Did a search w/o any success. My 77 R100S only starts in neutral. It will not even turn over if it is in gear with the clutch disengaged. Can anyone give me a solution?
You may simply need pn 61 31 1 243 403 "CLUTCH SWITCH (to 09/78)". This switch is mounted on the LH clutch lever assy, and an identical switch may also be on the RH control lever to act as a brake lamp switch.
Before ordering or disassembling, trace the small harness from the switch to the first connection point (probably inside the HL shell) and unplug one of the leads. Then you can place an Ohm meter across both terminals and see if the meter detects the actuation of the clutch lever. If the meter does not generate a difference in readings (clutch lever in vs. clutch lever out), then the switch is bad and should be replaced.
Hope this helps
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Did ohm test like you suggested and no change. Disconnected the switch at the clutch lever assembly and discovered it to be physically broken. New one ordered. Hope it does the trick! THANK YOU!
You're certainly welcome.
► My one note of caution is the electrical connections. Since the switch is used in 2 places, in some cases the wire colors may not be color-to-color, e.g. purple plugs into purple. For that reason you may want to record the wiring in its "as-is state" with a digital camera before any disconnections. OR, obviously the easiest way is to not disassemble anything until you have the new switch in hand.
Just trying to save you from the terror of trying to remember where something plugged in that you had unplugged 2 weeks prior. Not that I've ever had that problem myself !! 😛
► If the leads coming off the switch slip back through a grommet in the headlamp shell, then spraying the harness and grommet with silicone, Armor-All, or WD-40 will make that part of the job much easier.
Hope this gets you back on the road.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Purists will cringe but I decided to not replace the switch (props to Max BMW for being so accommodating and cancelling my order w/full refund). Instead, I tried closing the circuit manually by crossing the wires and, voila!, it will start while in gear. I trust myself enough to disengage the clutch when doing so making the switch simply redundant. Thanks again for the info. Hope this will help someone else w/the same prob.
Same here. I gutted the electrics on the Airhead. Just have to ground the relay.
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