Can a /6 starter relay replace the dreaded /5 Relay?

[jjwithers]

It is a 72 R75/5.
The typical 'chirping' or 'clicking' issue.

I have read about the various options of modifying the /5 relay, or replacing it with a modern relay but you will void the starter prevention while the bike is running.

I can't get any clear information on swapping it was a /6 relay though. Will using a /6 relay work, and still prevent the starter from engaging while the bike is running?

-J

[Kurt in S.A.]

Snowbum never mentions the use of a /6 relay in place of the /5 relay. His web article is all about modifying the existing relay. If it was a simple matter of using a later relay type, I would think he would have offered that as a possible solution rather than getting into the /5 relay.

Kurt in S.A.

[Rob]

Every time I heard clicking, it was due to not enough power getting to the starter, either due to a low battery, or corroded connections, somewhere.

But I know nothing about /5 relays.

[melville]

The starter lockout was a dubious protection anyway. Matt Parkhouse, in an old issue of ON, showed how to use just a regular 30A relay that can be bought at any auto parts store rather than the special $100+ BMW relay. This was published just as I was dealing with a dead relay myself. I set up my /6 that way and it's been just fine ever since. Here's a link:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=148&p=27077&hilit=woo+hoo#p27077

[jjwithers]

Yes, I have read several articles on using a typical modern relay but this bike is not for me, and I'd like to retain the starter lockout if possible. Which, in my readings, seems that the only way is to modify the /5 starter relay.