Kill switch

gstrain

Joined
Aug 5, 2026
Messages
6
Age
71
Location
south texas
Bike
2007 ST1300
I just purchased a 07 ST1300 that had been laid down with most of the fairings and front harness removed. It ran after being laid down but would not start the day I trailered it home. It does crank but it has no FI light and the fuel pump does not prime (it will run if I apply a 12V power supply). I put a new battery in and it is being trickle charged so it stays charged while I work on the bike.

Can you disassemble the kill switch enough without disconnecting the throttle cables to access the kill switch itself to check if the contacts are being made?

Any other ideas of what could be wrong I would appreciate. I have tried most things I found on the web or in this forum but all it does is crank but not start and I know that there is no FI light so I am guessing as I don't see any other obvious thing wrong.

Help a 71 year old who hasn't ridden a bike or worked on one in over 40 years
 
Esti1300 said:
Something else for you to check is the switch on the side stand. Bike will only start in neutral with side stand engaged.
Click to expand...
Thank you. side stand was down. starting to really feel that it is the ECU gone bad. downloaded pin out for ECU and will check the power and ground pins tomorrow
 
Most of the posts here about the kill switch have been resolved by squirting in a plastic friendly contact cleaner. Occasionally someone has taken it apart to clean and lube the switch.

If the bike will run when you power up the fuel pump, I'd think the problem is elsewhere (not the kill switch).
 
gstrain said:
Thank you. side stand was down. starting to really feel that it is the ECU gone bad. downloaded pin out for ECU and will check the power and ground pins tomorrow
Click to expand...
The suggestion was to test the side stand switch. Just because the stand is down does not mean the switch is working.
 
There's a tip over switch "bank angle sensor" that's normally above the headlight on the fairing. If it's missing, or in the wrong position, that could be a culprit. Figure when you said fairings and front harness removed, this could be an issue.

 
Last edited:
SMSW said:
Most of the posts here about the kill switch have been resolved by squirting in a plastic friendly contact cleaner. Occasionally someone has taken it apart to clean and lube the switch.

If the bike will run when you power up the fuel pump, I'd think the problem is elsewhere (not the kill switch).
Click to expand...
used electronics cleaner and moved switch 20-30 times. no difference in operation
 
giving up for the night.
tried continuity test with these wire combinations and it did not show operational. any chance there are different wires from the kill switch
Look at the face of the unplugged connector coming from the handlebar. You want to touch your multimeter probes to the terminals corresponding to these two Honda wire colors: [1, 2, 3]
  • Black with a White stripe (Bl/W)
  • Black with a Red stripe (Bl/R) (or Black with a Yellow stripe on some sub-harnesses) [, 3]
 
gstrain said:
It does crank
Click to expand...
This usually means the "kill" switch is ok. When the kill or RUN / STOP switch is in the STOP position the bike doesn't crank. This wasn't always the case. My 750-4 K4 would crank but not start when the switch was in the STOP position.

Someone mentioned the newer GoldWings have a spring loaded switch that returns to RUN on release of pressure. A face-saving as well as time-saving feature. I don't know if this is also the case of any other Honda. I've often toyed with the idea of removing or at maybe reducing the detent in the 1300's R/S switch and putting something "springy" underneath to mimic the same operation.

But before The Big Data Loss there were a number of "My bike won't start!" posts that were the result of not checking the switch was in the RUN position. If [ahem] I ever fell prey to this myself these other posts made it a habit to immediately put it to RUN after using it and checking it before I even turn the key.

gstrain said:
used electronics cleaner and moved switch 20-30 times. no difference in operation
Click to expand...
Using (plastic safe) contact cleaner is usually aimed at cleaning the Starter switch. When pressing the starter button the headlights are turned off to allow maximum current to the battery. They turn back on when the button is released. When the button's contacts are dirty the headlights often fail to turn on after releasing the button. Or they may not turn on at all when the IGN is turn on. Contact cleaner usually fixes that. Then the complete fix is to open the control pod and clean out any residue. A light coating of grease to protect against corrosion and you're golden.

gstrain said:
giving up for the night.
Click to expand...
Rest to troubleshoot another day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom