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re-wiring my bike

4849 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  exploring/carolina
I posted this in the tech help forum before i even realized there was a forum for custom/mod topics, i think it probably belongs here instead...(pasting the text)



okay, first off, since i still haven't changed my signature, i have an '81 cx500C...now, down to business. i'm turning this bike into a custom something or other (most likely café racer) and i want to dramatically reduce the stuff on this bike, including the wiring. what i want to do is dump the ignition switch and key, and use a switch with push start set-up, that is, have a switch that turns on all systems and doubles as a kill switch, with a push button start to activate the ignition process. i'd like to keep brake lights and turn signals, and i can go either way on the high beam, though it'd be nice to have, just in case i want to take my handy to spotlight for deer in the field. i just finished browsing all 14 pages of the tech forum and have seen some useful info in the form of wiring diagrams (which i've downloaded and will definitely use), but what i'm looking for now is any advice from anyone who has done this in the past. i mean, i am fully prepared to spend a few days and brain cells tracing wires and trial-and-error testing, but if there's anyone who knows what's up already i'd appreciate the info. is it even possible to do this with the cdi/stator system? i'm not an expert on bike wiring, so anything i do at this point is pretty much shooting in the dark. any ideas? i guess my main area of concern is condensing everything the ignition switch does into a single on/off switch...but given my limited knowledge in this area, i may well be vastly understating the challenge ahead.



thanks!!



~J
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This can be done pretty easily.



The ignition switch does three things- It connects the red and black wires when the bike is on, shorts the CDI to ground when the bike is off, and lights the rear tail lamp when the switch is in Park.



You only need to provide for the first two.



Get a bigass DPDT switch from an offroad truck supply. It should be waterproof and rated for 10A. It will have two common terminals in the middle, two UP terminals, and two DOWN terminals. When the switch is UP, each common terminal is connected to each of the UP terminals, and to the DOWN terminals when it's down.



The switch can be used in a different way than usual for the CX. Connect the two common terminals in the middle with a piece of 16G wire (solder or 1/4" crimp spade fasteners). Connect the red and black wires to the UP terminals. Connect the green and black/white striped wires to the DOWN terminals.



Ignore and wrap the brown and brown/white wires by themselves in electrical tape. Nobody uses that dumb parking light anyway.



When the switch is up, the 12V is connected from the battery to the starter and light circuits. When it's down, the lights are off and the CDI control wire is shorted to ground, stopping the motor.
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