Starting problem

Had my bike since last august. When I got iy, it had a bit of a niggly problem that required you to pull the clutch slightly up whilst trying to start or it wouldn't even try. Recently its got alot worse, sometimes taking 15mins to get a successful start, including in neutral. Is this the clutch switch at fault? And is it simply a case of just unpluging and putting another one on? Cheers guys

Easy way to tell,
Pull the 2pin connector off from the clutch switch.
Cut the wires, bare the inner core of both and twist them together. Tape that up and cable tie it back to the other wiring (just for neatness).

If that cures your problem then you had a moody clutch switch, no need to replace it - I do the above almost as a matter of course on all bikes I buy... one less thing to go wrong.

[jambo]

That's fine for diagnosis, but you don't mention the bike year. Fuel injected bikes (including the k3+ sv650) alter their fuel maps when the clutch is pulled in as an anti-stall measure, it won't run quite right if you run it like this as a matter of course.

I'd say just pull the cable off and put a piece of wire between the 2 connectors to test the theory, if it works fine you can try cleaning the clutch switch underneath the clutch perch, or just buy a new one. If you have aftermarket clutch levers, especially adjustable ones they can be an issue, try alerting adjustment or fitting a standard lever.

Jambo
Sent from my thingie

Originally Posted by jambo

If you have aftermarket clutch levers, especially adjustable ones they can be an issue, try alerting adjustment or fitting a standard lever.

I can testify to this.

I have adjustable levers, and if the clutch lever is on position '3' or lower the bike won't start.