Neutral light

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wheelnut
06/11/2007 at 14:31
This morning, on the ride to work, my neutral light refused to go on.

The bike goes into neutral ok, just no green light. The bike also thinks it's not in neutral as it won't start unless the clutch is in.

I'm assuming it's the neutral switch, so my question is where should I be looking for it (somewhere behind the chain/gear selector cover?) and is it something that can be taken out and cleaned or just replaced?

The bike is a 2000 kawasaki zr-7 (air cooled zephyr engine).

Ta
Montysbusa
06/11/2007 at 15:26
Suggest it's the bulb on the dash, the bike knows it's in neutral as it will start, therefore that implies the switch is working. HTH.
6x6
06/11/2007 at 16:33
Had to do one on an R6 racently - it is a small screw in switch and will probably be on the back of the gearbox somewhere.
Works on datsuns. Relaxes in fords.
6x6
Foxy
06/11/2007 at 17:22
6x6 wrote
Had to do one on an R6 racently - it is a small screw in switch and will probably be on the back of the gearbox somewhere.


But as pointed out the engine "knows" it is in neutral, suggesting it isn't the switch at fault. Would appear to be the bulb, and five minutes with a screwdriver and multimeter would probably confirm it.
6x6
06/11/2007 at 17:28
If you read the post, the bike thinks it is still in gear, as he needs to pull the clutch to make it start.

The clutch switch and neutral switch are on an interlock, so you can't engage the starter with the bike in gear, and the clutch out.

If you need to pull the clutch to start the bike that means it thinks it's in gear, and if it's not, the switch is buggered. Sounds like good logic to me.

Anyway, there's a simple test. Locate the neutral switch and connect a multimeter between it and earth, then put the bike in and out of gear. You should get continuity one way and o/c the other. If not, the sw is definately fooked.
Works on datsuns. Relaxes in fords.
6x6
Druid
06/11/2007 at 17:29
wheelnut wrote
This morning, on the ride to work, my neutral light refused to go on.

The bike goes into neutral ok, just no green light. The bike also thinks it's not in neutral as it won't start unless the clutch is in.

I'm assuming it's the neutral switch, so my question is where should I be looking for it (somewhere behind the chain/gear selector cover?) and is it something that can be taken out and cleaned or just replaced?

The bike is a 2000 kawasaki zr-7 (air cooled zephyr engine).

Ta


Foxy wrote
But as pointed out the engine "knows" it is in neutral, suggesting it isn't the switch at fault. Would appear to be the bulb, and five minutes with a screwdriver and multimeter would probably confirm it.


Nope, the bike thinks it's not in neutral, therefore it's likely to be the neutral switch. I'm not familiar with the ZR-7 so I have no idea where the switch is but they're often behind the sprocket cover or on the back/side of the gearbox. They get exposed to all the road crud and can sometimes be cleaned. If not it's easy enough to replace.
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"A biker is someone who rides through choice. Not because it is the most comfortable way to transport a body but because it can be the most magical way to carry a soul " - Dave Gurman
Foxy
06/11/2007 at 19:25
Doh, read that wrong being used to bikes that need the clutch pulled in to start
wheelnut
07/11/2007 at 08:28
Found the switch. It was behind the chain cover and was covered in shit/chain throw.

Disconnected and cleaned it, took the switch out to check it and it seemed (visually) ok and all seems well now.

Thanks for the help
moto748
07/11/2007 at 20:48
Don't know if this is true of other bikes, but on Ducatis the neutral switch is shimmed; there's thin washers behind it. I found on my 900SS a while back that the neutral light was staying on dimly in a "6 volts" kinda way when in neutral, and brightening up to normal when in gear.

Problem was solved by taking the switch off, removing a washer, and replacing.
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