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86 CB450 Nighthawk - Starting & neutral issues

1.9K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  longdistancerider  
#1 ·
New rider here. No major clutch issues, but 3 that are annoying:

1) Bike will start in gear, whether i pull the clutch in or not. That's probably not how it was designed.

What I did: replaced OEM SWITCH, FR. LEVER (35330-413-003) in the switch assembly housing on the handlebar, as I assumed that switch was faulty & not doing it's job. That didn't work. Suggestions?

2) When pressing the start button to start the bike, there is always a 2-3 second pause before it actually starts cranking. Almost like a delay that shouldn't be there. Suggestions?

3) When bike is in motion I can easily move the gear back to Neutral. Problem is when bike is parked (in gear) or if the bike is at a stop already (in gear), I cannot move the gear to neutral. Any ideas on an adjustment that needs to be made?

Thanks - Dave
 
#3 ·
#1 the neutral switch is wired in parallel to the clutch safety switch and a short or positional problem in either circuit Or incorrect wiring may be allowing the starter motor circuit to complete......Some neutral switches REQUIRE a very specific washer under them or give false readings......
#2 Dirty, weak, or worn connection @ starter button switch, weak internal solenoid connection, weak battery, loose wire connections, dirty starter motor commutator or brushes........
#3 This is normal as the transmission shafts have to be rotating unless the dogs on the slider gears are momentarily perfectly aligned......OR, could be sticking/mis-adjusted clutch to NOT remove pressure from gears.......
 
#6 ·
#1 i assume the "clutch safety switch" is the switch protruding on top / right side of the engine case. Yes, I believe that switch is suppost to tell the bike when its in neutral. I don't think that switch is working anymore & I cannot find a replacement for it. So if that switch is faulty, then I believe what you are saying makes sense since that both work in parallel.

#2 guess i will pull off that button switch to check connections...then move on to the other options you listed

#3 will installing new clutch plates address, or that wont fix at all?
 
#8 ·
The switch you mention is the neutral and 6th gear switch, 2 functions and 2 separate wires. The circuit you are working with is Light Green w/Red tracer.
1st make sure the switch is connected properly. If so then disconnect and use you VOM to check for resistance on that wire to the switch with the transmission in neutral. The switch should have zero resistance but you may see an ohm or two because of the oil inside the switch making a sort of bad connection. While you're testing the switch check the other wire for zero resistance after shifting the transmission up into 6th gear.
If the switch tests good, I doubt it will, then that means the wire has found a ground or the PO tapped into the wire and grounded it.
The clutch plates have nothing to do with this problem. The switch is activated by the shift drum.