Topic: Creating a headlight on/off switch

[jonboycox]

I would like to give my Canadian spec. CB400F an on/off switch for the headlight. It currently does not have one. Has anyone done this with good results? I don't want it to look like crap....but it would be great to have when electrical issues crop up, or when starting is difficult. I have done a search and not found anything outlining this modification.

[jason41987]

honestly.. im a bit of a minimalist.. so i dont know how anyone else would do this.. but id get one of those metal flip on/off switches from radioshack, drill a hole in the side of the headlight bucket and wire it there... probably want to wire the cord carrying power to the headlight (not the ground) to be wired to the switch.. and really thats all youre doing is wiring an on/off switch along that wire, and you can mount this switch literally anywhere you want... im sure you could figure out a handlebar mount if you wanted it there

[Dinola]

I made a crude one for use only when working on the bike and doing a lot of starts.   In the headlight shell, the ground wire from the headlight has a connector, well,, all three of the head light wires do.  I replaced the ground wire connectors with "crimp on quick disconnectors" as i could not find anything to match the Honda stuff. Then, using a few feet of wire and  the same type connectors I made up a simple single pole, single throw switch in a radio shack project box.  I just plug it in-line of the ground wire.   Its ugly as heck but i only use it when I will be working on the bike for some time ( I'm in the middle of a refurb).  I think i used this switch:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062523&znt_campaign=Category_CMS&znt_source=CAT&znt_medium=RSCOM&znt_content=CT2032230
Its a big switch and again , its ugly, hangs off the side of the bike, but only there when I am doing maint.  I have to open the headlight shell to disconnect the switch wire and reconnect the headlight ground wire to itself.
If you find an artful way to locate a switch, let me know.
I should say, i don't think this is normally needed.  Normally the starter button turns off the headlight during start.   My start switch was gone when I got the bike and my fix for it does NOT turn off the headlight, so i cooked this up just for prolonged maintenance work.

[pangloss]

There is a standard handle bar mounted switch available from Honda for this. The original bikes were made to US spec and the other world markets simply added the switch. Bit messy as the original spec wiring went through the handlebars and this funny switch and cable didn't.

[Terry in Australia]

I don't know about the 400's specifically, but all the Aussie spec SOHC4's had a headlight switch on the right throttle assembly/switchblock, and the wiring harnesses were pretty much all the same anyway, so you can buy the switchblock from David Silver Spares, or CMSNL etc and just plug the extra couple of wires into the existing wires in your current harness. If your wiring is "thru the bars", the new switchblock will be exactly the same. Cheers, Terry.

[jamesb]

you can get real small on off switches and hide it very good on a bike. two of my bikes have them.just have to remeber to turn it on.

[robvangulik]

I made a crude one for use only when working on the bike and doing a lot of starts.   In the headlight shell, the ground wire from the headlight has a connector, well,, all three of the head light wires do.  I replaced the ground wire connectors with "crimp on quick disconnectors" as i could not find anything to match the Honda stuff. Then, using a few feet of wire and  the same type connectors I made up a simple single pole, single throw switch in a radio shack project box.  I just plug it in-line of the ground wire.   Its ugly as heck but i only use it when I will be working on the bike for some time ( I'm in the middle of a refurb).  I think i used this switch:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062523&znt_campaign=Category_CMS&znt_source=CAT&znt_medium=RSCOM&znt_content=CT2032230
Its a big switch and again , its ugly, hangs off the side of the bike, but only there when I am doing maint.  I have to open the headlight shell to disconnect the switch wire and reconnect the headlight ground wire to itself.
If you find an artful way to locate a switch, let me know.
I should say, i don't think this is normally needed.  Normally the starter button turns off the headlight during start.   My start switch was gone when I got the bike and my fix for it does NOT turn off the headlight, so i cooked this up just for prolonged maintenance work.

Nicely done, but I think you can accomplish the same by just opening the headlamp shell and disconnecting the wires. Why would you want to add a (temporary) switch when the headlamp doesn't burn due to the wires being loose already?

[lucky]

I would like to give my Canadian spec. CB400F an on/off switch for the headlight. It currently does not have one. Has anyone done this with good results? I don't want it to look like crap....but it would be great to have when electrical issues crop up, or when starting is difficult. I have done a search and not found anything outlining this modification.

It is very easy to do. Several after market light switches to choose from.
Just do not forget to turn you headlight on after it is started.
It could mean the difference between a car seeing you or not seeing you.

[madmtnmotors]

This is the headlight switch I came up with after the stock switch fell apart from high amps due to corroded connections/weathering. It's a three-position micro switch from radio shack and it fit in the same space as the stock switch. I wired low beam to the bottom position, high beam to the top position, leaving the center position as "off". Works like a champ, leads are soldered to the switch, heat shrink around the back of the switch, tucked in tight to fit the stock housing. At least 20,000 miles so far, so good. I would not hesitate to do this again. I often turn the headlight off during startup/warmup to conserve battery. The switch even came with 3 or 4 different colored vinyl toggle caps, white/yellow/black/red I think.

[jonboycox]

Thanks for the good ideas everyone....I am thinking of something like madmtnmotors rig. I like the idea of incorporating the hi/lo/off all in one. While I realize everything should work the way it is set up..there have been a few times already I have seen the wisdom of having the ability to just turn that headlight off for a bit. I think the easiest to do when working on the bike in the garage is just remove the headlight fuse, but that is a little difficult to accomplish while trying to kickstart the bike at a green light with a line of traffic behind you! 

[becken]

http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/miscpages/lights.htm#price

[jonboycox]

Thanks for the link, that switch might do the trick...

[bjbuchanan]

I used a higher amp autozone toggle switch and put it on the backside of my headlight bucket. Ive got a 76 750k so idk about that convenient flat spot for other models. I took the power wire out of the bar as well and used a normally open momentary switch from radioshack for the starter. Works well especially for servicing and checking things out.

[tlbranth]

Seems to me, although age is taking its toll, that Brit bikes used to have a toggle switch atop the headlight bucket. If so it'd be retro-correct to put one on your SOHC bike eh?