and a first ride report.
I bought a 2008 SD with about 2100 miles. Took a brief test ride then trailered her home. I noticed on the test ride, that to start the bike, I had to have the clutch pulled in even if the bike was in neutral. In addition there was no neutral light. Due to work the next ride I took was quite short, but pleasurable . I had some battery issues and after a bit of testing I decided I needed a new battery. I put in a new Shogai battery and moved the clutch and brake levers to more suitable positions. So in goes the new battery, I plugged in the main plug, I could hear that fuel pump maybe or the ecu or something warming up, then turned the key and shutoff to ON and all the lights blinked and came on and left me with the oil level light. All as it should be, hit the starter and nothing. So I checked the battery voltages, which were good, checked hot to the battery and the two grounds on the negative side. Checked the kickstand shut off as best I could. Tilted the head light unit forward and looked for loose wires. Checked all the fuses, main and those under the seat. Finally after hours of reading other folks trials and tribulations with starting I moved the clutch lever back and it STARTED. I released the clutch and it kept running fine. Still no neutral light. But the bike starts fine with the clutch pulled in and the lever is at a fairly good position. It starts in gear with the clutch pulled in, so I am a bit mystified, though I have seen threads about the clutch and starting.

On to riding. Initially I took Highway 80 east toward Lake Tahoe but it soon turned to stop and wait, I was lane splitting a little ( there are some very decent California drivers that actually move out of the way for lane splitters) but did not feel confident so bailed off the freeway and headed west. I rode back roads from Colfax west down to Auburn, avoiding the highway and the 4th of july crowds. I coffeed up and head north-east on 49 towards Grass Valley then took 20 up towards tahoe where is joins Highway 80. The gas warning light came on while I was on 20 and I tanked up with about 4.5 gallons at the Cisco Grove exit. Then started on old highway 40 towards Tahoe but decided to bag it and come home. I think the distance was about 130 miles.
Some notes on the SD. The power is very controllable, I have read threads about snatchy throttle here and advrider, and I have also read the threads about the ecu tuning software. My throttle did not feel snatchy, bike is totally stock. The brakes seem awesome, 1 finger pulls, very good control. The overall size is nice, not tiny, not tall ( I have 04 950 adventure ). I have owned a 2000 CBR 929 first year it had fuel injection that definitely had a couple of weird spots as does the adventures, where the throttle lags a bit. The SD seems to have pretty linear throttle from idle up to maybe 8000 rpm where I let off. The bike is quite a bit more comfy than a 'sport bike' ie cbr 600 rr or gsxr ect. I was standing on the pegs for a bit and it was ok, not too hunched over and it gave my backside a rest. I like the wind in my face, rode 95 % with the shield up, the outside temp was in the low 90's. Handling feels pretty neutral and effortless to me, the bike does not feel big like a adventure. I rode some tight narrow roads the SD felt fine and I rode about 30 miles total of freeway at speeds up to 80 mph and it felt fine. I have a sort of weird body with short legs, 29 inch inseam and long torso and the bike was quite comfy. The fan came on a few times in traffic but the temp bars never topped out. I am planning on trouble shooting the neutral light-clutch issue, but just glad I got her running. She was fine once the clutch was moved. I have lurked on this site for about a month and downloaded the wiring diagrams and repair manual. The other threads regarding electrical issues have inspired me to solve the problems myself instead of taking her in to a dealer.

Thanks Again
Gary

Welcome to the madness Gary.

{Edited}

The fueling issue seems to hit some bikes, but perhaps not all. Mine would not hold a constant speed below 45 mph. It would wander a couple of MPH up or down. Aftermarket cans and a remap fixed the problem.

Welcome in!

My bike will start without pulling in the clutch....is this something that can be disabled? If so it must have been by the previous owner.

If your neutral light is not working and the bike won't start without pulling in the clutch, I would check the connector for the gear position switch. The prior owner may have defeated the lower gear ignition retard and disconnected the neutral wire in error.( you can search for this in the mods section ) If I remember correctly there are pictures showing the connector and it's location.

Happy motoring, Kuerbis

Welcome Gary!
I'm thinking the same thing as kuerbis and KTM666.

Welcome from the Easr Bay. My 07 starts in neutral without the clutch pulled in. Agree with previous posts about Neutral wire. Let us know how it works out.

I stand corrected. My bike does start in N without pulling in the clutch.

I was going off my memory of my trials and tribulations when I fitted the shorty ASV levers. The post on the lever would not activate the microswitch on the clutch perch. I applied some shrink wrap on the post to increase the post's diameter and make the switch work. I thought it was an issue whether the bike was in N or not, but alas, my memory sucks. My concern was not to get the bike started in N, but started if it stalled at a traffic signal while in gear. Sorry.

That being the case, I agree that Gary's problem looks to be a GPS problem.

Thanks for the replies.
I need to work on the microswitch on the clutch. So far I have got two rides in the mtns and not disappointed. Though I might put a pipe on her and do a remap I am quite pleased with the power.

Thanks

Gary