Sidestand Safety Switch

[thompsonr]

:violin I know the side stand switch is a safety item but I hate it. I like to start my 2000 R1100RT in my open garage ride out to the drive put down the side stand and let it warm up while I put on helmet and prep for a ride.

With the safety switch I have to start up, ride out, shut off, place on center stand, pull up the side stand, start up again then get ready to go then work to get it off the center stand. I know it may sound a little petty but I hate that entire extra I have to go through just because of the safety switch.

Do any of you disable the side stand switch? Or should I just shut up and go through the process and learn to live with it? :banghead Thanks RT

[BMWRich58]

Hmmmm...I thought you could start it on the side stand,but when put in gear it would stop....?
Been so long since I've been around oilheads I completely forgot..! :gerg

[ragtoplvr]

Mine is not. No crash though I have been scared years ago.

I like the Honda sidestand system. There is a rubber block on the end of the side stand that will kick the stand up (I have tested it) without any harm. It has been out for years, I would think the patent has expired. Best thing, it has exactly zero wires, connectors or switch contacts to fail.

Rod

[breyfogle]

If the sidestand switch bothers you, remove it. It's your bike.

[adooley]

I believe on the RT-P versions, you start the bike and let it warm up while on the sidestand. If you put the bike in gear with sidestand down, it will kill the engine. If the sidestand is down on the regular RT, you cannot start the bike. I know the former is true since I have a 1150RT-P but exactly sure about the latter. :dunno

You might want to look into swapping sidestands with a police version that will let you start the bike with the sidestand down. Also, the police version sidestand locks, meaning the bike will not roll forward off the stand accidentally.

[kgadley01]

If you would like to disable your sidestand safety switch, here's what I did.

1. put your bike on the centerstand.

2. remove bolt that holds the sidestand on.

3. remove the ceramic looking cover that fits between stand and bolt. mine just about fell apart.

4. replace sidestand and bolt, and your done.

Ride safe... Kenny G.

[MCMXCIVRS]

Its an easy bit of wiring to add a bypass relay into the circuit.

A few earlier threads on the topic.

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=31018&highlight=sidestand+switch+relay
http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16388&highlight=sidestand+switch+relay
http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14224&highlight=sidestand+switch+relay
http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2091&highlight=sidestand+switch+relay

[PGlaves]

Hmmmm...I thought you could start it on the side stand,but when put in gear it would stop....?
Been so long since I've been around oilheads I completely forgot..! :gerg

1150 = Yes

1100 = No (except R1100S)

[thompsonr]

Can a 1150 switch be placed in a 1100? That would be to easy right?

[papagian]

Looks like it depends on the model or year. My 1998 1200C starts with the stand down. If I put the bike in gear with the stand down, the engine automatically shuts off. I like this set-up much better. BMW might have decided to enhance this to include not being able to start the bike with the stand down. If so, my theory is that BMW doesn't want folks to be idling to warm up for very long.

[kgadley01]

Your right!!! BMW does not want you to idle your machine. They say start it and drive off, and let it warm up as you ride. This is very important on the Oilhead RT's. I have a 99 RT and if I let it sit and warm up, the heat from the exhaust Header will bubble the paint behind it. don't ask how I know this. When I'm tuning the bike, I place Aluminum foil behind the Header to deflect the heat.

[thompsonr]

On my 2000RT when my side stand is down I have nothing not even the gear indicator works. I would love to have the bike start in neutral and die if place in gear before the sidestand is up. As I guess the 1150s do.

Oh honey, guess what. We have to by another bike………………

Hopefully someone will know if I can upgrade the switch to an1150 type or something else that would work.

Looking at all the articles previous responders have suggested may be able to try one of those. But I have read enough horror stories after starting this thread to know that I don’t think I want to do away with the switch. I would be the guy who piled it up because he forgot to put up his stand. The guys at coffee already have enough to laugh about don’t need any extra help from me.

[MCMXCIVRS]

I had the same gripe long ago with my R1100RS. I don't want to leave it idling on the side stand, but having to restart it every time you want to hop off quick and back on is a big PITA. I wired the relay into the circuit and have been much happier since. It keeps the saftey aspect of the sidestand switch with the convienience of being able to stop and have the engine keep running when in neutral.

As I said above, the wiring is quite simple and the relay is inexpensive.

[TheRoss]

I do not have a garage door opener and can appreciate what you guys are saying. That said, I go out every morning and while standing on the left side of the RT I rock it off the centerstand, push it out of the garage, place back on centerstand, start and let warm up while I close garage door and finish getting ready, then climb on, rock off stand and ride away. I would not do the start, stop, start routine every morning as it's too much abuse IMHO.

[Rich]

A question from the clueless (me), is the right side of the engine getting proper lubrication when the bike is leaned over on the side stand idling?

[thompsonr]

I had the same gripe long ago with my R1100RS. I don't want to leave it idling on the side stand, but having to restart it every time you want to hop off quick and back on is a big PITA. I wired the relay into the circuit and have been much happier since. It keeps the saftey aspect of the sidestand switch with the convienience of being able to stop and have the engine keep running when in neutral.

As I said above, the wiring is quite simple and the relay is inexpensive.

Ed I have a problem with my neutral light not coming on all the time. As I understand it there are two areas where this problem may be occurring one of which is expensive and hard to get to. Your fix uses a relay connected to the neutral light I assume the neutral light would need to work all the time.

Thanks RT

[bikerfish1100]

It would be good to get the neutral & gear indicator issue(s) resolved, along with whatever choice you make on the sidestand situation. they might be inter-related, as the starting system needs to know whether the bike is in neutral. i think of the neutral light as having more to do with its talking to the rest of the bike, than it is about telling me what is going on with neutral.
i like what my R11S does- starts with stand down in neutral only. will not start or run in gear with sidestand down. starts in gear with sidestand up, clutch pulled in.
likely just amatter of relay(s), & possibly a switch at the sidestand, to make the changeover (don't know for sure what is needed, as i didn't need to get any of it).

[MCMXCIVRS]

I'd bet the neutral light problem is the switch on the back of the transmission. They are known to give trouble. I had to replace mine a couple years ago for the same reason. I could play with the shifter and still get the light to work, it just wasn't entirely reliable. The bike should still start as long as the clutch is disengaged even if the neutral light is out. Still it does require the light to work (or at least the switch to be making contact) for the relay bypass to operate. The switch itself isn't overly expensive, but it does require removal of the swingarm to access it. If your paying for labour, thats where the cost comes in.

[kbasa]

:violin I know the side stand switch is a safety item but I hate it. I like to start my 2000 R1100RT in my open garage ride out to the drive put down the side stand and let it warm up while I put on helmet and prep for a ride.

With the safety switch I have to start up, ride out, shut off, place on center stand, pull up the side stand, start up again then get ready to go then work to get it off the center stand. I know it may sound a little petty but I hate that entire extra I have to go through just because of the safety switch.

Do any of you disable the side stand switch? Or should I just shut up and go through the process and learn to live with it? :banghead Thanks RT

Why do you let it warm up? It's fuel injected, so get on it, start it and ride away.

Alternatively, if letting a bike warm up is a behavior you can't break, put it on the centerstand. I have a friend that did this with his F650. He's been riding for 45 years. He got a big surprise on a left hand turn one day.

[rinty]

Why do you let it warm up? KBasa

Exactly. Many years ago, the late Roger Reubens told me about a conversation he had had on this topic with some BMW engineers. They said to get on, start it, and ride it.

[thompsonr]

Why do you let it warm up? It's fuel injected, so get on it, start it and ride away.

Alternatively, if letting a bike warm up is a behavior you can't break, put it on the centerstand. I have a friend that did this with his F650. He's been riding for 45 years. He got a big surprise on a left hand turn one day.

You know I guess it’s an old habit I have had forever. If as a kid I didn’t let the engine on what ever piece of machinery warm before moving I got my tail reamed. It would be quite unnatural for me to start off with out a warm up anytime of the year but even more so when it’s cold out.

I am sure I can break this habit with only a few flashbacks and maybe some help from the Menningers foundation. Maybe that’s the answer if a warm up isn’t needed. It just seems like the natural thing to do start in neutral on the sidestand and maybe just a short warm up.

[bikerfish1100]

It just seems like the natural thing to do start in neutral on the sidestand and maybe just a short warm up.


here, "short" means - "time it takes to back out the driveway", about 30 seconds or so. some figure the time it takes to put helmet & gloves on, i think even that is longer than necessary. maybe "gloves on" is okay.

[PETDOC]

Hypothetical question--If your sidestand switch malfunctioned and you were stuck somewhere (ie, starts in neutral, but putting in gear kills engine) what would be the easiest and most logical place to by-pass the switch?

[breyfogle]

Hypothetical question--If your sidestand switch malfunctioned and you were stuck somewhere (ie, starts in neutral, but putting in gear kills engine) what would be the easiest and most logical place to by-pass the switch?

The wires that run down to the switch on the sidestand plug unto the wiring harness up near the fuse-box. The wires are just clipped and/or zip-tied in between. It would be easy to cut the wires at any convenient point, strip the leads and twist the exposed leads together. Remember, the switch is closed to run, open to stop running.