Starter interlock?

mxstone · Post by **mxstone** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:15 am

A few days ago I got on my 2001 R1100R and pulled in the clutch and thumbed the starter and nothing happened. I checked the kill switch (back down everyone, this is NOT another "to kill, or not to kill switch" threads), and it was in run mode and the dash lights were on and bright and I had not left the key in it like I have in the past and still nothing. I started to get a little peeved and just on a whim decided to click into neutral. It started right up. I leave the bike gear about half the time when I park and in the past I have started it in gear without an issue as long as I pulled the clutch in.

Is there an interlock switch somewhere that has gone south on me? It starts fine in neutral with or without the clutch pulled in, but nothing happens if it is in gear??

RForestR · Post by **RForestR** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 11:38 am

Not 100 % sure on your 1100, but on my R1150R (2005 model) there is an interlock on the sidestand. When the sidestand is down, and the bike is in gear, it will not start. Sidestand down, clutch in, bike in gear, the bike starts right up. If you forget to take the bike off the stand and let out the clutch, the interlock kicks in and kills the engine. Sounds like you've got the sidestand down when trying to start in gear, or when you are dis-engaging the clutch.

mxstone · Post by **mxstone** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:45 pm

Thanks for the reply - I didn't specify in the original post but I had the stand up. Even when it was new, the bike would not start with the side stand down regardless of the clutch/gearbox position.

I've been on the bike for 4+ years so whatever changed isn't an operator issue - ask my wife, I'm not someone who changes too easily.

leno · Post by **leno** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:27 pm

I would say that a fault has developed in the side stand interlock switch. It is acting as if the stand is down even when up. It is quite a common fault on bikes what with the exposed placing of the switch down were all the road stuff gets thrown. This sometimes is only a bit of wet and can dry out or you can squert a bit of WD40 in there.

Paul Mihalka · Post by **Paul Mihalka** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 6:07 pm

To me it is a clear case of failure of the clutch switch. The clutch lever works a small switch, just like the brake lever works the brake lights. If you are in neutral you don't need the clutch to start the engine. If you are in gear, it wants to know the clutch is pulled. if the switch fails, it thinks you have not pulled the clutch. No start.

mxstone · Post by **mxstone** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:17 pm

Paul Mihalka wrote:To me it is a clear case of failure of the clutch switch. The clutch lever works a small switch, just like the brake lever works the brake lights. If you are in neutral you don't need the clutch to start the engine. If you are in gear, it wants to know the clutch is pulled. if the switch fails, it thinks you have not pulled the clutch. No start.

Thanks Paul

I knew there had to be a place for the starting system to tell if the clutch was engaged - I just wasn't sure where it was. I guess I thought it was at or in the clutch housing. I'll look at the lever area for a broken switch.

Post by **VintageDirt** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:52 pm

My 2003 R1150R was doing the same thing and my problem was this http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?t ... tch+switch

Oh, I'm kinda new here too.