Hey guys, just as the title is saying, I have to hold in the clutch to be able to start the bike. Looking at the videos of other people, I can clearly see that they are starting the bike just by holding the starter button. My bike does not start like that so I wanted to ask for some help. What's going on and how can I fix that?

Also, another one is my neutral light has thoughts of its own. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I ruled out the validity of the bulb because when it works it works, so it must be something with the shifter while hitting the neutral.

All help is appreciated, thank you guys in advance!

 

I think these 2 things are probably related.

To start the bike without holding the clutch, it has to be in neutral.
If you have a bad neutral switch or a loose/broken/shorted wire coming from the neutral switch:
1. it's going to mess with the neutral light. Light should be on and solid.
2. It's probably going to prevent the bike from being started. Because the bike thinks it's in gear, not neutral.

So check that the neutral switch wire is on and tight and not kinked or worn through anywhere.
Check that the switch is working with a multimeter.
Or you could ground the wire to the frame, that should cause the neutral light to come on.
If it does, the switch is the problem.
If it doesn't, then the problem is in the wire harness, guages or somewhere else.

 

Thank you so much for your help. I can't wait for the corona virus to go away so I can travel home and work on a bike!

 

I had the same issue on my f3 and it turned out to be a worn neutral switch. Cosy about 20$ and was a quick fix

 

I'd check the clutch safety switch. Disconnect the two leads at the clutch handle . Take a multi meter and check for continuity . You should only be getting continuity in one position not both i.e. " actuated vs. open". If your getting a reading in both positions youve got a bad switch. Good luck
P.s. I just had a similar situation. There were a few other things I checked in relationship to discerning where the failure was in my case and here are those other things: continuity in the neutral safety switch, and check the continuity in the kickstand safety switch

 

fwiw, the clutch safety switch doesn't have anything to do with starting a bike in neutral. Also wouldn't cause a flickering neutral light.

And this thread is over a year old, good chance he's already fixed the bike by now.

 

Hmmm that's odd because I just had a similar incident and this was the remedy for me ? There are a series of fail-safes that must check out before the neutral saftey switch will actuate . I forgot to mention to check for continuity of the neutral safety switch itself also