bike shuts off when you pull clutch in or shift to neutral

[Brandenfwee]

hey. i have a 1980 sx400. everythings been good on it until yesterday when it started shutting off when i came to a stop. well, after riding it a little more i noticed that you dont have to come to a stop for it to shut down. if you just pull the clutch lever, the rpms go dont to zero and it shuts off. then, i have no power for a few seconds. and then itll start right back up everytime and idle fine. it only does it after ive riden it, and within any distance. i rode it down my driveway (about 30 feet) and it shut off. but if you let it idle and you rev it up to anything, itll come right back down and idle fine. its the damndest thing. i still ride it... but its VERY frustrating... also, i noticed my neutral light is very dim when it shuts off, but after a second i have full power of my headlight, tailight, neutral light is bright again, and starter works... any suggestions would be very much appreciated.... thnak you

 

[chris]

Give your battery a really good charge and test your alternator. If all that checks out, there could be a short in the neutral indicator circuit.

 

[lhaolpa]

hey. i have a 1980 sx400. everythings been good on it until yesterday when it started shutting off when i came to a stop. well, after riding it a little more i noticed that you dont have to come to a stop for it to shut down. if you just pull the clutch lever, the rpms go dont to zero and it shuts off. then, i have no power for a few seconds. and then itll start right back up everytime and idle fine. it only does it after ive riden it, and within any distance. i rode it down my driveway (about 30 feet) and it shut off. but if you let it idle and you rev it up to anything, itll come right back down and idle fine. its the damndest thing. i still ride it... but its VERY frustrating... also, i noticed my neutral light is very dim when it shuts off, but after a second i have full power of my headlight, tailight, neutral light is bright again, and starter works... any suggestions would be very much appreciated.... thnak you

I agree that you have a short in the circuit for the neutral switch and/or the clutch switch[if equipped]I am going to re-route all these stupid switches.I've been riding bikes about 45 years and know when I want to start or kill it. lha

 

[drewpy]

The neutral switch is an earthing switch so cutting it don't mean diddly
Check all electrical connections

Posted via Mobile

 

[lhaolpa]

The neutral switch is an earthing switch so cutting it don't mean diddly
Check all electrical connections

Posted via Mobile

Either way,almost any switch is either normally open,or normally closed.You just have to figure which,although I'm not saying that altering a "safety" switch is for everyone.My Hardbody 4x4 has a safety clutch and there is an over-ride switch on the dash,so someone had the wisdom to know that sometimes it's better to be easier to start,than to protect people from themselves.Even my '41 Ford tractor has a neutral start switch,which must be in neutral,or no start.

 

[Brandenfwee]

I actually figured it out this morning. It's when I hit my brakes at low rpm it shuts off. It just happened to be when I hit the clutch, the Rpms go down so there fore shutting down. Now I have to figure out why it's sucking all the juice from my power to a point where it shuts down. But I'm definitely charging the battery today either way.

 

[lhaolpa]

A cable tracker would be a good thing to have.It will track down the short or voltage draw. lha

 

[Brandenfwee]

Where do I get that? And about how much should I be looking to spend? All I have is a test light... I don't mess with much electrical.

 

[lhaolpa]

Harbor Freight has one that's sufficient for short tracing.I have one and it works,just hook one end to the circuit in question,push the brake,and move the receiver along the harness and listen for the beep. lha