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On/off switch for headlight, taillight

L

longranger44

Forum Apprentice
Has anyone wired in an on/off switch for the headlight and taillight? Not a fan of them always being on anytime the ignition on my 82 750t is on
 
The early models, like my 77's, had a factory installed off/on switch. Turned everything off except the brake light. Now when I had my race cars in my youth, we had switches for our brake/tail lights for purposes that my lawyer has asked me not to discuss :cool:
 
unfocused said:
The early models, like my 77's, had a factory installed off/on switch. Turned everything off except the brake light. Now when I had my race cars in my youth, we had switches for our brake/tail lights for purposes that my lawyer has asked me not to discuss :cool:
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Right lol, I'd imagine that's a sought after feature in the crotch rocket crowd. That along with their flip up license plates.
I'm wondering if anyone with a tscc era gs has wired in a switch like your older one has.
 
I put one on one of my my "80" GS1100E Lunchboxes, just for headlight, not tail. On that bike there was a space on the center of the dash, straight above the trip reset button. I just put a black push on push off switch on there, cut the ground wire to the headlight and wired it through that switch. No trouble and worked great. It just didn't make sense having the headlight on while cranking the eng. I think Suzuki was the last UJM to quit doing it.
 
rphillips said:
I put one on one of my my "80" GS1100E Lunchboxes, just for headlight, not tail. On that bike there was a space on the center of the dash, straight above the trip reset button. I just put a black push on push off switch on there, cut the ground wire to the headlight and wired it through that switch. No trouble and worked great. It just didn't make sense having the headlight on while cranking the eng. I think Suzuki was the last UJM to quit doing it.
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Yeah I don't like it either, especially with all the troubleshooting I've had to do it's annoying to have it on constantly. I had it where I was having trouble with it stalling and the first time I started it after rebuilding the carb I let it idle for like 5 minutes and then went inside and when I came back out it had stalled and the stupid headlight and taillight were of course still on, sitting there draining the battery. I wonder if there'd be a good way to wire them both through the same switch, I see on the wiring diagram they're on separate circuits. My Toyota car has drl's that can't be shut of and I hate that too.
Sounds like you have a sweet setup
 
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My 1980 GS 750 has a light switch but it was locked in the on position. I didn't like the headlight on when hitting the starter, either. I was able to open the light switch and remove the little thingy the factory put in there to make it an always on switch. Now I can turn the headlight on when I want it on and off when I want it off. I don't recall if it had an effect on the number of stator poles, as I did this like 30 years ago.:rolleyes:
 
Yep, 1979 was the first yr. the U.S. govt required all motorcycle headlights had to stay on. Easiest way for Suzuki to do it was put a stop on the headlight slide switch. Most everybody around me either trimmed off the plastic stop or just installed a slide switch from a "78" model that didn't have the stop thing on it.
 
rphillips said:
Yep, 1979 was the first yr. the U.S. govt required all motorcycle headlights had to stay on. Easiest way for Suzuki to do it was put a stop on the headlight slide switch. Most everybody around me either trimmed off the plastic stop or just installed a slide switch from a "78" model that didn't have the stop thing on it.
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I wonder what year they eliminated the switch altogether because my 82 doesn't have it
 
Evidently different GS's were different yrs. The GS1100's, GS1000's, and GS850's had no headlight switch in "80". I was surprised to see the GS750's did still have one.
 
longranger44 said:
Yeah I don't like it either, especially with all the troubleshooting I've had to do it's annoying to have it on constantly. I had it where I was having trouble with it stalling and the first time I started it after rebuilding the carb I let it idle for like 5 minutes and then went inside and when I came back out it had stalled and the stupid headlight and taillight were of course still on, sitting there draining the battery. I wonder if there'd be a good way to wire them both through the same switch, I see on the wiring diagram they're on separate circuits. My Toyota car has drl's that can't be shut of and I hate that too.
Sounds like you have a sweet setup
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Pull the fuse. Oh and the mod you want will nullify insurance.
 
Not wanting to kill permanently, just never saw a need to have the large draw for the lights at the same time as the large draw from the starter. Lights off, start eng. then lights back on. Flip a switch, not fooling with a fuse.
 
It wouldn't be difficult to do, run it through a relay getting power off of the battery, that way your headlight would be getting full voltage, at least the headlight doesn't go through the starter button like some bikes, where when you hit the started button, it disconnects the headlight until the started button is released, that's like 4.5 amps running through a contact not much bigger than a pin head, failure will surely happen, everything's a compromise.
 
rphillips said:
Not wanting to kill permanently, just never saw a need to have the large draw for the lights at the same time as the large draw from the starter. Lights off, start eng. then lights back on. Flip a switch, not fooling with a fuse.
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If you are comfortable with wiring, you can do this automatically with a relay. Install the relay between the fuse and the headlight, using the NC (normally closed) contacts of the relay. Wire the relay trigger to the starter solenoid, so when you push the starter button, it opens the contacts to the headlight. When you release the starter button, the relay closes and the headlight is ON.
 
Yes, that may be what Honda did. My "83" Honda CB1100F light comes on with ign. then while starter engaged light goes off, then back on when start button is released. Within a few yrs., all the Mfg. came up with a solution. Thinking Kawasaki had a system where light didn't come on till eng. started. Don't know how Yama did it, and slightly embarrassing to say but don't remember how Suzuki fixed it. Guess I's just a few yrs. ahead of those big Mfg's.
 
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