"Neutral" green indicator on ST1300

Joined
Apr 17, 2006
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Yesterday, I rode the bike over to the vehicle registry office some16 kms away & parked it at the emission testing center on side stand and in "neutral" as indicated by the green light on the dashboard before I killed the engine.

When my turn for emission testing came up, I switched the key to ignition but the "neutral" green indicator did not show up... Only the 2 red indicator lamps for ignition & ABS appeared. Tried starting up the bike w/ the starter switch, but nothing! The bike is definitely in "neutral" as I can move it forward or backwards.

I tried shifting from 1st gear to 2nd up to the 5th and back to "neutral" & trying to move the bike while in gear hoping to lodge or dislodge whatever is preventing the "neutral" light from turning on.... All to no avail.

With the help of others, I push-started the bike, w/c it did, and moved the bike around for a while and eventually shifted to "neutral" & slowly released the clutch lever. The engine continued running but the "neutral" green light still refuses to light up. When I pushed down the side stand, the engine died.

After some 10 mins, I switched the key to ignition again. The "neutral" green light finally appeared but only for a second or two. I had to push start the bike again just to be able to get back home.

Upon reaching home, and with engine still running but in "neutral" without the green light, I hoisted the bike on its center stand. The jarring momentarily caused the green "neutral" light to appear but, again, only for a second or two.

Has anyone ever encountered something like this? Obviously, something must be loose somewhere w/c prevents the green light from energizing and completing the circuit to allow engine startup. Any ideas or suggestions?
 

970mike

Mike Brown
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Sounds like your neutral safety switch is out of adjustment or going bad and needs replacement.
 
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Take a look at this simplified schematic of the starting circuit, and you will see why Mr. 970mike suggests looking at the neutral safety switch.

From the schematic it should be clear that the neutral safety switch is responsible for supplying the chassis ground connection to both the neutral indicator lamp circuit, as well as the starter solenoid circuit.

The fuse (E non-ABS) is most likely not the problem, unless you've also lost the turn indicators, and the dash display.
 
OP
OP
half_a_tiger
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I've always started the bike in "neutral" (green indicator light showing) without having to depress the clutch lever. In fact, I've never been able to start the bike in gear (non-neutral), even with the clutch lever depressed. The diagram provided states that the clutch lever has to be depressed to complete the circuit. Comments please....

I have the original Honda Repair Manual. Will it guide me as to the location of this cluster of relays & switches and how to remedy my problem? Thanks!

As there are only 2 ST1300s here that I know of (mine used to be the only one before last year) and probably hardly any Honda bike mechanic really familiar with this bike model, I just want to make sure I've all the supporting details to confidently deal w/ this problem....
 
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The PDF file indicates if the transmission is in gear a combination of the side stand in the up position AND the clutch lever depressed is required to start the engine. Your problem is most likely in the neutral switch, as 970 Mike suggested. It sounds like it's "sticky" and you may get away with cleaning/lubrication.
 

970mike

Mike Brown
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It also sounds like your clutch switch is not working as you should be able to start the bike in gear, it is the small switch on the back of the clutch lever with two wires going to it.
 
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I've never been able to start the bike in gear (non-neutral), even with the clutch lever depressed.
A number of members have observed the same issue of non-starting the motorcycle in gear with the clutch lever pulled in, in most cases this problem was corrected by either, replacing the clutch switch, and/or removing those add-on grip cushions.

In my case, I can, if I squeeze the clutch lever really really hard, just get the motorcycle to start whilst in gear. I imagine that the clutch switch push-rod has been slowly worn down over the thousands of cycles of the clutch lever, to the point it is now just barely long enough to open the switch, when I squeeze really really hard.

Note to self: Buy new clutch switch.

The diagram provided states that the clutch lever has to be depressed to complete the circuit.
Perhaps I've read this note out of context, so just to be clear; The clutch lever (switch) is only needed when starting the motorcycle with the transmission in gear, of course this is only true if the side stand is in the UP (riding) position. The clutch lever (and switch) are not required when starting the motorcycle when the transmission is in neutral.

Back to the original issue, that of the neutral indicator lamp. As both the neutral indicator lamp, and the starter solenoid need a connection to chassis ground in order to function properly, and this connection is provided by the transmission neutral switch, it appears to be the logical area to begin investigating. I guess a quick inspection of the diode cluster in the fuse box (forward most of the two) to confirm that the diode cluster (it's that black odd looking fuse, that's not a fuse) is fully seated, and hasn't worked loose, would be prudent.
 
OP
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half_a_tiger
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Personally, all indications (neutral lamp lighting up momentarily from the jarring effect upon setting the bike on its center stand; the fact that the bike engine is still running when gearing is set to neutral even if the neutral lamp is not lighting up as long as the sidestand is not put down; the fact that the bike can be push-started to get the engine running) all point to the neutral switch that 970mike had mentioned in earlier threads. If it had been anything else like a blown fuse or cluster, loose wiring within the harness, or a defective white-colored ground wire connected directly to the neutral switch, I wouldn't have been able to start the bike at all. Materials on the web w/ regards neutral switches + a review of the Honda Repair Manual all point to a defective neutral switch as the most likely culprit.

Fast forward... The neutral switch I had requested a relative a month earlier to order from ebay finally arrived 2 days ago. Removing the old one & replacing w/ the new one took some difficulty due to the very cramped space & maneuvering around w/ only the tips of both left & right forefingers can be a test in patience. But I got it done & kept my fingers crossed that the neutral lamp would light up... Voila, IT DID!!! The bike's up & running as before!!! Thank goodness!!! I shudder at the thought that the switch may not have been the problem in the first place.....

Thanks guys for your inputs.....
 
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Thanks guys for your inputs.....
Thank YOU for starting this thread so I could find it! My 2006 ST1300 seems to have the same ailment. Upon getting home from work this afternoon, I could not get the neutral light to burn. I only saw it flicker as I shifted from 2nd gear down to neutral, but not when I shifted up from 1st to neutral. Plus, with the neutral light not burning, putting the sidestand down kills the engine ... as it should. The bike starts fine in neutral (no light) without pulling in the clutch lever as long as the sidestand is up. I haven't yet tried starting it on the centerstand, but I will. If that works, at least I'll have some method of letting it idle with me off the bike until I replace the switch. 62k miles on mine, and the only other issue I've had was when the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) started working intermittently.
 
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It also sounds like your clutch switch is not working as you should be able to start the bike in gear, it is the small switch on the back of the clutch lever with two wires going to it.
+1 You have two issues here, 1 in the clutch switch/circuit, and 1 in the neutral switch/circuit.
 

ST Gui

240Robert
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It also sounds like your clutch switch is not working as you should be able to start the bike in gear
The diagram provided states that the clutch lever has to be depressed
AND the side stand in the up position
I'm not clear on the OP's current situation. His bike does start in Neutral now where it didn't when the 'light' failed. Does it start when in gear with the clutch in and side stand UP (as it should) and stop when the side stand is lowered/down (as it should)?
 
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+1 You have two issues here, 1 in the clutch switch/circuit, and 1 in the neutral switch/circuit.
If your comment was meant for me, my clutch switch works fine. The bike does start in gear as long as the sidestand is up. My problem seems to be limited to the neutral switch. BTW, I did put my fingertip on it last night, and I now wonder if my problem is a loose connection because after pushing on the rubber boot covering the connection, my neutral light is burning again.

EDIT TO ADD: I pulled off the lower-right black fairing this evening, pulled back the rubber boot, and found the wire connection nut to be "snug." Could I tighten it? Yes, a little. Was it loose? No. A replacement switch is on order, and I'll just leave that lower fairing off until the new switch is installed. Thanks again, all!
 
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If your comment was meant for me, my clutch switch works fine. The bike does start in gear as long as the sidestand is up. My problem seems to be limited to the neutral switch. BTW, I did put my fingertip on it last night, and I now wonder if my problem is a loose connection because after pushing on the rubber boot covering the connection, my neutral light is burning again.

EDIT TO ADD: I pulled off the lower-right black fairing this evening, pulled back the rubber boot, and found the wire connection nut to be "snug." Could I tighten it? Yes, a little. Was it loose? No. A replacement switch is on order, and I'll just leave that lower fairing off until the new switch is installed. Thanks again, all!
Oops I didn't realize it was an old thread ha ha. Yes I would have to agree that from what I can see from the schematics that in your situation your clutch switch should be ok as it will start with the sidestand up. Sounds like you are right on the money with the nuetral switch - if the wiring checks out clean and tight most likely high resistance through contacts. Keep us posted for the fix :)
 
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Update: My new neutral switch arrived a few days ago and I installed it last night. Disconnecting and removing the old one was pretty straightforward. Installing the new one was a slight challenge, but little did I know that I was far from finished. BTW, there's a small copper washer on the old switch which is not provided with the new switch. DON'T LOSE that little sucker! But next comes the real challenge. Re-connecting that single wire was a royal pain in the hind-parts! There's a rubber boot over the connection, and trying to keep it out of the way long enough to start a thread with the nut was driving me half crazy. OK ... three-quarters crazy since I'm half crazy to begin with. Plus, that boot will NOT slide up the wire like many other similar connections. After about 30 minutes of trying all sorts of miniature acrobatics, I finally got the nut to start threading on the stud. I admit I gave some thought to removing more Tupperware and moving the exhaust manifold out of my way. One needs tiny fingers to do this job with ease ... but it can be done. :eek:
 
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