Side Stand Switch wire colors

[TommyT]

In the post here on Motobrick https://www.motobrick.com/index.php?topic=574.0 states that wire colors for the switch are brown and brown/blue, at the K100-forum there is a post that says the wires are: Green/Yellow - Power from the kill switch on the right combo switch, Green/Red - Power to the 86 terminal of the fuel pump relay.

I have a 91 K100RS, I think my side stand switch is bad and I want to jumper it to test if it is bad. my wires are a green one and yellow one on one side of the connector and the other end there is a green with black stripe and a green one (see pic) is this connector and wires for the side stand switch?

[frankenduck]

That's the rear brake switch connector.

The side stand switch connector looks like this:




The bike side of the connector should have green/red and green/yellow wires. (The brown and brown/blue wires are for 94 and later K1100s. They use a ground circuit for the side stand switch while the 93 and earlier 4V Ks use a powered circuit.)

Possible side stand switch fix: Check down where the little tang pushes on it when the side stand is operated.. If it's not getting pushed in far enough then putting a short section of vacuum hose on that tang helps the switch work better.

[frankenduck]

More info on bypassing the side switch:

http://www.kbikeparts.com/classickbikes.com/ckb.tech/0.ckb.tech.files/ssbypass/ssbypass.htm

[triplek]

 I wonder if it's possible to replace the electric switch with the K75 style manual clutch lever to sidestand mechanical retraction linkage? 

Personally, I believe that it's highly dangerous to remove such a fundamental safety device considering the carnage and death that lays behind the introduction of sidestand retraction safety features.   

If the engine cutoff or clutch cable strain bothers you when the safety engages - I would encourage a little introspection and different perspective. Myself, I say, "thank you".  ;)

[frankenduck]

Since the center/side bracket that bolts to the underside of the transmission and clutch arm pivot rod are the same then it's PROBABLY (I've never tried it) possible to swap in the K75/K100 stuff on a 4V K but I suspect that you would need to swap in the entire K75 side stand (with the little silver plates) if you want the auto-retract feature. The K75 side stand isn't as sturdy but it would still probably support a 4V K OK.

It might also be possible to drill a hole in the little silver plate for the 4V side stand hardware to correspond to where that hole for the retractor rod is on the K75 silver plate.



As for how necessary it is, that's a matter of personal preference.

1) Some people get rid of the K75/K100 auto-retract mechanism because they don't like it and believe that it shortens clutch cable life. (Personally I like it on my K75s.)

2) Millions of riders survived for many decades without such a thing and no mass carnage resulted.

3) I've ridden off with the side stand down more times than I'd care to admit and it usually hits on the first left turn and retracts by itself while messing up the first left turn a bit. It's never caused me to crash. However, if your first left turn is taken at speed then it could cost you an ambulance ride.

[triplek]

I was curious about the actual history of sidestand sensors - and was completely surprised to find out that, apparently, they are not required in the USA and plenty of US bikes don't have them. 

I guess someone scared me pretty good that the sidestand sensor shouldn't be removed.  I'll still never take one out, but I'm definitely a little less convinced about its necessity now...