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Main Area => General GS500 Discussion => Topic started by: Iarn on February 26, 2015, 05:03:04 PM

Title: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Iarn on February 26, 2015, 05:03:04 PM
What would be causing this?

The bike is in neutral.

Shifting from 1st to N or 2nd to N doesn't seem to affect the indicator.

I have my clutch safety switch hooked up. I just put it back on, could it be backwards? I took it off and flipped it, but the bike wouldn't turn over at all, then.

Bike now only starts with clutch lever out. Bike won't start if clutch lever is in, as is normal.

My master cylinder and its safety switch are currently removed from my bike.

Any insights would be a big help, thanks.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: sledge on February 26, 2015, 08:22:50 PM
It is actually in neutral......right?

I mean the proper neutral, the one between 1st and 2nd........not the false one between 2nd and 3rd.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Iarn on February 26, 2015, 08:32:05 PM
..False neutral. I'm not sure if that's a joke. Let me go play with it.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Iarn on February 26, 2015, 08:36:40 PM
She's definitely in true neutral. It won't down-shift any more. The way it pulls in gear, it's certainly first.  I also have topped my blinker fluid for good measure. Just replaced the bulb, and the light socket worked before I changed said bulb.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: sledge on February 26, 2015, 09:36:36 PM
False neutrals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2hXXCmX3Iw
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: 89500inPA on February 27, 2015, 12:07:02 PM
"Bike now only starts with clutch lever out. Bike won't start if clutch lever is in, as is normal."
That is not normal, that is backwards!
Test the socket with a meter. This is most commonly a defective bulb.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Suzuki Stevo on February 27, 2015, 12:24:44 PM
Quote from: Iarn on February 26, 2015, 08:36:40 PMJust replaced the bulb, and the light socket worked before I changed said bulb.

Having wrenched on a number of different kind of rigs in my life, I have swapped allot of parts..."New" just means a "different" part to me, new is no guarantee of being good, I have seen it numerous times over the years.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: ShowBizWolf on February 27, 2015, 01:08:09 PM
+1 !!!
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Iarn on February 27, 2015, 06:27:21 PM
Okay, this is slightly embarrassing. With some coaxing from you guys, I tried the "new" LED in a different socket and it didn't illuminate. However, I did have a spare and tested that one and it did illuminate. Problem is still there. It won't illuminate in my Neutral indicator socket. I even tested it a second time in the Oil indicator after trying it in Neautral indicator. The bulb is certainly functioning now. [I removed the bulb, rotated it 180 degrees and placed it back into my Neutral indicator socket and it now illuminates. My Neutral indicator now works. Must be because the LED bulb is polarity sensitive]

I still have a problem. My clutch safety switch. It WAS backwards. I fixed it so that when I pull the clutch lever in, the contact circuit is closed now. When the clutch lever is released, it is open. Now My bike won't turn over at all, even though the switch is set properly, thoughts?
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Janx101 on February 27, 2015, 07:23:40 PM
It's in gear with the side stand down?
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Suzuki Stevo on February 27, 2015, 07:25:06 PM
Quote from: Iarn on February 27, 2015, 06:27:21 PM
Okay, this is slightly embarrassing. With some coaxing from you guys, I tried the "new" LED in a different socket and it didn't illuminate. However, I did have a spare and tested that one and it did illuminate. Problem is still there. It won't illuminate in my Neutral indicator socket. I even tested it a second time in the Oil indicator after trying it in Neautral indicator. The bulb is certainly functioning now. [I removed the bulb, rotated it 180 degrees and placed it back into my Neutral indicator socket and it now illuminates. My Neutral indicator now works. Must be because the LED bulb is polarity sensitive]

I still have a problem. My clutch safety switch. It WAS backwards. I fixed it so that when I pull the clutch lever in, the contact circuit is closed now. When the clutch lever is released, it is open. Now My bike won't turn over at all, even though the switch is set properly, thoughts?

(http://www.geocities.ws/k7hkl_arv/LED_Polarity.png)
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Iarn on February 27, 2015, 07:48:54 PM
Sorry, I'm not sure why you posted the image about polarity.

The bulb issue has been resolved. It's just that now my motorcycle won't start. I think it's my safety switch. Is there a way to bypass that?

Janx: No, the Neutral indicator is on. My bike is in neutral gear. The side stand is up. I turn the key to ON, flip the power switch to ON, pull in the clutch lever and press the turnover button... Nothing happens.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Suzuki Stevo on February 27, 2015, 08:43:21 PM
Quote from: Iarn on February 27, 2015, 07:48:54 PM
Sorry, I'm not sure why you posted the image about polarity.

The bulb issue has been resolved. It's just that now my motorcycle won't start. I think it's my safety switch. Is there a way to bypass that?

Janx: No, the Neutral indicator is on. My bike is in neutral gear. The side stand is up. I turn the key to ON, flip the power switch to ON, pull in the clutch lever and press the turnover button... Nothing happens.

An led is not a bulb, it has a cathode and an anode, the image points out the positive (anode) and negative (cathode), the image was for your future reference, if you would have mentioned that you where using a light emitting diode, polarization would have been the first thing I would have brought up @ 11:24:44 AM when I first replied to your post.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: gsJack on February 27, 2015, 09:47:12 PM
Quote from: Iarn on February 27, 2015, 07:48:54 PM................The bulb issue has been resolved. It's just that now my motorcycle won't start. I think it's my safety switch. Is there a way to bypass that?........................

Just splice the 2 wires at the safety switch together, I bypassed the switch on my 97 and ran it 80k miles that way.  My 4 previous Hondas didn't have a safety switch at the clutch and I didn't like it.  Never bothered to bypass it on my current 02 though.   :dunno_black:
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: J_Walker on February 28, 2015, 10:43:25 AM
you can shove a thick piece of wire into the slots of the two wires and bridge them off. I do that on most of my bikes. its best to not cut them just encase you wanna sell it later, you can plug it back in. wire * little electrical tape. you're good.

one thing I WILL NOT bridge, is the kickstand sensor...  :icon_lol:
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: gsJack on February 28, 2015, 12:19:53 PM
Actually when I went to pull the wires into the light housing on the 97 I discovered they had the male/female connectors in opposite directions so I just pugged the wires together that were inside the housing and left the wires outside running to the switch as they were.  Could be restored back anytime.

On the 02 the male/female connectors ran the same way on the two wires from the switch so I left them as they were rather than alter the wires.  Best to jump them at the switch like J_Walker did.  Should work same on F models too.
 
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Iarn on February 28, 2015, 08:46:45 PM
Ah, my mistake Stevo. I'll be more specific in the future.  :oops:

As for it all, the Neutral indicator is fixed. The switch is still backwards and will remain that way for a while. She runs now and that's all I care about. The switch works backwards but if I set it properly the bike won't turn over.  :dunno_black: I don't know. Short of shorting the switch, that's the best I can do. She is rideable now, which is all I care about at this point.
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Janx101 on March 01, 2015, 03:15:44 AM
... so if you pull the clutch lever all the way in the engine stops?... if so... safety much?!
Title: Re: Neutral Indicator Won't Illuminate (Bulb is good).
Post by: Iarn on March 01, 2015, 08:09:21 AM
Nah, the clutch operates as you would expect. Clutch grabs when the lever is out, clutch disengages when lever is in.

The bike doesn't die in gear or in neutral with the lever in or out.

The only "issue" is that while attempting to turnover the engine, the lever now has to be out. If I pull the lever in, it won't even attempt to turnover.