and/or the clutch is pulled in.

Different bikes might be wired differently. Might be worth playing with the gear lever, clutch, and the two wires to the switch to see what combination stops the engine on your bike.

Cheers mate! You're totally right! I must have had it in gear when I tested it then, waited a while and some other things n then had to switch to neutral to move it, and then tested it...

So YES the sidestand killswitch kills the engine if the bike is in gear (even if the clutch is in) but will NOT kill the engine if the bike is in neutral.

Cheers again,
Rossy.

Now on to find an easy way to wire an extra killswitch!

Standard practice is to just twist the wires going to the switch together and tape them up, cheap, cheerful and it works fine. Riding off with the sidestand down is one of the mistakes every biker should make, once!

One of the best things in the Touratech catalogue is the laser-cut aluminium plate to protect the switch so it doesn't 'cut your trip short', much cheaper, quicker and lighter to just bin the switch.

Mechanical means.
 

On bikes where the gear lever and side stand are close and in a suitable position, in the past I have welded a small steel rod to the side stand. This rod is positioned such that when the side stand is down, the rod pushes on the underside of the gear lever, preventing it from being pushed down, without a lot of extra effort. That way you notice and flip the stand up. Not need for pesky switches that way. It's only possible on some bikes.

Cheers bloke

Nigel in NZ