Hi all,

I was riding along yesterday when the bike ('94 GS) all of a sudden died, as if it had just run out of petrol.... to cut a long story short and to not bore you with the details... The bike starts fine, but when i try to put it in gear it dies as if the sidestand is still down.  So i tried manually pushing the sidestand switch up and knocking it into gear, same thing, i then took off the switch, cleaned all the shaZam! from around and on it... sprayed loads of WD40 in, assuming dirt had got in or some other nastyness... Anyway no joy so it seems either the switch or the wire. are at fault... my Local suzuki spares shop doesent open untill monday, i was wondering if there was a way to bypass the sidestand switch safety feature alltogether, as i would idealy want to ride tomorow. Thanks in advance for any advice.

All the sidstand switch does is break the circuit if the sidestand is not up.  There should be two wires attached to the sidestand switch.  Just jump them or tie them together.  That will bypass the switch and at least let you verify that the switch is the problem.  I would only consider it a temporary fix, though.  Best to not leave it permanantly disabled.

I had to disable my sidestand switch not too long after I bought my '93 GS(used) because the kickstand would drop down going over railroad tracks and kill the ignition.  I haven't had any problems since, but I DO make sure that the stand is up before I put it in gear......


Don
Shadowhawk

I dont think shorting out the switch is a good idea, in theory yeah it should work but if you look at the wiring diagram you will see the switch incorporates a diode (signified by the little arrow-head symbol). Its there for a reason and with it out of the circuit and under certain circumstances strange things may happen in the electrical system.

http://www.gs500e.co.uk/wire.jpg

Quote from: Shadowhawk on March 18, 2006, 11:04:18 PM
................. the kickstand would drop down going over railroad tracks and kill the ignition.  ................


Don
Shadowhawk

Check the springs that hold the side stand up.  There should be two, one inside the other.  Maybe a PO worked on it and didn't reinstall both.

Quote from: sledge on March 19, 2006, 01:53:38 AM
I dont think shorting out the switch is a good idea, in theory yeah it should work but if you look at the wiring diagram you will see the switch incorporates a diode (signified by the little arrow-head symbol). Its there for a reason and with it out of the circuit and under certain circumstances strange things may happen in the electrical system.

http://www.gs500e.co.uk/wire.jpg

Your response is well meaning but the diode is only there to keep the side stand switch from lighting the neutral lamp.  Bypassing the sidestand switch does no harm other than defeat a safety feature.

John,
I think we may be talking about different diodes here? I may be wrong but after studying the diagram I can see how the 2 arranged cathode/cathode provide earth paths for the light and the interlock system via the neutral switch but I cant see what effect the one incorporated in the sidestand switch will have on the neutral light. Its strange to see one connected the way it is, in effect its preventing any reverse current flow from earth........could it be thats its there to limit the current flow to earth through the switch and stop the contacts burning up?

Quote from: sledge on March 19, 2006, 10:34:36 AM
John,
I think we may be talking about different diodes here? I may be wrong but after studying the diagram I can see how the 2 arranged cathode/cathode provide earth paths for the light and the interlock system via the neutral switch but I cant see what effect the one incorporated in the sidestand switch will have on the neutral light. Its strange to see one connected the way it is, in effect its preventing any reverse current flow from earth........could it be thats its there to limit the current flow to earth through the switch and stop the contacts burning up?

You're right.  I had forgotten about the "hidden diode" in the SS switch. Bypassing the SS sw will also bypass the enclosed diode. I'm at a loss to explain it's function. Doesn't seem to have a purpose. Nor does the diode that connects to the neutral indicator bulb.

For contact protection, a diode would normally be connected across the relay winding, cathode to +12v.

Thanks for the advice, i know diddly squat about electrics, and so got a bit baffled towards the end... it looks as if im going to go and get another switch today... but when clearning the old one i noticed there were no screws holding it together, which leads me to wonder how, when i have the new one will i get the old one off... do you havre to stick a knife in the back and prise the flat smaller pirce out?

Quote from: thedonuk on March 20, 2006, 04:57:54 AM
Thanks for the advice, i know diddly squat about electrics, and so got a bit baffled towards the end... it looks as if im going to go and get another switch today... but when clearning the old one i noticed there were no screws holding it together, which leads me to wonder how, when i have the new one will i get the old one off... do you havre to stick a knife in the back and prise the flat smaller pirce out?

Sorry, Sledge and I got a little carried away.

Did you try bypassing the SS switch by tying the two wires together?

I have never disassembled mine so I can't help you there.

John,
During my lunch break I asked a colleague of mine, an Electronics Engineer, for his comments on the mystery SS diode. I will post his answer when he gets back to me. I am sure you are just as curious as I am as to what its there for.

John, that seems to be the consensus view of what i should do (bypass)... but i must make it clear i am to electrics what george bush is to democracy ...

could anyone run me through a dummys guide to bridging the sidestand switch... from what i understand i have to follow the sidestand switch wire up to its connection (very hard, my bike has just ridden through the british winter and is absolutely filthy and greasy, and yes i will get around to cleaning it when it gets running), find the connection and put something metal connecting to the two terminals... i dont know what i would need for this and i dont want to short the entire electrical system out... which i nearly did installing a new battery ages ago (smoke from battery = bad ). so once again any help is very much appreciated and saves me a trip to my mechanic for something as minor as this...

TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR:
Go to bikebandit.com or ronayers.com, navigate to the bottom of the OEM parts list for your bike and select WIRING HARNESS. If you follow the wires from the switch assembly (part 19) you will see what the connectors look like.

TO FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR:
Take the left side plastic off.
To the rear of the regulator/rectifier module (black box) you'll find a bunch of wire/connectors.  Search around till you find a pair of wires (a green and a black/white).  They come up from the SS switch and have individual connectors where they connect to the main wiring harness.

TO BYPASS:
Pull both connectors apart.  You have to pinch the black connector, to unlatch it, and pull at the same time. The small clear plastic covered connector just pulls apart.  Yank on the wires and the pins will separate.

Now take a paper clip, straighten it out then bend it into a U shape.  Then bend each end so they will stay in place when you insert them into the female connectors at the main wire harness. (Not the wires that come from the SS switch)

You have just bypassed the SS switch.

Let us know what happens.

Thanks alot, i will try that when i get home (if its still light) or failing that tomorow... will keep you posted

Thank you john, you saved me around 60 dollars... took a while to find the connectors amid all the grime, but did as you said, paperclip now held in place with duct tape and its running fine... two questions, is it ok if the paperclip gets wet from the rain, that wont cause any problems will it? and can i leave this as a semi-permanent fix without doing damage to something... once again thanks alot.

Wellllll...... yeah it's OK as far as getting wet or actually touching anything like the metal frame, because it is at ground voltage = 0.

But........, since it is such a tempory fix,  I wouldn't trust it to ride that way.  If the connection should open while your're riding the engine will quit.  That's not a safe situation. 

The green wire must be connected to ground at all times in order for the start relay to operate and the engine to run.  That means a reliable connection is required.  My paper clip suggestion was only meant to be a test setup, not a tempory fix for riding.

It's up to your judgment as to wheather the paper clip is reliable. 

For riding I would go to an auto parts store, get the proper connectors and a short piece of wire and make up a jumper wire that will be reliable.

Thats true, i have been kind of paranoid of the paperclip falling out, even though i used ungodly amounts fo duct tape to hold it in place... as the switch is broken, would it be worth cutting off the connectors coming up from the switch putting wire between the two and using that as the jumper wire?

If you intend to discard the switch anyway, yes, that'd be the most sensible approach. Leave about two inches of wire when cutting, strip the ends, intertwine them well and insulate. If you have the possibility or a neighbor who does: solder the two wires together.

Quote from: MarkusN on March 23, 2006, 07:29:41 AM
If you intend to discard the switch anyway, yes, that'd be the most sensible approach. Leave about two inches of wire when cutting, strip the ends, intertwine them well and insulate. If you have the possibility or a neighbor who does: solder the two wires together.

Excellent!

f3

Luckily i do have an electrician neighbour ... he soldered it for me and now its running fine, thanks to all.