I've got a '14 deluxe, and all of a sudden, I can no longer start it in gear, it has to be in neutral. What the hell could be causing that? I put it in gear, pull the clutch, and NOTHING.

 

There is a switch that allows you to start in gear. When the clutch is fully pulled, it engages. Did you do anything to the left lever that would affect it? It has to be put RIGHT BACK into place or it won't engage.

 

I switched the grip. I opened the housing today to make sure everything was cool, I don't see anything outta place. Is there a switch or something I should look for in the housing?

Found the culprit, the leather fringe wraps on the levers I put on. The clutch is supposed to hit a button, but the thickness in leather was enough to not make it not contact. I just took a small felt door/drawer bumper with adhesive on back and stuck it in behind the clutch, all is good.

 

My 13 Heritage is doing the same thing, checked the switch, it seems fine but the lever is sloppy on it's pivot pin. I think that is enough that it is not properly hitting the button. Ordered new chromed levers, hoping that may solve the problem.

 

I started my bike in gear once and that was enough. I didn't like the way it moved forward, even if it was just a little.

 

That's what you get for putting leather fringe wraps on your bike. Ron 😎

 

I changed out my hand grips and have never gotten the button to operate properly since. I have just gotten used to turning off the bike in neutral so I don't have to play with it later on. It is obnoxious when you do accidentally leave it in a higher gear and the bike won't downshift easy enough to find neutral though :\ I've seen lots of people easily go through multiple switches and it just isn't worth me spending the time on it.

 

Glad you solved it, but I have a question: why on earth would you want to start the bike in gear? Honestly - I'd just like to know if there's a reason you do that.

 

Short answer for me wasn't so much "wanting" to do it. Sometimes when I turn the bike off in gear, it won't shift down to neutral when I go to restart it. Not entirely sure the rhyme or reason, but it takes some fancy footwork and some rocking the bike before it moves.