On Mon, Jun 9, 2008 at 3:59 PM, davseidman wrote:
> With the sidestand down I can put the bike in gear, release the clutch, and ride away. Not
> good. How do I fix this?
> I've read of guys bypassing the switch with a jumper. Is there a need to do this if the
> switch has already failed?
You're asking completely oposing questions... which would you
prefer... Sidestand down and gears working, or sidestand down, in
gear kills engine. If you want to be able to put it in gear with the
sidestand down, it sounds like you've already "fixed" it. Doing the
jumper trick won't buy you anything you don't already have. If you
want the safety switch to work the way Kawi designed it (kill engine
with sidestand down and gear engaged), undo the jumper fix if it's
there, or replace the switch if it's not.
>And, if you do put the jumper in, what tricks do you guys use
> to keep from dragging the sidestand and crashing?
Uh... remember to check before riding off. The bright side is that
the bike will tell you real quick... you just might not like it's
method of communication.

Seriously... I'm probably going to put mine on a toggle. Flip the
toggle to bypass the safety cut-off... makes it easy to hoist the rear
tire off the ground using the sidestand to lube the chain while idling
in gear.
Warning: This method to be done only by trained professionals. Do not
try this without proper common sense. I'm not responsible if you
manage to get your hand caught in the back wheel or sprocket while
holding up the bike. Make sure someone's got a video camera handy if
you try this... I'll convert it to digital and post on youtube for
you at no charge.

--Jonathan "smthng" Kalmes
Springfield, VA
2005 Yamaha FJR1300ABS - "Blue Bayou"
2006 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon - "Teflon"
2008 Kawasaki KLR 650 - It's here, but it hasn't earned a name yet.
http://smthng.info
"Look, the truth is, I've been trying to save the world, one person at
a time, but, I'm meant for smthng bigger. Smthng important. I know it
now."