Yes - You CAN repair the switch! No real need in cutting your's off or replacing the entire harness. :smile2:
After a few sudden intermittent starting failures - I figured out that my Clutch Safety Switch was the culprit. Seeing that Triumph felt the desire to package the switch in an all-encompassing harness/switch housing assembly (and thus charging $$$ for it) instead of just making the simple switch available for a few bucks, I decided to see just what made this thing tick. Photos were taken with my phone, so sorry in advance for some of the poor-quality shots - but you'll get the idea.
Here's the switch ass'y, removed from the Clutch Perch. A simple tab that you push in on the underside frees it up.
The rubber boot at the wire-end is held snugly in place by a metal band. This simply slides down, and then you peel back the boot (like rolling a condom). Dealing with this rubber boot is by far the worst part of the entire procedure. After the boot has been rolled down, you can see where the 2 wires enter into to switch housing. Also in this photo, you can see one of the tabs that the outer half of the switch slide over. There are two of these tabs - use a pick to gently pull up on the sidewall, from the back end.
Bad photo - but it's the best I could get at the time. Here's what the outer housing looks like when removed. You can see the two sides that slide over the tabs.
With care, slowly pull the outer housing away from the wiring. The interior is spring loaded - cover the ass'y with the palm of your hand and be deliberate and slow. Pay attention and watch for falling parts! Here is what will come off. Try to keep everything together in order.
And here is what causes the starting problem - corrosion.
I used electrical contact cleaner and a wire bristle brush to clean up the terminals.
Assembly is reverse of removal. Tip .... After reassembly, the plunger should push in/out smoothly. If you feel it "grabbing" or "notchy", the terminals are likely not making proper contact with the assembly and your bike will not start. The terminals have a very specific way that they need to be positioned on the outside of the base - when you pull the outer housing off, pay close attention to how the terminals fit within a recessed groove. After looking at this switch ass'y - there really isn't anything that can break, unless the corrosion is so bad it has eaten away one of the terminals.
After a few sudden intermittent starting failures - I figured out that my Clutch Safety Switch was the culprit. Seeing that Triumph felt the desire to package the switch in an all-encompassing harness/switch housing assembly (and thus charging $$$ for it) instead of just making the simple switch available for a few bucks, I decided to see just what made this thing tick. Photos were taken with my phone, so sorry in advance for some of the poor-quality shots - but you'll get the idea.
Here's the switch ass'y, removed from the Clutch Perch. A simple tab that you push in on the underside frees it up.
The rubber boot at the wire-end is held snugly in place by a metal band. This simply slides down, and then you peel back the boot (like rolling a condom). Dealing with this rubber boot is by far the worst part of the entire procedure. After the boot has been rolled down, you can see where the 2 wires enter into to switch housing. Also in this photo, you can see one of the tabs that the outer half of the switch slide over. There are two of these tabs - use a pick to gently pull up on the sidewall, from the back end.
Bad photo - but it's the best I could get at the time. Here's what the outer housing looks like when removed. You can see the two sides that slide over the tabs.
With care, slowly pull the outer housing away from the wiring. The interior is spring loaded - cover the ass'y with the palm of your hand and be deliberate and slow. Pay attention and watch for falling parts! Here is what will come off. Try to keep everything together in order.
And here is what causes the starting problem - corrosion.
I used electrical contact cleaner and a wire bristle brush to clean up the terminals.
Assembly is reverse of removal. Tip .... After reassembly, the plunger should push in/out smoothly. If you feel it "grabbing" or "notchy", the terminals are likely not making proper contact with the assembly and your bike will not start. The terminals have a very specific way that they need to be positioned on the outside of the base - when you pull the outer housing off, pay close attention to how the terminals fit within a recessed groove. After looking at this switch ass'y - there really isn't anything that can break, unless the corrosion is so bad it has eaten away one of the terminals.