I rock it old school - I have removed my clutch and kick stand safety switches to improve the chances of me making it home every ride without an electrical gremlin stranding me far from home!

I learned to ride before motorcycles had safety switches, and my starting routine includes safe practices.  I get on the bike and lift the kick stand, turn on the fuel and key and look for the neutral light, set the choke, grab the clutch and hit the starter button.  The process has been the same for the last 56 years or so.....although for the first 45 years it involved using a kick starter!  (Some bikes don't allow you to kick start with the clutch lever pulled in.......I rock them back and forth to confirm the transmission is in neutral before stepping on the kick stater).  You should also have the motorcycle pointed in a direction that allows you to ride off if something goes wrong and the bike moves forward when it starts.

You can ride a motorcycle safely without safety switches - if you are attentive to the process.  Safety switches no doubt help the distracted to keep from getting hurt and are definitely beneficial - however you can do without them if you are careful.

(PS)  If you let somebody ride your bike.......let them know there are no safety switches!

Having a kickstand hit the pavement while riding might make you think twice about disabling the safety switch.  I did it once, it was like a sucker punch....sudden and violent!  

That said, I am not overly concerned with the safety switches either.   Maybe the neutral switch but mostly for the indicator light.

I had a very unusual problem about 5 years ago
Intermittent starting
It turned out that the plastic starter button on the handlebar had rotted a bit and flaked off a chip of plastic that would occasionally jam the button a hair away from the contact and then no start
Took me ages to find it
 

Before you blow off the clutch safety being the culprit - bypass it and confirm that is not the problem.  Sticking a jumper wire between the terminals is probably the easiest thing you can try when looking for the culprit.

Your light may be dimming as the starter button is energizing some circuits prior to reaching the starter relay.

I seem to remember someone claiming the 2004 and later bikes turn the headlight off when the starter button is pushed - but I don't see how that happens when I took a brief look at the wiring diagram.  (I am not sure trying it on my 2007 will tell us anything, as all the safety switches and decompression relay have been removed).

Making jumper wires for the clutch and kickstand safety switches and throwing it in your tool bag may allow you to solve your issue and get home if you are ever out on the road and one of the switches fails.

I already have the clutch switch permanently bypassed - i cut and soldered the two wires together.

I'll put a volt meter onto the starter leads next time and see if its getting power when I press the start button.

RK-tek wrote on 03/03/24 at 14:11:39:


Maybe your incident was a sign not to drink and ride.