Topic: Questionable ignition wiring - what to do?

[dudah]

When I got my bike, it had a generic Autozone ignition switch in there. Just 2 wires. Off is off, on turns on the headlights and let's you start.

Being as cheap as they are, I'm on my third one. With rain water and the high current/heat the contacts wear out eventually. Upon looking for a more legit replacement I learned that the ignition switch is supposed to have four wires.

They're 2 wires at the ignition switch are both white, and an aftermarket auto fuse holder soldered in on the left side, no sign of the white wires. Everything is wrapped in black electrical tape. Looking at the wiring diagram there are no white wires, which means it was definitely messed with at some point.

I haven't tore apart the wiring harness yet or see where these white wires actually go to. My question is should I get a proper replacement and wire this up accordingly? Or just put a nicer switch on there? I worry because the ignition switch got so hot in the past that it may be wired improperly. But perhaps it got so hot because I was using a cheap Chinese ignition switch. Thanks!

[HondaMan]

Well, you're on the right track: first, it needs 4 wires. The bigger question, though, is: maybe you might wish to just get a new wiring harness with the new switch? They are not terribly expensive, and will save you lots of grief, based on what else you might find from a PO that did that sort of 'fix'?

Which bike is this? There are 4 different harnesses for the CB750, and 3 (some say 4) for the 550. There's only 1 for the CB500. The 350F has 1 and the 400F has two.

[dudah]

Good point - it's a 1972 CB500

Found this guy - http://4into1.com/complete-wiring-harness-32100-323-040-honda-cb500k-1972-1973/

A BIT pricier than I was expecting but certainly not bad. I have a multimeter with a continuity tester. Perhaps once I open up the electrical tape the answer will be right in front of me what happened.
I also should verify everything going on in the electrical panel as well. I noticed a dark green wire with a lug on it just hanging loose and nothing missing one...