My DRZ 400 almost put me over the bars going through a double's rhythm section. I kissed the front fender and was barely able to recover. The kickstand went down when landing in one of the low spots. I was alone 20 miles from anywhere, really scared me. Took that off immediately. The klr one does not do that, so I left it on. I think my clutch safety switch is getting funky though, and I would like to keep that as well.

I did something similar of your mishap years ago on the XT 500. My back tire went in the air in a sharp curve at night. Later rides in the day showed me the barbed wire fence I almost ate. I don't know if it ever had a side stand switch.

 

The side stand switch fails sometimes.....best I can come up with.


The clutch safety switch disabling did come in handy on my gen 2. I was going up a long ascent riding to Jakes Cabin in the Dragoon Mountains in southern Arizona and I stalled out. The correct move on a steep ascent is to back down. In this case that might hav been 75 years and that didnt see realistic. Just getting off the bike was going to be pretty hairy never mind turning it around. I couldn't slip the clutch enough to make forward progress in the loose rocks, all I could get was wheel spin. I was able to to "hot start it" with the starter button in first gear and get rolling a bit and in a flash start it and take off.

 

The side stand switch fails sometimes.....best I can come up with.

Yep. I disabled it on my Gen1s back when I did a lot of non-pavement mostly because it would cause my engine to cutout in rough conditions.

The clutch safety switch disabling did come in handy on my gen 2. I was going up a long ascent riding to Jakes Cabin in the Dragoon Mountains in southern Arizona and I stalled out. The correct move on a steep ascent is to back down. In this case that might hav been 75 years and that didnt see realistic. Just getting off the bike was going to be pretty hairy never mind turning it around. I couldn't slip the clutch enough to make forward progress in the loose rocks, all I could get was wheel spin. I was able to to "hot start it" with the starter button in first gear and get rolling a bit and in a flash start it and take off.

I also bypassed the clutch safety switch which was a life saver in a couple of scenarios, the most memorable when a rider ahead of me stalled out going over Murphy's Hogback on the White Rim Trail. While not intended to do so, the starter motor provides instant torque to get you rolling then you can hot start and ride out.

 

+1 on safety

 

I've had more than one fail causing problems of their own. Like the one that cut the motor on another bike everytime the kickstand bounced on whoops at speed. I started riding before safety switches were installed and you learned pretty quickly not to forget to put the kickstand up. At some point multiple failure possibilities are a problem. No I don't take it apart to clean it every season, like the song says "she's not there."

 

So, if the kickstand comes down while running does it kill the engine? I would think it would have some type of override like the starter switch (at least on the Gen 3).

 

Yes, it kills the engine.

 

Ono what's next? CAN bus on a klr? The end is nigh.

 

Bypass it. If it’s not causing you problems now, it will at some point. And likely at the worst time & location.
Practice common sense and you’ll remain safe.

 

I've removed the problematic sidestand safety switches from both my KLR's......why? because they are a known and common failure point, especially if you use your KLR offroad as I do and because I've owned 47 motorcycles to date and the vast majority of them never had a sidestand (or clutch) safety and I never once felt I needed one. With my sag set properly, the sidestand pushes me over when I get on the bike unless I put it up. Also, for the period of time when I rode my 2001 stock, there were instances when the sidestand came down and cut out the engine.......not fun when you are riding G-outs at speed or landing off of a jump or going over a log.

I don't typically tell people to remove their sidestand switch but for me; they are never going back on as they are one of the key modifications I've made to eliminate all known KLR weaknesses.

Cheers,
Dave

 

Its situational. Anyone who's had an issue with it on will want to remove it, anyone whos rode with a kickstand down will want it on. On street I dont find it to be much of an issue or much less of a problem if it fails. On dirt, getting packed with mud, way back in the trails, on the side of a mountain where cars cant get to you - I dont want a failure and its not likely to save me from much other than embarrassment.

My other dirt bikes have not had them, and with it down its quite difficult to sit on the bike as the suspension squats and it wants to fall to the right. So after mounting the bike the first thing I do is kick up the stand. My KX stand I do by hand as to not break the mount because its an aftermarket unit and it breaks if you let it slam up and down so it gets done before I even mount the bike.

I also think its something that allows for safety complacency. I've seen kickstands not go up all the way, or drop down while riding. The KLR one requires a pretty significant distance before it triggers the shut off. This is good for not triggering with it bouncing around, however would still allow for the kickstand to get caught without shutting off the bike if something was in the way of it retracting the whole way - IE spring failure.

Full disclosure my KLR still has the stand switch. But I carry the bypass plug and will probably just do it the same time I do the clutch hopefully soon since I'm switching perches.

 

My KLR was a few weeks old when I put the stand down the engine would start idling rough. flip the stand up and it would smooth out. I promptly removed the switch. I could have had the dealer replace it under warranty but I did not see a need for the switch.

 

So, if the kickstand comes down while running does it kill the engine? I would think it would have some type of override like the starter switch (at least on the Gen 3).

Yes, it kills the engine.

WE need to add, When it is in GEAR on Gens 2 & 3.

On Gen 1's it operates / kills the engine as one begins to Release the clutch lever.
One can tilt a Gen 1 onto its side stand and front wheel to lubricate the chain with the engine running & in gear as long as one doesn't release the clutch lever too far.
I much prefer the Gen 1 type of wiring for this feature. But the switch is operated by a cable between the stand & the switch and the cables get rusty/sticky.
I simply removed my rusty cable and left the switch in-place (fully electrically connected), as it is the mount point for the 6" long plastic cover over the switch & the starter relays.

 

WE need to add, When it is in GEAR on Gens 2 & 3.

On Gen 1's it operates / kills the engine as one begins to Release the clutch lever.
One can tilt a Gen 1 onto its side stand and front wheel to lubricate the chain with the engine running & in gear as long as one doesn't release the clutch lever too far.
I much prefer the Gen 1 type of wiring for this feature. But the switch is operated by a cable between the stand & the switch and the cables get rusty/sticky.
I simply removed my rusty cable and left the switch in-place (fully electrically connected), as it is the mount point for the 6" long plastic cover over the switch & the starter relays.

That is correct, engine wont die until you put it in gear or you wouldn't be able to check neutral and start to warm up on the stand.

 

Remember when BMW made the vastly superior and well named Funduro? which saw life as a bunch of different bikes all of which were way better than the KLR, but nobody ever wanted and still doesnt?


I knew a guy 13 years ago with one and it died on the back way up to Crown King from Kirkland in the Bradshaw mountains in Arizona. Anyway he leaves it there, it wont run its dead he pays a recovery service, basically off road towing , its a road but a 4x4 road and it was $1200. and turns out it was the side stand safety switch. I pointed out that that was half of what I paid for my KLR!

 

PDW wrote: "I simply removed my rusty cable and left the switch in-place (fully electrically connected), as it is the mount point for the 6" long plastic cover over the switch & the starter relays."

If you eliminate those, you will save another 4 ounces or so.

 

If you eliminate those, you will save another 4 ounces or so.

I'm still light enough that my KLR doesn't care to go on a diet.

 

I had the side stand switch fail on my gen2 on Tuesday morning. The bike wouldn't start so I put the stand up and it started right away. Put the stand down while it was warming up and it started running rough. Stand back up and it was fine. So I bypassed the switch and still made it down for morning coffee with the boys.

 

I am thinking about getting rid of it

I am the kind of rider that always raises the stand. That is an automatic thing. I ride bikes since the 70’s when there was no thing as switches for security stuff.

You make sure the bike is in neutral before starting it and, once ready to move out, the side stand goes to rest against the bike

Lately I noticed that upon warming up the bike, bike won’t start with the side stand deployed

I want to warm up my bike while I try on the helmet and gear , so I am forced to hold the bike while raising the side stand … start it … once started, I want to lower the stand to let the KLR rest on it to let it idle, but then it dies

Sometimes it allows idling on the side stand and sometimes it does not

Sometimes it does not allow lowering the side stand once bike is started with it raised up

Sometimes it allows me to lower the stand after having started the bike with the stand raised up

Is it supposed to allow for starting and idling while bike is resting on the side stand ?

Is my side stand switch operating as intended or is it going bad ?

Or is it supposed never to allow the bike to start while the bike rests on the side stand ?

I want to get rid of it , a device that would not allow my bike to idle on the stand is just garbage

 

Or is it supposed never to allow the bike to start while the bike rests on the side stand ?

If the switch is working properly then you should be able to start and let the bike warm up while on the stand. With all the symptoms yours has it is going to leave you stranded in the not so distant future. Best to deal with it now.

 

Older Italian bikes like Moto Guzzis and some Ducati's ha a spring loaded side stand, so the second the pressure was off it would snap back into place. In the late 1980's I had my 1979 Moto Guzzi 1000 SP 11 parked on the side of a freeway off ramp somewhere in California riding to the GP500 race at Laguna Seca where I had stopped to help a buddy who was having luggage issues and a semi went by particularly fast for the off ramp and the gust of wind it generated was enough to let the spring snap back the side stand and then the bike fell over. This isnt mine but the same as mine down to the powder blue; that ones is probably on the center stand and their brushed it out. The tapered steering head bearing race broke on that bike WHILE I was riding in Jerome AZ.

 

Kawasaki Clutch Switch Bypass - KLR650

Once the clutch switch is removed or broken the bike won't start in gear, unless you plug in this bypass. Used if you are running an aftermarket clutch perch and/or lever which don't usually come with the switch. Simply plug this in to the connector that goes (or used to go) to your clutch...

www.3dcycleparts.com

 

I thought we were talking about the kickstand switch? This would be the one you need if you didn't want to go the cheap route as I mentioned.

 

Ahh yes, attached the wrong link.
Bypass both!

 

Is the neutral light working correctly? With the bike in neutral (light on), the engine should run while it’s on the sidestand.

 

In my case the neutral light is always working correctly

I would say that is the best safety device my bike could have, without it sometimes we might think, in a haste , that the bike is in neutral when it is actually not, and that light tells me that what my foot and thought might think is right, actually is not really it , fact is if the neutral light is not turning on means the bike is not really engaged in neutral

Only upon keeping my foot on working out the gears lever, I can manage place the gears in neutral on a neutral light !


Will disconnect that crap side stand switch off probably today.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

 

What I do know though, is I will not be the next guy, pokey is getting a side stand safety switch tonight.

Hi Howard,
Pokey's side stand switch is still there, it's just disconnected. I'd disabled it because it would jam with dirt and cause no-start/operational issues.

Take care!

 

Another good example as to why it should be deleted!

 

That is what I was telling you from my post (#24) but you weren't catching on. I still don't think you understand that.

 

Well

I do not understand what is your issue

This is a simple matter, yet you want to prove me wrong or something else

Have a nice day