Hi All, i have lost the green neutral warning light on my 916, first thoughts were a blown bulb but after checking it its Ok, where should i look next, bearing in mind i'm totally electrically incompetent. TIA.
Thanks Derek, at the risk of sounding as incompetent as i am regarding electricals, where is that located on the bike?
Iff the neutral switch is ok, it sometimes needs the shim washer adjusting, try backing it out half a turn, if that works fit a thicker washer, it may also need a thinner washer, they can be temperamental to fine adjustment.
The neutral light, oil pressure light and fuel warning light are all supplied from the same so worth checking the fuses if none of these are working. The neutral light switch is located at rear of gearbox on the clutch side and can be difficult to change due to poor access.
Before getting too involved with taking things to bits, have you tried just cycling through the gears a few times? I lost the neutral light on my 851 SP3 a while ago, and that got it back. Not sure if it's relevant but the SP3 hadn't been ridden in quite a ling while, maybe something as just stuck? Just a thought. I think they've always been a bit temperamental on the early bikes, some folk just learn to live without it!
Just checked all fuses and although the coolant fan fuse was blown, all others were OK, i replaced the blown fuse but still no neutral light, can anyone tell me if the red generator light on the cluster lights up when the ignition is turned on?..i cant recall if it does or doesn't...it doesn't at the moment, all i'm getting is the oil light in the tacho housing coming on and then going out when the engine starts, as it should, and indicators lamp and hi beam lamp both work, not sure about the low fuel lamp though.
Generator light should come on when ignition turned on (bottom right, picture of a battery) and go out when engine starts provided generstor volts are correct. Cheers Gaz
My bike is a 1997 916, and after looking at my owners manual the red generator light in the cluster doesn't have a description of use in the books diagrams, all the other idiot lights do, and there is no picture of a battery on it...maybe its a different light on later 996/8 ?
I just went and checked on my 916 and the red Gen light stays off when ignition is turned on (engine off). As @Birdie mentionned above, it may be that the switch itself (located at the back of the gearbox as shown on @Derek picture) may have moved off a bit. This switch works in a weird way. Pressed too much, no light. Not enough, no light either. The best way to test it is to: 1/ Unplug the switch cable where it connects to the loom. 2/ Unscrew (patiently) the switch. 3/ Plug the cable back into the loom. 4/ Ignition on (engine off!). 5/ Press the switch manually to see green neutral light go on and off. 6/ Shimming the switch back in place correctly is the key, as shims do not only seal the oil inside the gearbox, but also properly locate the switch in depth. PS: Do not unscrew the switch with cable still plugged (that will end up cutting the cable where it connects to the switch as it twists on itself). PPS: Do not start the engine with the switch removed (as that would get engine oil flying everywhere, I think).
As Guillaume says. But a further check, after unplugging the connector to the loom, bridge the 2 terminals in the connector. Switch on the ignition and the neutral light should come on. If it doesn't the problem is in the wiring, if it does the switch is at fault.
After wiggling the switch about at the rear of the crankcase the neutral green light is coming on intermittently ,the switch is loose so i will have a look at nipping it up...i was giving the bike a good clean last week and i probably dislodged things when i was in that area.
Had a look at the switch this morning and it looks like one of the wires going into the rear of the actual screw in switch part has broken, i've ordered a new switch. Access for switch removal is limited, looks like a 10mm hex head but it could be bigger?, any tips on what to strip down before getting stuck in?...obviously i need to disconnect the switch lead before hand.
going purely by memory, i think this idiot light was redundant on some models, hence you finding no supportive information. It would have been a lead from the regulator, and i remember some aftermarket regs did have this additional lead. I had a 748 where the totally intact red light function was wired up to an alarm (so flashing when parked) instead as a result of it not being used in std form.
Heavy rain outside earlier so got stuck in and removed and replaced the neutral switch, access is limited to say the least!..but it was made much easier by using this old box spanner I inherited from my dad when he passed...not sure of the size, it would be imperial, but it fitted over the 13mm hex on the switch like a glove and the wires passed through its body...job done
There were two types of selector switch, one with 2 wires and another with one wire, one was operated by a lobe on the selector shaft which needs precise shimming of the switch, the other has an insert of some sort on the shaft which breaks the contact as the shaft is put into gear. That's what I recall anyway. Steve
Then I would think the two wires need to connect when selecting neutral, which indicates a lobe, as I said in my earlier post it needs careful shiming, half a turn makes a big difference, iff you'd backed it out half a turn before removing it you would have had a good idea which way to go.Hope this helps. Steve
