Electric starting whilst in gear

[Galea]

My CB750F1 crunches when going from neutral into first gear at idle.  It seems somewhat a common problem, so sometimes I select first, pull in the clutch and start the engine afterwards.  On a friend's F1, with first already selected and clutch engaged, engine can be started both by electric start and by kickstart.  However on mine, this is possible only by kickstart.  If I press starter button, nothing happens.  Engine starts by starter perfectly if the gearbox is in neutral.  Does this model have an electric circuit which prevents electric starting whilst in gear or do I have a problem?  Looking forward to your views.  Thanks and regards, Joseph.

[hairygit]

Yes it does have a very basic safety circuit. The usual culprit is the little plunger switch mounted in a hole on the left hand switchgear . It is designed so that the starter will not operate unless the clutch is pulled in whilst the bike is in gear, and the little switch often becomes stuck with the plunger  "IN", (as in the clutch being engaged, free lever) You can see if you can free it off with a bit of tapping (gently, it's only plastic) or buy another switch (less than

[hairygit]

Just found one of the switches on e-bay, listed for cb400/4, but it is the same item, item no:300184704803,

[Galea]

Thanks for your help, the clutch lever switch is indeed broken.  However, I also identified a problem with the clutch starter diode behind the left sidepanel.  I will order both parts and keep fingers crossed 

[Galea]

Clutch lever switch and diode replaced, now working as it should    Thanks for the advice.