Kickstand Kill Switch?

I'm having an issue with my first 75 MK III. The bike dies every time I put it into gear unless it's on the center stand...I just switched out the old carbs for the Mikuni single carb from Colorado Norton Works, but can't imagine what I might have done that would cause this issue.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. I was hoping to ride my bike in the Distinguished Gentleman's ride on Sunday...

We need a little more info...

Does it seem to die because the clutch is engaged and on the center stand the real wheel spins?
Does it seem to run out of gas? Short out electrically? Any clues?

Coil shorting
Ground opening

From the engine moving in the iso's

If this symptom showed up after you installed the Mikuni you may want to review your initial carb adjustments.

Where on the planet are you? There may be help close by :idea:

So you start it on the center stand, the wheel starts spinning 'cause all the transmission is dragging.
What happens if you then step on the rear brake? Does it die? If so, maybe a clutch adjustment is in order.

Thanks for all the responses!

Rvich - On the center stand, the real wheel spins, so I don't think it's because of the clutch engaging. My best guess would be an electrical short, because of how quickly it dies. It's not a "putter out and die" like it would be if there wasn't any gas.

Concours - but I'm in Portland Oregon

Mr. Rick - I'll test the brake in a little bit. My neighbors get cranky when I wake them up before 9.

It sounds to me like there is clutch drag. At the very least the clutch should he adjusted. Possibly clutch plates are stuck together
and the primary needs to be opened up and the plates cleaned. Try kick starting it in neutral with the clutch lever pulled in. The
kick start lever should go down with no resistance at all. If there is resistance then the clutch plates are stuck together.

Concours may have it right that there is a short that only manifests itself when the bike is off the stand and weight distribution is different. If this only showed up after working on the carb you may have disturbed something that is causing this.

Mr. Rick - I think you got it right. If I hit the brake while in gear, it kills it.

I put it on the center stand and revved the engine a bit, then hit it into first gear a few times. That loosened it up a little, so I can now put into first while it's off the center stand. It keeps wanting to roll, even with the clutch fully engaged, so it definitely needs some adjustment, but may just need to be ridden. It sat in a garage for 10+ years before I purchased it a few weeks ago.

Thank you all for your help!

You will be much happier (I think) if you pull the clutch and clean it and get it properly adjusted. It will be much easier to get the bike off the line at a stop light for one. These clutches are notorious for getting sticky with oil. But properly cleaned and adjusted work pretty well. The finer points of figuring out how to improve upon it can be a long journey but below are my bullet points starting with easier and moving to more advanced.

- clean, adjust and inspect center hub for notches, inspect plates for warping
- install a clutch rod seal (Dyno Dave)
- install light weight clutch plates
- Adjust stack height or shim diaphragm to ease pull on lever
- lighten steel plates by machining center hole to larger diameter
- Alloy hub and/or housing (often in conjuction with a belt drive)

And yes of course many of the above can and will cause controversy.

Russ

I believe there's a group called ONE, Oregon Norton Enthusiasts?, in yr area.
Also, I've heard stories of people who freed stuck clutches by pulling up to a wall with the lever pulled in and then releasing it. This will stall the motor of course, but sometimes frees the clutch.
Obviously, pulling and cleaning everything is preferable.
Good luck, keep us posted, ya.

Heck I thought we were talking about a real sidestand kill switch when I hit this thread. I drive Big Money Wasted too and this is a safety feature I like.

Thanks again for all the input. I decided to pick up a new clutch, so should be installing it in the next week or two.