Head light on/off switch? Why?

[Anonymous]

Ever sence I got my bike I noticed it had a switch to turn all the liugths off but the switch never worked. I figured it was frozen as the bike sat oiut side foir a while. I took it apart thismorning and found there was a tab molded into the decoritive nob freezing the switch in the on position. I ground it off and the switch works great. Whyt would they take the time to put a switch and wiring in if they were just going to freeze it in the on position?

[SqDancerLynn1]

It was a safety feature to keep the headlights on at all times, simple way to do it without designing a new switch The later bikes don't have the off position

[Anonymous]

And then some of us install switches when our bikes do not have them 8O

[Redman]

From my experience that change was made on most bikes about 1979 or so. On my bikes since then, I got real good at pulling off seat or side panel to pull headlight fuse if having trouble starting.

[kz]

Depends on the local regulation, I think the GS 1150 does not even have a light switch in the US/Canada.

I Europe we thought it is an advantage to switch the light off (at least until the bike starts) if we have trouble with the GS charging system

[Hoomgar]

And then some of us install switches when our bikes do not have them 8O

That's what I do

[saaz]

I have the on/off switch, but I think the Kawasaki idea of a relay that stops the headlight going to ground while the starter is engaged is a simple and great idea.

[Anonymous]

I have the on/off switch, but I think the Kawasaki idea of a relay that stops the headlight going to ground while the starter is engaged is a simple and great idea.

On my yammy, I have that relay but if it doesnt start on the first turn of the key the light stays on.
I like my switch on the 1100e because i can always start without the light on. Once when i had a bad battery i got stuck somewhere. i just let the battery rest. it started luckily I just left the light off and drove home because the ignition takes so little

[chuckycheese]

Easy

If your bike has the switch, it's really easy to make it operable. Just loosen the little screw on the side of the switch and remove it. When you do, you'll notice that there is a little tab that keeps it from sliding into the "off" position. Cut the little tab off and put the switch back on the bike. It will then operate just as it should and you'll have the option of turning it off and on.

I think I learned that trick from Hap

I should add that I think it's a VERY good idea to ride with your light on and I always do...I notice when I'm driving my car, motorcycles with lights on are not only much easier to see, it's also easier to judge their speed, distance... in general, how fast they're approaching.

[Anonymous]

Headlight switch

Here in New York it became law that motorcycles had to run with their lights on. Starting about ~1980 all new motor cycles delivered for sale in NY were required to have lights that came on with the ignition switch. Some states followed the trend others did not. Early on all bikes were wired for a switch, those delivered in NY and some other states had the switch disabled.

[kz]

We have a law since 1978, that cars AND motorcycles must drive with light on during the day, but for some reason the authorities trust us to handle the lightswitch by our selves.

[kz]

Some riders in Sweden like to drive with High Beam during the day for security reasons, personally I think that is a little bit to much, but on the other hand as the law came 1978, that all cars had to drive with light during the day, I thought that was to much, now I don't even think of it..........

[Anonymous]

I swich them on as soon as I get on the bike to pull away bnut god with all those lights off my battery dies less while trying to start and all the power going to just the ignition system has to be good right? Anyway I am glad I made this modification

[Anonymous]

81 GS650GL has the on-off switch. When my GF first got the bike, I did a bit of work on it to get it running. We went to go for the first ride as the sun was setting. NO LIGHTS. So, she went to the dealer for fuses. I asked her the next day if the bike had an on-off switch and she said no. I asked again later, and she just yelled at me. The dealer sold her some new fuses. That night, I went to replace switches in the dark. As she was holding the flaslight, I slowly walked up to the bars and flipped the non0-existent switch. She kind of apologized LOL. You see, I've been riding since the days before the federal lights-on law went into effect.