Neutral switch / light wiring

[tbarcia]

I spent last weekend rewiring my EN450 bobber and after removing 10lbs of wire and connectors, just about everything works.  The goal is to clean up the bars by eliminating the switch pods.  High beam switch is moved to the headlight housing, turn signals and horn are removed completely, kill switch is removed and starter button moved to a toggle switch under the seat.  All of the grounds are cleaned up, wires all run back to a new 6 slot fuse box under the seat.  The speedometer and tach are removed as is the stock dash.  I mounted 3 LEDs in the headlight housing for oil, neutral and a still undecided function warning light.

After the bulk of the work was done the bike started on the first try.  Yesterday I wired the oil light which is flawless but the neutral light is a bit more troubling.  I'm testing the light green wire that runs on the shifter side down tube and it never connects to ground or +12v.  I believe from my notes that it connected into a bunch of other light green wires that go back to the red box (diodes?) under the seat but I'm not entirely sure.

So my questions...  First, am I assuming right that the wire coming from the switch goes to ground when in neutral?  Second, should this wire tie into the others or is it supposed to be an independent line going to the diode box?  I can't imagine how it lights the dash light if it's tied into other stuff that could possibly go to ground.

Yes, the light on the dash worked before I started all of this.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[bwhittet]

I wrote this a long time ago and it may help here.

Now for how the neutral switch, clutch switch, and kickstand switch work, I'll try and explain that.......

First this is how the safety switches themselves operate.

Side-stand switch completes the circuit to ground when the side-stand is in the up position.

Clutch lever has two paths the electricity can go when it gets to the clutch switch. One way it completes the circuit to ground is when clutch lever is pulled in. If clutch lever is NOT pulled in then it sends the electricity from the clutch switch to the neutral switch.

Neutral switch completes the circuit to ground when bike is in neutral.

Second this is how the igniter and the starter relay work.

The igniter (computer, black box, ignition box, what ever you call it) has a ground wire that when it completes the circuit to ground, it will provide spark. Circuit completed is determined by what position of the Neutral switch, Clutch switch, and the Side stand switch are in. As long as ONE of these is completing to ground, you will have spark.
On A1 Thur A4 models the igniter ground wire I speak of is the BR/W one (brown with white stripe).
From the igniter it then splits into three BR/W wires and plugs into a small red diode box. The diode box is there so the electricity can only flow one way out of the igniter and not backtrack to find a ground or harm the igniter.
Each of the three wires coming out of the diode go to one of the safety switches. If the bike is in neutral, or the clutch lever is pulled in, or if the side-stand is up you should have spark. If non of these are completing the ignition box to ground the ignition box is not grounded and the bike dies.

The starter relay is wired to go to the clutch switch first to look for ground. If the clutch is not pulled in it then goes from the clutch switch to the neutral switch to look for ground. So the starter will not work if clutch lever is not pulled in or if it is not in neutral.

Now this is how the wire diagram for the A1 Thur A4 models are wired to work. And this is if all the switches are working properly.

On my bike I eliminated all three safety switches (clutch lever, neutral switch, and side stand switch.) I just ran the BR/W wire from the igniter straight to a ground. I threw away my red diode box.  I also wired my started relay straight to ground instead of to the clutch lever switch. So I have to be aware that I could start the bike in gear without the clutch lever pulled in, or I could drive off with kickstand down (did that once. not good.)

I'm not sure what all you are eliminating in your rewiring. If you want to maintain the bike not letting you start the bike in gear without the clutch lever pulled in or driving away with the kickstand down then you will have to maintain the circuit described above.

If all you want is the neutral light to work. Then Run 12 volt supply to on side of the light and run the other side through the neutral switch. Then when in Neutral the light will come on.  

Good luck to all.
Later,
Brian

[tbarcia]

Great information.  Thank you.  The neutral switch is the wire that comes out of the cover near the sidestand, right?  I've been testing that wire up higher in the harness so tonight I'll pull it closer to the switch and see if perhaps I have a broken wire in the harness.  Unfortunately the bundle that goes up the shifter side downtube (sidestand, oil, neutral and fan switch wires) is the only part of the harness that I didn't completely disassemble so maybe there's a broken wire in there.

Worse case, I'll bypass all 3 switches but I still want the neutral light to work.

[tbarcia]

It turns out that the clutch switch is a SPST and doesn't work like the OEM switch so I can't use it.  For the neutral switch, the wiring is good but the switch itself went bad between last time I rode it and when I tore the harness apart.  I sprayed it with brake cleaner and it's now working again.

Thanks for the info!