Fiting a light switch !

Forum rules
Please can you post items for sale or wanted in the correct For Sale section. Items / bikes for sale here will be removed without warning. Reasons for this are in the FAQ. Thanks
Post Reply
ONDA SF
Settled in member
Reactions:
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:02 am
Bike owned: Honda CB 400 super four
Location: South Northants, not far from Milton Keynes
Fiting a light switch !

Post by ONDA SF » Sat Apr 02, 2011 10:33 pm

I am thinking about fitting a on/off light switch to my bike, may give the battery a little more power when starting.

Has anyone else tried it, thought maybe a switch from a uk honda could be adapted or a chrome mini toggle switch in the back of the head light bowl.

Any thoughts :?:

Cheers Col

lizard821000
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Reactions:
Posts: 1335
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 5:33 pm
Bike owned: nsr ,cagiva mito , vfr 400 R3L
Location: portsmouth
Re: Fiting a light switch !

Post by lizard821000 » Sat Apr 02, 2011 11:34 pm

?? it already has one

amorti
Senior Member
Reactions:
Posts: 1059
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:51 pm
Bike owned: CB-1, MSX125
Location: Gibraltar
Re: Fiting a light switch !

Post by amorti » Sat Apr 02, 2011 11:48 pm

ONDA SF wrote:I am thinking about fitting a on/off light switch to my bike, may give the battery a little more power when starting.

Has anyone else tried it, thought maybe a switch from a uk honda could be adapted or a chrome mini toggle switch in the back of the head light bowl.

Any thoughts :?:

Cheers Col
If you only want it to help starting, you can easily enough fit a cut-out relay so that the lights go out when the starter button is depressed.

ONDA SF
Settled in member
Reactions:
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:02 am
Bike owned: Honda CB 400 super four
Location: South Northants, not far from Milton Keynes
Re: Fiting a light switch !

Post by ONDA SF » Sun Apr 03, 2011 1:06 pm

Mine hasn't got a switch to turn the head light off, it just seems that there is a lot of load on the battery when starting.

User avatar
superfourben
Settled in member
Reactions:
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:45 pm
Location: Brighton & Hove
Re: Fiting a light switch !

Post by superfourben » Sun Apr 03, 2011 10:01 pm

The superfour has a relay to cut out the headlight when you start it. Check it, the headlight should go out as soon as you hit the start button, if it doesn't then the relay is at fault.

ONDA SF
Settled in member
Reactions:
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2009 12:02 am
Bike owned: Honda CB 400 super four
Location: South Northants, not far from Milton Keynes
Re: Fiting a light switch !

Post by ONDA SF » Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:30 pm

Thanks just looked and the head light does go out, must be my battery at fault.
If my bike is left with the light on for a minute, And then i attempt to start it struggles even if i have had it on the optimate over night.
Its a Banner battery was a little wary when i bought it last year. What's the best make battery for a bike any one got any preferences .

amorti
Senior Member
Reactions:
Posts: 1059
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:51 pm
Bike owned: CB-1, MSX125
Location: Gibraltar
Re: Fiting a light switch !

Post by amorti » Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:03 pm

ONDA SF wrote:Thanks just looked and the head light does go out, must be my battery at fault.
If my bike is left with the light on for a minute, And then i attempt to start it struggles even if i have had it on the optimate over night.
Its a Banner battery was a little wary when i bought it last year. What's the best make battery for a bike any one got any preferences .
Stick to recognised brands like Yuasa or Varta if you want a battery to last more than two winters.

There is a lot of noise in racing circles about LiFePo4 batteries. They still cost a bit more than a normal battery but by all accounts the performance is worth it and you reduce weight by 2+kg.

Graham04
Settled in member
Reactions:
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon May 29, 2017 3:45 pm
Re: Fiting a light switch !

Post by Graham04 » Sat Jun 10, 2017 4:37 pm

I know that it is an old post but while waiting for a cheap Chinese regulator to arrive I decided to fit a light switch. The battery would go flat while riding, but if the headlamp was disconnected would carry on happily. A simple handlebar on/off switch was purchase from ebay for the princely sum of £2.75. I split the white wire which goes to the dip filament and connected the switch wires to both ends of the white. This allows the rear to be on at all times, the flasher works whenever needed and if the weather or traffic requires, then the switch gets the dip back on. The regulator cured the charging but I still have the option to switch off the headlamp if needed, handy when messing about with the bike in the garage and the ignition is on.

Image

cb400f1
Settled in member
Reactions:
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2016 11:16 pm
Re: Fiting a light switch !

Post by cb400f1 » Sun Jun 11, 2017 9:38 am

I've had a Skyrich LiFePo4 battery since 2013 and covered 14k miles with it. Excellent battery, super lightweight but not so good starting bike in cold weather. How long it'll last I'm not sure


Post Reply