Topic: Starter Button Blues

[Peterbylt]

On My 75 550f
I pressed in the starter button and much to my surprise it stayed in and the bike kept cranking.
Manged to get that to stop. When I examined the switch it had totally disintegrated.
I purchased the radioshack button and soldered red/yellow and black wires to it. That fit and worked perfectly.
The headlight wire red/black with a black power wire I rerouted to the headlight bucket and installed an on off toggle switch.
The bike seems to start fine with the headlight on.
There have been a number of occasions that I have wanted to turn the headlight off. (like idling around Daytona all day Or working on the bike) So I took this opportunity to install the on/off switch. 

[kach_me]

That is the exact button that I just purchased.  Can you please tell more about the headlight switch that you installed and provide a pix if possible?  Thanks!

[Hyseman]

I have the same problem with my horn button. Doe you think it would work on that.

[nippon]

Horn buttons are still available at
http://www.cmsnl.com/products/button-horn-push_35317001310.html
It costs EUR 1.50.
That button should work as starter button, too. When I opened my
houses, I have noticed that the are exactly equal.

nippon

[DeLuxe]

I've wired up a replacement starter button using a DPDT momentary switch (Double Position, Double Terminal, momentary). This means that you can wire up one circuit so that is is permanatly on, and will become momentarily off while the button is down (the headlight circuit) and the other circuit is permanatly off and is momentarily on while the button is down (the starter motor circuit). The electronic equivalent of killing two birds with one stone? You can get these switches from most electronics suppliers, you just have to ask. The other type, SPST is more common, and is used for single circuit applications - like  door bell as  it only has one 'on' position.
Hope this helps, cheers.

[supersport_CB400F]

Or get a Brit switch that has it all 

[Peterbylt]

The Brit switch is cool, I may have to get one. 

To make the headlight on/off switch work you need to trace the wires from the handlebar control back to the wire bundle under the coils under the tank. there should be five wires in this bundle. We are interested in three The yellow/red, Black, Black/red. The yellow/red and black are the wires I soldered onto the Radioshack starter button in the control. I then took a SPST weatherproof toggle switch and soldered two wires approx 18 inches onto it in my case red and black and crimped male bullet type connectors to the other end. After removing the headlight I drilled a hole the correct size for the switch in the headlight basket. and mounted the switch then treaded the wires out the back and down to the wire bundle. I connected the red wire where the black/red wire had been connected the black wire I connected into an open spot in the gang connector where the other black wire is connected.