No thermoplastic switches. No nylon switches.

Ok, i'll look for those. Have you guys heard of a spade connection that'll take a battery cable? 6.3mm (from the battery to the spade terminal on the main on/off switched described in this thread), i cant seem to find 1 big enough!

Is 16mm squared big enough to use as battery cable or should i go to 20mm squared? Thats 5 & 4 AWG respectively, i'll also use that for the starter motor

I'm going to use 6 AWG welding cable for battery cables with crimp on terminals(what we call lugs).
Welding cable is much more flexible that what came with these old bikes.Most welding supply stores sell the wire terminal ends, or another place to look may be at the battery stores, or electric forklift service centers.

I don't know if you have a Harbor Freight Tool store over there, but they sell a crimper that comes with several crimping dies for different terminals:

www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/resu...raulic+cable+crimper

I cant seem to find a 6.3mm spade female connector that will take 16mm squared (5 AWG) wire

750steve wrote: I cant seem to find a 6.3mm spade female connector that will take 16mm squared (5 AWG) wire

I can not only say I've never seen or heard of one, but Why would you be trying to make a connection like that? That cable would use a Lug, so it gets bolted at each end. The only others I know about are called Anderson Connections, they push together and are completely insulated. Much larger though. Great for where you want a quick disconnect to a larger Amperage supply. Like a Snow Plow Electric over hydraulic Motor, or a winch, maybe a trailer that has extra electrical needs.
But the Start and finish of the cables would be Lugs.

Maybe with my lack of knowledge i'm missing something or looking for the wrong connectors. if you look at the switch in the link below 1 side of it will be wired between the battery & the other to the starter solenoid & coil, so it needs to take heavy wire. If you can recommend me a different connector i'd be glad to hear of it.

www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/202/category/41

750Steve, what are you trying to do with the switch? I see the spade terminals on it, and would like to know two things.
1 whats the connection/ circuit you want to use it in
2 what is the rated Amperage of the switch
It looks like a switch for something like 30 Amp circuit, and using up to 10 gauge wire.

It's hopefully going to be wired between the battery & starter solenoid (and coil) so that when it is off there is no power running through the bike, kind of like a battery isolator, it is rated @ 20Amps (each side as its double pole), Lou knows what its for & reckons its ok for the job. I'd use an isolator but they're a bit ugly looking & i'd prefer an off-on-on isolator

750steve wrote: It's hopefully going to be wired between the battery & starter solenoid (and coil) so that when it is off there is no power running through the bike, kind of like a battery isolator, it is rated @ 20Amps (each side as its double pole), Lou knows what its for & reckons its ok for the job. I'd use an isolator but they're a bit ugly looking & i'd prefer an off-on-on isolator

You want to use that switch as a Battery Isolator? Between the Battery and the starter, in series with the Solenoid High Amp Battery Connection?
I think it would be fore just the Electromagnetic side/ energizing part of the Solenoid. Which would be 3-4 amps at most, when you are cranking the motor.

Motor Head wrote: You want to use that switch as a Battery Isolator? Between the Battery and the starter, in series with the Solenoid High Amp Battery Connection?

Yes, i would like to wire it that way.

The starter solenoid would be activated by a button in the bars after that switch was flicked to turn on the power to the coil & solenoid.

thats the theory but it looks like the theory might not work now, hopefully Lou can throw some light on the matter, again! :lol:

It won't be a battery isolator. That would require huge amperage. The battery will always be connected directly to the high amperage circuit of the starter solenoid.

That key switch will be used as a simple ignition switch.

14 gauge might handle it, but if you can work with it, 12 gauge is better.

The only thought that comes to mind is that there will be no really easy way to turn the motor off. If you want, you can use the double-16A toggle, in order to avoid a key. But if you want a key, that key switch looks good especially since you can buy spare keys.

Good Lord Lou, that was quick!!

Looks like im in the market for a battert isolator instead then! I must have picked you up wrongly along the line somewhere. I'll try to describe what im looking


A switch between the battery & starter solenoid (pref 2 stage) so that i can turn it on to supply power to the solenoid & the 2nd stage to the coil. If i can only use a single stage switch i'm sure it will do no harm wiring the solenoid & coil to come on at the same time.

Then use a starter button to activate the solenoid to start the bike.

When the main switch is turned off the bike will stop

So, just to be clear Lou, the way you suggest to wire it is;

Battery directly to the solenoid, a wire from the solenoid to that switch to power the lights & coil?

Is that ok cos essentially if the starter is hit the bike will turn over unless i wire the switch in series with the coil activation wires? (so the starter button only becomes live when the switch is turned on)


Man i feel like a baby being nursed here!