Sidestand interlock switches.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

I should have put this in Workshop but never mind.

It turned out that the clutch was stuck too*, and I couldn’t free it by shunting the bike forward in gear so today I took the clutch cover off and the plates out. Several were stuck together but came free without too much effort, albeit with gentle tapping and prising. They weren’t going to loosen up via their natural rotation forces in-situ.

I bought this bike around 2005 with 3000 miles on it so there should have been no reason for the previous owner to mess with it. Some additional sealant on one side of the gasket, and the fact that some plates were not in the correct order (friction plate - metal plate - friction plate) tells me he did, but possibly just tinkering.

The photo shows the order they came out, from top left to bottom right.

https://i.postimg.cc/nzPLMC5j/08-D7-AAC0-2-C73-48-DC-9239-208-E9-CFBF721.jpg

Clutch reassembled, new gasket coming early this week and I’ll do an oil change (it’s due). I’ve crimped the relay connector pin but having mangled the plastic connector block a bit I’ll need to do a good job sealing it. I’ve got heat shrink and I’ve seen something called ’potting compound’. Has anyone used that?

* I was definitely barking up the wrong tree when examining the switches. If the corroded relay (especially on the side stand terminal) wasn’t causing a problem it was on the way, so that was a good discovery. Process of elimination, I guess. However the immediate problem looks to be the stuck clutch due to little use recently. This all started with an unrelated but necessary TPS replacement. The Yamaha hasn’t enjoyed lockdown. The Kawasaki continues to be relatively bullet-proof.
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'93 Yamaha XJR400 grey import (p-ex’d), '99 Kawasaki ZX6R (nicked), another '99 ZX6R (still got it) and '03 Yamaha YZF-R1 (still got that too.)

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

Slow progress, but having knackered the ‘relay assembly’ connector and pondered whether to fix it with superglue and potting compound I’ve decided to pay £65 for a period R6 main (engine) wiring harness which includes the same (unobtainium, hybrid) connector as depicted earlier.

[stinkwheel]

You've bought the harness now but for future reference, OBD plugs/sockets have 16 pins and can be bought for under a tenner either with crimp terminals or flying leads already attached.

EDIT: Potting compound is useful for filling in housings with electronics in them to render then waterproof (classic place you'll see it is the black plasticy stuff in the centre of a reg/rec).

I'd probably have repaired that connector with thickened epoxy though.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

I couldn’t find one with the ‘hybrid’ arrangement of pins, as pictured earlier.

[stinkwheel]

[grr666]

I do admire you guys pulling your bikes to bits like that, I'd happily pull most things apart in a house but my mechanic
skills are limited to bolting uncorroded things on and off.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

I don’t know but I’m guessing that modern bikes (mine are 20 years old) make much more use of fancy sealed connectors? I don’t think I’d dare tackle a modern joystick-style handlebar switch. Stripping, cleaning and reassembling a basic kill switch had me in despair at one point, although it did all go back together eventually.

The relay in question had been relocated when the Meta alarm was fitted, possibly putting extra strain on the short connecting wires while also spoiling the orientation which originally would have allowed gravity to drain spray and condensation away.

[stinkwheel]