Clutch Switch ?? - Must be in neutral to start

Hello all. Looking for some help! My clutch switch failed at 82,000 miles. Well that's what I thought. Took it off and it seems to be fine; circuit closes when button is depressed. Clearance is not an issue and I hear the click when squeezing the clutch lever. Jumped the wires with no joy. I know there is a diode in the circuit but I don't know where it is. Side stand switch is fine; I simply must be in neutral to start. Anyone solved similar problems and what did you find? Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Will

For the starter solenoid to activate, you need to complete a ground path. That can be either through the neutral switch, or through the clutch and sidestand switch in series. I would check for continuity from the clutch switch to the sidestand switch and then to ground. If the clutch switch works and the sidestand switch works, then you have a broken or corroded wire.

The diode is only in the neutral circuit so you don't need to look at that.

Are you sure the clutch lever is activating the clutch switch properly? I.e. can you hear it click when you pull the lever in? Have heard of wear issues on the switch button.

Thanks for the insight; these old eyes can't follow the schematic so your response is just what I needed. As soon as the chores are done I'll get back to the bike. I'll post a follow-up. (Yes I can hear the "click" when clutch lever is closed.)

OK, good news. Opened the side stand plug; everything checked OK. Cleaned contacts and put it together - works as advertised. Just a bad contact somewhere in the circuit. So with a little time I just pulled every plug I could touch and reconnected to clean them off a little. Thanks for your help. I'm rolling again and looking forward to riding to and around Arkansas in September.

It's great when a fix involves only a little TLC and not money!

There is something wrong with this picture. The ST1300 is not supposed to start when it is in gear with the side stand down. Refer to page 53 in your owners manual. A lot of riders shut off the engine when they park by simply putting the side down while the bike is still in gear. Some of them then neglect to turn the key off and later discover they have no lights and no start.