Sidestand Switch Rain Short Out
06-23-2008, 08:03 PM
#1
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Sidestand Switch Rain Short Out
This happenned to me at least 5 years ago and again yesterday. In a moderate-to-heavy rain, the spray from the road really floods the sidestand pivot area and leaks into where the wires go into the sidestand switch and shorts it; fooling the CPU into thinking the trany is in gear with the sidestand down. Yesterday (near the end of a 700 mile ride) it happened as I was in the middle of a 2-lane bridge in a downpour. Scary to say the least. While stopped, I repeatedly worked the sidestand to get it running but it continued to happen intermittently even after spraying it with oil. I finally stopped at a Farm & Fleet just before they closed, and bought some water displacing lube and dielectric grease. I removed the switch and the grease I had previously packed in the backside was still there, leading me to believe the water was getting down inside where the wires enter at the top of the switch. I sprayed with the lube to displace the water and packed where the wires enter with dielectric grease and was on my way. Of course the sky cleared and my on-road fix was never tested. I plan to de-grease where the wires enter and pack in some RTV silicone, and fashion and install a "rain boot".
Anyone else had this happen? I'm sure Honda uses the same basic switch on other models.
Anyone else had this happen? I'm sure Honda uses the same basic switch on other models.
06-28-2008, 08:50 AM
#2
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The Fix is in
I'm surprised no one else at least commented let alone also have had this problem. Maybe all you other "ChickenHawkers" (a term I don't like but that was covered in another thread) really are chickens and don't ride in the rain.
Anyway, I removed & throughly cleaned the sidestand switch assembly; after letting the 91% iso alky dry, I worked RTV silicone into where the wires go down into the switch and sealed the sides; allowed the silicone to dry, and then made a rainboot out of 50mmlong piece of 21~28mm butyl road bicycle inner tube, sliding it down over to the bottom of the anti-rotation peg slot and snugged a mini ziptie down slightly above, at the top of the boot Icoated the ID with tube patch cement, let it dry and then doubled-over the tube to seal the top and snugged aother mini ziptie down; then wrapped some really sticky electrical tape over the top of the rain boot as a belt and suspenders.
If it shorts out again, I'm removing the dam assembly and jumpering it under the saddle; and will take my chances of a rolling right tipover if I forget to put the sidestand up.
BTW, the blate plate with a bolt thru it behind the shifter rod and above-left of the SS SW is the bottom left mounting plate for my 3-point mount case guards; so don't get confused.
Anyway, I removed & throughly cleaned the sidestand switch assembly; after letting the 91% iso alky dry, I worked RTV silicone into where the wires go down into the switch and sealed the sides; allowed the silicone to dry, and then made a rainboot out of 50mmlong piece of 21~28mm butyl road bicycle inner tube, sliding it down over to the bottom of the anti-rotation peg slot and snugged a mini ziptie down slightly above, at the top of the boot Icoated the ID with tube patch cement, let it dry and then doubled-over the tube to seal the top and snugged aother mini ziptie down; then wrapped some really sticky electrical tape over the top of the rain boot as a belt and suspenders.
If it shorts out again, I'm removing the dam assembly and jumpering it under the saddle; and will take my chances of a rolling right tipover if I forget to put the sidestand up.
BTW, the blate plate with a bolt thru it behind the shifter rod and above-left of the SS SW is the bottom left mounting plate for my 3-point mount case guards; so don't get confused.
Last edited by skokievtr; 06-28-2008 at 08:53 AM.
06-28-2008, 10:47 AM
#3
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Ive ridden in the rain a couple of times on my commute. Not in a major downpour..yet. Yours is another in a long line of experiences I will learn from before having to do it myself. 
Thanks for the write up. Ill get it done one of these days.
Thanks for the write up. Ill get it done one of these days.
06-28-2008, 11:47 AM
#5
Out of my mind, back in 5
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Location: Skurup, Sweden
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The thing that baffles me is that I have continously gotten myself and my 11 year old bike throughoutly drenched and have never had this happen to me... 
And looking at mine, it already has a small rubber boot on it stamped with a Honda logo...
And looking at mine, it already has a small rubber boot on it stamped with a Honda logo...
Last edited by Tweety; 06-28-2008 at 11:49 AM.
06-28-2008, 12:01 PM
#6
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Honda does not show one? http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/...74/Group/STAND
Last edited by skokievtr; 06-28-2008 at 12:17 PM.
06-28-2008, 12:11 PM
#8
Out of my mind, back in 5
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Dunno about the production no... never bothered to look... But it's a 97 made early 97 or possibly late 96... first registered 4/97 in Sweden...
I'm going to do some maintainance monday... So I'll get some pic's of it then...
I'm going to do some maintainance monday... So I'll get some pic's of it then...
06-28-2008, 12:14 PM
#9
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Thanks. Bikes are easy, jets & rockets not so easy but once you learn the later, sano mods on the former are done to the same standards.
06-28-2008, 12:53 PM
#10
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I've ridden mine in pounding rain on many occasions with no issues. Did your S light on the dash come on? I'm assuming it did, that would make it easy to diagnose. If it ever happened to me I'm sure what I would do - I would short the wires going to it permanently. That way it would never happen again!
06-28-2008, 01:13 PM
#11
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I've ridden mine in pounding rain on many occasions with no issues. Did your S light on the dash come on? I'm assuming it did, that would make it easy to diagnose. If it ever happened to me I'm sure what I would do - I would short the wires going to it permanently. That way it would never happen again!
06-28-2008, 01:21 PM
#12
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I really was not cognicent of the light coming on when it died but I don't think so. Looking at the switch diagram, I think it can short without the light coming on; the light may be position sensitive. When I played with the stand, it started. It could have been the front spart plug wire shorting but it still would have run on the rear cylinder, so I'm pretty sure it was the SS switch. I guess I'll eventually find out.
06-28-2008, 02:23 PM
#13
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This has happened to me and luckily I was not far from home. It would pop on - pop off uncontrollably and I was afraid I was going to lose the rear end. We can have spotty but intense showers here and this one occured in full sun but just pounded the highway for about a half mile. Yeah, I was to busy to do diagnostics at the time so I don't know if the light was going on and off either. I suppose you could test this with a trigger sprayer with bike on a stand. I appreciate the post because it scared the **** out me and I watch the skies like a hawk since. I have a mechanic and a good one. You just might have saved me some coin! 
Last edited by nuhawk; 06-28-2008 at 02:28 PM.
06-28-2008, 07:08 PM
#14
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It's a simple switch, right? I would think that the same signal the CDI sees is what operates the light, but I guess that was my concern. I'd like to see something that would make it obvious where the problem is coming from. I understand that the light was not at the top of your prorities at the time!
Last edited by skokievtr; 06-28-2008 at 07:17 PM.
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