Clutch switch bypass

[flanga]

I recently posted pix of the kickstand safety switch bypass (Cheap, reversable, 5-minute no-solder bypass method), and a fellow KLRista asked if I had similar photos of the clutch safety switch bypass. I was working on my bike today, so I took some pix.

Note: the reason for doing both these mods is that the switches get dirty and die, leaving you with a dead bikeand a long troubleshooting list to try to figure out why. The bypasses wire around the switches, avoiding the problem. I used inexpensive quick-disconnects so the bypasses can be undone in seconds, should you ever need or want to.

Here, I've dropped the front fairing (easy: 3 screws, 2 bolts) and removed the black plastic cover over the wiring harnesses behind the meters (also easy: 2 screws). The photo is from the left front of the bike, looking back towards the forks. It looks a little messy, but it's clearer in real life. Also, I have some extra stuff in there (wiring for heated grips), so yours may well look less messy.

The item of interest is the white plastic electrical connector.



Make a little jumper using a couple inches of wire and a pair of quick-disconnects.



Remove the white connector from the metal socket that loosely hold it, and unplug the two halves of the connector. The light blue wire is for your neutral light; you'll leave that alone. Snip the dark-blue/red wire and the
black/yellow wire on the MALE side of the white connector, as shown. Put quick-disconnects on the ends of the snipped wires. Plug in the jumper as shown.



Put quick-disconnects of the other ends of the snipped wires (the ones that run to the clutch lever). You won't be using these until or unless you want to undo the bypass. So, I filled the open ends of mine with dielectric grease to keep them clean and ready to go.



Note the unsnipped light blue wire. We haven't done anything to it, and won't.

Tuck the jumper up beneath the meter housing.



Put the white connector back where you found it, replace the black plastic cover, and put back the afiring, if you removed it.

You're done!

[wzd1a]

Thanks for posting this, and the other mod. I will be doing these mods (and valves and the doo [with new spring?) while waiting for 40-inches of snow to melt.

[mylibu]

Thanks alot for posting these flanga. Its always good to put a picture to words.

[Meat Wad]

I have a plug and play kit from totally wired cycles, it has a mini-toggle that mounts in the black plastic panel on the chain side of the bike. I can turn it on or dis-able it at will.........

[wingerr]

Originally Posted by centurion

I have a plug and play kit from totally wired cycles, it has a mini-toggle that mounts in the black plastic panel on the chain side of the bike. I can turn it on or dis-able it at will.........

How often do you switch it back and forth? If the safety switches are working properly, it's usually transparent to the rider, as you normally wouldn't want to start the bike in gear with the clutch out. I'd leave it in the safety-enabled position until a failure occurs, and then disable it.

That shouldn't be a regularly occurring event though; if it fails, and you chose not to fix the safety switches, you'd just leave it in the disabled position from that point on anyway.

I would like having a handlebar mounted disable for the sidestand switch, though, because I sometimes want to nudge the bike around with the sidestand down, and the safety prevents that-

I suppose another advantage of using a switch would be if you do choose to use the enabled position all the time, and you need to disable it way down the line, it'd be easier to remember how to do it- provided the disable switch contacts haven't oxidized from disuse..

[flanga]

Originally Posted by wingerr

How often do you switch it back and forth? If the safety switches are working properly, it's usually transparent to the rider, as you normally wouldn't want to start the bike in gear with the clutch out.

True. But I've learned never to trust neutral lights. (DAMHIK ), so I always start the bike with the clutch pulled in anyway. The safety switch is redundant.

The sidestand switch is more debatable, I agree. But it's just an extra half-second to check: When I pull the clutch in to start the bike, I also look down to make sure the stand's up. Sort of a "left side safety check."

Originally Posted by wingerr

I suppose another advantage of using a switch would be if you do choose to use the enabled position all the time, and you need to disable it way down the line, it'd be easier to remember how to do it- provided the disable switch contacts haven't oxidized from disuse..

Yup, that's the problem. You're replacing one switch with another that may or may not be any more reliable. If the new bypass switch fails, you're just as stuck as if you'd never done the bypass in the first place: wasted effort.

So, my default is to have the switches bypassed.

But note that the sidestand disconnect, as shown, can be reversed with no tools in maybe 30 seconds or less. If you want it enabled, it's just a few seconds.

The clutch disconnect can also be reversed with no tools if you kneel down and look up behind the meter housing; or, if that doesn't work, then all you need is a screwdriver to remove the wiring harness shroud.

Anyway, as with so many things, it's up to the individual to decide what's best for him/her.

[FREEFLOW]

FWIW...on 3 KLRs now I have reached inside the back fo the plug to depress the plastic retainer clip to allow the male prong end of the plug to slip out...then I jammed that end in the back side of the other wire male end inside the plug housing (from the back)...insert joke here..

anyway...taped it up and good to go...it hasn't vibrated out in the last 20,000 miles either.....and can be put back to stock in a minute or 2

sorry no pic...but basically pulling out one of the spades and wedging it int he back of the other wire.....done

[emmettken]

flanga-thank you!Just did both of mine,so far so good.
Ken

[dukedinner]

Can someone please clarify for an electrically challenged member. If I am reading all of these posts and threads correctly, once the clutch saftey switch jumper/mod etc is done, I don't need to move onto dis-abling the side-stand safety switch as this mod does it all??

[LS1Steve]

Originally Posted by dukedinner

Can someone please clarify for an electrically challenged member. If I am reading all of these posts and threads correctly, once the clutch saftey switch jumper/mod etc is done, I don't need to move onto dis-abling the side-stand safety switch as this mod does it all??

the mod takes care of that too, the jumper from the blue/red wire grounds it, and disables both.

[MotoMo]

Thanks, flanga, for the instructions and pics. You answered some questions I had.

I took a few minutes this evening and bypassed mine, though I placed the bypass on the other side of the connector. I also did not find it necessary to drop the fairing.

Mo

[wolfkill]

I know this post is old but for a new guy it helped me take the plunge as I stood there with the wire cutters in my hand next to my 02 KLR.

I did the side stand first but it didn't help, apparently it was the clutch and it seems to be fine now.

It was an intermittent problem that thank God didn't leave me stranded other than my driveway.

You guys saved me at least $200.00 I would think versus a professional bike mechanic fixing it (labor/parts).

This summer what with gas prices I'm actually using the bike to save money on gas rather than just driving it for giggles.

Thanks for the pics flanga it helped.

I did find a couple other issues too when I was in there...like two big bolts on the left side of the fork without nuts...oops

[Subybaja]

Hey, anyone remember where that kickstand switch thread is? The link posted goes to a Chinese joke now!

[KLRKTMGUY]

Is the wiring on the 2008 model the same?

[robp]

Just did my kickstand bypass - starting giving me problems yesterday. Thanks for the pix!!

Rob