Topic: CB350F Switch Draining Power

[RickB]

Hey guys,

I have a CB400F that I have fitted a new OEM right hand switch gear from a CB350F. It's almost the same except that the 350 switch is grounded to the handle bar rather than connect to the neutral wire of the stock CB400F wire harness. At least that's the way I understood my mechanic.

Now the trouble is, with the Dyna ignition I have fitted, the amount of power going to the run/stop/run switch is too much for the switch to handle. It's draining the battery voltage drastically. When I take that switch out of the equation, the bike runs fantastically. When I connect it, it hardly starts and runs terribly.

I've been told I should put a relay on to take all that power load off the small switch. I installed a run/stop/run switch somewhere else in the wire harness.

I remember reading somewhere that when installing Dyna ignitions that it sometimes overpowers the tiny Honda switch. I can't seem to find anything about it. Has anyone got some advice for me? I'd rather use the original switch if I can.

Thanks,
Rick.

[HondanutRider]

I'm not familiar with the Dyna and potential problems as you describe, but from what you are experiencing it sounds to be true.  I would think it should be fairly simple to instal a 12V relay into the circuit for the Dyna.  All you would need to do is disconnect the power to the Dyna and run that instead to the switching connection of a relay.  Then you would run a separate power line through the relay to the Dyna.  That should relieve your original switch of any extra load, as the relay that it would power instead of the Dyna, should be very minimal.

[Godffery]

I've always ran the power for the Dyna from the rear brake switch connection.
It is only live when the ignition is on, puts no load to the handle Bar switch and it's very easy to access.