kick stand kill switch is sticking

[bakenath]

My kick stand kill switch is really tickin me off. The lcd warning light works well when the kick stand is down but sometimes when it is up the dang thing shuts off my motor with no warning. I was even out last week passing a semi on a 2 lane hwy, hit a bump and the thing shuts off just as I am returning to the correct lane. Nearly sh!t myself when the semi half ran me off the road. I dont even want to bother with it any more. I have a wife and kids I have to take care of. I have plenty of life insurance to take care of them IF im gone but I wont get to take my beloved XJ11 with me. How do I pull this switch? It must be similar to the battery warning light fix. Please save a fellow neXJenration owner.
Nathan

[mro]

I don't have an XJ....yet
but a switch like the one your talking about is either normally open, or normally closed (Off or On)

Pull the wires from switch, with them seperate (like the switch is "open")
check if indicator is out, if not connect the wires together.


mro

[planedick]

Wires?

I would be willing to bet there is only one wire and the switch sends it to ground which lights the light. Pull the wire and touch it to the engine and observe the light. Also look at the kickstand and see that the spring is strong enough to hold it up. Maybe a little bump in the road lets the stand drop a little stopping the engine.

[Jerry]

This has been discussed a few times...

Follow the 3-wire cable from the switch up to a connection just behind the fuel tank. Unplug the connector. On the bike side of the harness, make up a 3-way connector - I used speaker wire and 1/4 inch slip on connectors - and 'jump' all 3 pins together. This will make the XJ's systems think the stand is always in the Up position. This will bypass the safety interlock; it will be possible to ride off with the kickstand down! Be carefull.

The switch is a known problem and is no longer available from Yamaha.

[bakenath]

Thanks guys.
Ill try and look at the wire setup next week. ill keep checking back for more tips.
Nathan

[84xj1100]

Rather than bypass the switch, why not repair it??

I own 2 xj's and have had 2 seperate issues with each of them. I have been in the situation of riding along @ 55 mph and had the engine cut out approx. 1,500 kms from home. Solution = clean/sand switch where the 2 screws that hold it in place & make contact with the frame and ensure the screws are tight )which mine weren't). Problem solved.

At present, I believe my interlock is shot, but the red warning indicator appears occasionally indicating sidestand down. Solution = remove the switch and rebuild it. How? Unfortunatley I did not take pictures but I have done the same to both bikes. I used a dremel tool to open the switch, replace the spring that was rusted, broken and useless, cleaned the contacts and resealed it using 5 min epoxy. Cost approx $5.00 for the epoxy.

If you're interested and don't want to tackle it yourself, send it my way with a self addressed envelope and I'll rebuild it for you.

[planedick]

Ingenuity

Theres a guy I can relate to. Rebuild it. I've always said "If someone can put it together, I can take it apart". LOL There aren't many things like that that a little tinkering can't fix.

[Jerry]

Good info. I have 2 of these switches, had planned to open at least one and see what was inside. How far from the cable end did you cut? I was going to go about 1 inch down to clear the 'landing zone' of the plunger when the stand is up.

[84xj1100]

Jerry,

"Cut" is such a nasty & scary word. As I mentioned, I didn't have the inclination at the time to take pics, so I'll attempt a description of what I did.

If you turn the switch over, you will note that the wires are held in place with 2 metal prongs for lack of a better word. If you seperate those, the wire "harness" (3 wires within a sheath) will lift out and appear to go into a plastic abyss in the centre of the switch. NOTE: all around the edges of the of the plastic is a metal lip.

I used a fine dremel "?burr?" tool and burroughed down approx 1/16 - 1/8 of an inch all around the inside of that lip. Once you have done that - the best description I can think of would be a PC(printed circuit) board should lift out. NOTE: be careful here - if the plunger spring is broken or misaligned it may fling out.

Once it is appart you'll know what I mean - depending on what you find ....remove/replace the spring,,,,clean the inside and put a little grease on the spring to help with the plunger and prevent it from rusting.

Replace the PC board (after cleaning the contacts) then reseal the switch with 5 min epoxy.

Does that make any sense?? Again sorry for no pics - perhaps if the opportunity presents itself to do this again I'll take pics for sure.