Handlebar Switch Assemblies

I want to check out all the electrical connections on my 77 650, and specifically, I would like to know if the handlebar switch assemblies can be disassembled and cleaned out. I'm talking about the switches for the: headlight, horn, turn signals, kill switch, starter, etc. I would like to take them apart, clean them with a file, sandpaper, or whatever, and then apply dielectric grease. Is that possible?

Thanks.

Sure is, provided you can get the screws out that hold the switches in place (and you don´t mind spending some time on the floor looking for little balls and springs...) All the switches are mechanical and can be disassembled/reassembled. Below is a before pic of the blinker switch on my 650 from when I redid mine, this is pretty much how all the switches are constructed. It´s a very good idea to take some pics during disassembly, there are some small brackets in there that need to go in right and the wires need to be positioned right when reassembling, other than that it´s not too difficult.



Post edited by: OnkelB, at: 2006/09/19 15:59

And here´s a pic of the disassembled switch minus the backplate where the electrical connections are:



Post edited by: OnkelB, at: 2006/09/19 16:01

The switches can be disassmebled and parts swapped in and out (if you have them). I suggest that some parts will be worn and should be replaced. For instance, the starter and horn buttons. www.z1enterprises.com carries replacement buttons. The buttons tend to wear. I would not sand any of the contacts too much as the metal is thin but you are on the right track... perhaps some fine emory board would be more appropriate than sand paper. When you take apart the switches, keep in mind that some have detents; in other words, when you move a switch like the kill switch, note that there are definite positions. This is achieved by use of a channel in the switch and a little ball like a bb which fits into a hole in the channel. When you open these switches, the BB can jump out and dive for a dark corner. When I redo a bike, I totally disassemble the switchgear and clean the stuff out. I use an emory board, contact cleaner but stop short of dielectic grease on the contacts as that stuff will pick up crud... If your kill switch is loose, I have disassembled and shimmed the gap between the switch and body to provide a more postive movement. Anyway, what you are tring to do can be done... just don't like the grease idea as it is a dirt/dust magnet but otherwise, just take your time and you might want to have a small stock of 3mm screws and a very small #1 screwdriver as those things tend to be in bad shape (rust).

OnkelB,

Thanks for the photos. That's what I was kind of afraid of. I hate hearing that sickening SPROING while disassembling something. At least now I have a heads up and know what to look for.

wiredgeorge wrote:

I would not sand any of the contacts too much as the metal is thin but you are on the right track... perhaps some fine emory board would be more appropriate than sand paper.

My prefered method is a Dremel with a brass brush. The soft brass does a good job on electrical contacts. The only problem is that it won't fit everywhere. Another thing to remember about electrical contacts is that often the metal is not thin, but the current is carried only by a plating that IS quite thin. Once the plating is gone, the contact is toast. I tried once to recover a power window switch that stopped working. I got the contacts nice & shiney, but it still wouldn't work since the conductive plating had worn away.

This spring, I disassembled all my switches, cleaned them, reassembled them and they are working fine. You may want to be very careful with the Kill switch as the internal plastic disk in mine was cracked and everything kind of fell apart. Fortunately, I was able to rebuild it (read save money) with plumbing glue and a tye-warp as a temporary (24 hour) clamp.

For the brass parts I used the sponge pads that have an abrasive grit bonded to them (used the finest I could get). I think 3M makes them and they were available at my hardware store. Anyways, the reason I really liked these pads is that they were flexible, conformed to the irregular contours and reached the low and hard to reach areas too.

By the way, I did not noticed any plating on the brass parts or any contact problems resulting from gentle but thorough cleaning/scrubbing.

Just a different opinion here on grease if you don't mind... I have found these switch assemblies to be more or less closed (but not really sealed) so I considered dust and dirt contamination to be a low and acceptable risk. So, I used a lithium grease on all the moving parts and contacts... have had zero problems to date. They slide really smoothly too!

I hope you find this useful. Best of success.

This place rules
I used Di-electric grease to seal. CRC electrcal contact cleaner, 2000 grit wet sand paper(left over from another project) on the contacts. Smooth as butter in fact I didn't know that there were three positions for the kill switch-- I only had off and run before.