Seeking advice on my misfiring cali

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Don’t you mean a “Birmingham screwdriver”

Bigger lumps of metal to hit

Well I meant really I suppose bypass the SS switch as a sperrymint to see if that is causing the prob, but yes in the absence of such a routine to check side stand is up is advisable.

Hi
The help i have received off you guys on the forum has been humbling and very useful indeed. I got to it for 3 hours today. I decided to start with cleaning the plugs (which were covered in the black stuff) and by passing the side stand sensor as McFuzzy suggested (I soldered the wires together and taped them off). I was then going to go through Jon’s list but decided to take it for a spin first and hey presto! Different bike and missfire gone. It was the side stand switch after all. I had to strip the wire back 10 inches before hitting solderable copper as water ingress had fouled the cables.
I can set off for my 180 mile journey to Cardiff tomorrow (with a 40 mile detour to Aberystwyth) feeling far more confident.

Many many thanks for taking the time to help and please make sure you get in touch if you are ever touring the Llyn Peninsula.
Best wishes
Gwyn

Great news!

I luv it when a plan comes together Appendix ~ I got a Cali type sidestand so have a switch working a red warning light on the dash; it’s the lamp that normally connects to brake fluid sensor but I don’t have one of those; but 'least it’s a red light showing stand is down. But if the gadget goes teets up operational wise, it won’t interfere with the engine working. Currently it’s a Yamaha scooter brake switch or somesuch.
Mike H2014-04-02 16:48:31

Nice to get a good result and a happy fellow member.

'Tis that indeed. It occurred to me today that it should be possible to rewire the sidestand switch to interrupt the starter motor terminal rather than everything else, so that it would only stop you from firing the bike up if the stand was down. Maybe Brian or another with electrifying knowledge can advise?

That should be easy enough, just cause the side stand switch to operate a relay that cuts the power in to the starter relay. Do this on the switch (control) side not the switched (power) side to minimise current.

Simpler than that, reroute the supply to the starter relay through the side stand switch.

'Course you do realise the reason why the powers that be did it their way is otherwise you could put the stand down and leave engine running, then move off again having forgotten to retract it.

As Mike says, route the supply to the start relay through the side stand switch, or the earth from the start relay to the button via same switch.Either way, you would not be able to start the engine with the side stand down, but subsequent failure of the switch would not affect the running of the bike, with the proviso Mike mentions. So that’s the brown/white wire to pin 86 on the start relay rerouted via the sidestand switch, or the black/white wire from pin 85 on the start relay which also runs to the button on the handlebar.The original wires to the side stand switch would have to be shorted together and insulated of course.
Brian UK2014-04-09 19:31:46

Thanks Brian, as ever you put in the extra mile ( so I hope you get to be able to read this then!)
Now, tell me how complicated it would be to have it make a red light come on at the same time…

Not sure if true on all Calis, but my 2000 Jackal was set up so that the switch MAKES a connection when the stand is down, not up -twisting the wires together stops everything working, isolating them she runs.