Could clutch cable affect starting?

[Guest]

I have recently replaced the sacked clutch cable on my GS 850G as an ongoing regimen of maintenance.. only to find now that my starter button is engaging the starter motor only sporadically! I've searched and found plenty of other reasons why this might happen, and I'm almost inclined to think it's a total fluke that this began right after the cable was replaced.

However, I have read about a clutch safety mechanism that keeps you from starting the bike when the clutch lever is not pulled in. For the life of me I don't remember seeing any little dooder or contact in the clutch lever or housing that I would have left undone. Can you tell me how the starter switch button "knows" if the clutch lever is in or not. (so to speak)

Thanks in advance guys.

[tom203]

There's a little switch (similar to front brake switch on right side) in series with starter button circuit. Your fiddling with clutch lever play after new cable is likely not letting the clutch lever pull in enough to activate this switch at times. Lots of us bypass this safety mechanism, but it's up to you!

[Agemax]

did you have to pull the clutch before to start the bike? if not then the switch is probably not there. you cant miss it, its a little switch located under the clutch lever perch with 2 wires leading into the headlight bucket.

more likely is you have disturbed some wires or a connector block under the tank while replacing the cable, check again for loose connections and connector blocks

[Planetsmasher]

I will have a look when I get home. A million thanks gentlemen..

[sedelen]

Most models if not all after '78 have that switch, it's a clutch safety switch that only allows the engine to turn over when the clutch is pulled in. It could be dirty or worn out. These wires lead into the headlight shell. If you want to bypass it, or verify that it's this switch that's faulty follow those two wires into the headlight shell, disconnect them from the harness and then plug those two harness wires together. What you just did was "bypass" that switch.
Now it will start with the clutch lever out.

[Planetsmasher]

Thanks Sedelen! I'm sure I'll pull it in out of ingrained habit anyways, but I'd like to see if that's the faulty spot, so I'll give that a try as well.

[sedelen]

Thanks Sedelen! I'm sure I'll pull it in out of ingrained habit anyways, but I'd like to see if that's the faulty spot, so I'll give that a try as well.

It would be good to know how to bypass it anyway, should it go bad on the road, like mine did. I ended up push starting it, nothing like pushing a GS1000 to get it started!

I had to get used to this pulling in the clutch to activate this switch as the bikes I had beforehand didn't have this safety feature.