Understanding Motorcycle Switches

Ignition  performance (trick)

Understanding Switches of your motorcycle

We all know the characteristic of every switch out there that turns on and turns off the supply of any electronic equipment. They operate in such a way that the two contacts just slide with each other, and therefore prone to corrosion, moisture and degration. This in turns lower the efficiency since the contact is not 100 percent in contact with one another. More often, if the switch handle current more than their rated characteristics, then it heats up building more corrosion and blackening, producing more contact problems. A slight increase on their resistance, produces problems to current flow.

Now let us examine all possible switches there is on a motorcycle. What are they and what they are switching?

let us start, (add more on comments if i missed something)

IGNITION SWITCH
HORN switch
TURN SIGNAL switch
BREAK LIGHT switch (front and rear)
HEADLIGHT switch
HEADLIGHT BEAM switch (HI and LOW)

Now we will analyze each and one of them, i'll start from the bottom.

HEADLIGHT BEAM switch----from the name itself, hi and low beam, switches the headlight bulb to low and hi beam, in a headlight bulb there are two filaments inside, yes two, one for each beam. They are glowing seperately, and uses your headlight assembly reflector to reflect their angle on the road. The switch is just tapped on the Normally open (N.O.) path of the headlight switch. It has 3 pins, the center the common and the two outer for the two filaments..

Normally, a motorcycle is fitted with a standard wattage rating of bulb, in our case is a 25 watts x 25 watts bulb for a total of 50 watts. The switch is rated at least 10% more on the bulb rating to ensure it will not heat up during use, if it is then it will degrade then corrode up until it fails due to melting the contact. 

HEADLIGHT SWITCH---the switch that turns on and off the headlight, It has two pins, either of the pin goes to your headlight BEAM switch common, the other is through your AC voltage regulator..(part of the voltage regulator inside)..HAD you fitted 35 watts x 35 watts of BULB on your headlight? Why my headlight switch getting hot during use? There is your answer, over rated bulb.

BREAK LIGHT switch--the switch fitted on the front brake lever and rear brake lever in parallel. from time to time, this switches must be checked for tolerances and contact. Failure will mean no brake light indication...and oopps watch out behind you!!!

TURN SIGNAL switch---the switch that tells those behind you and in front of you thru their side mirrors where the heck you are turning..This switch is frequently failing due to the moisture getting on those damn holes, add those dirt too and the result. failing turn switch..

HORN SWITCH--the switch that tells those morons that you are coming in, alerting them to move over :), kidding aside, it is you first lin of defense on everything on the road you are taking, from vehicles you are trying to overtake, pedestrians all over the packing wide road that do not uses the pedestrian lanes, animals, and your gate..yes gate...honk it and your maid will open it up for you... :)

Occassionaly, this switch gets a lot of current surge, eating up its contact allowing your horn not to honk normally loud, but somewhat kind of singing on a disgusting note, clean it sometimes.

NOW did you add another HORN like those bosch type and stebel nautilus without using their bundled MECHANICAL RELAYS...then your frying your horn switch contact, good for those motorcycle part store, You just in need of a new horn switch. Normally the OEM horn switch can only handle the OEM small motorcycle horns rated i think at 1.5 amps and years before it degrade for you are only using horns when needed, if you are horn fanatic and every moment you are disturbing the peacefulness of the road, then time will come, you dont have anything to honk onto...switch is fried..

TO OVERCOME all of these limitations, a mechanical relay can be used, this will unload current on that switch and the relay will catch all that current for your horns, you can add more if you want to like this one. FUNNY.

IGNITION SWITCH--the heart of all switches, you off this switch, i'll bet $1 million bucks, all of the mentioned switches above will not work. for all of those switches is connected to this DAMN switch with key. your own key, no other key will turn this unless your a BIKENAPPER with a screwdriver in hand...(call the cops now your bike is gone and so as to all of your switches..guess what they works, tell it to your friends) :)

YOU add many accessories, but still they are connected after this switch, he guess what, you aint noticing that it heats up building corrosion and melting the contact allowing resistance to get in the way. 

DID you notice your ignition system as if you are carrying heavy load but then all of a sudden your bike feels healthy, intermittent performance, You might want to check your ignition key switch. for this switch when resistance get in its way produces current drop to your ignition system, for the DC_CDI is the path.

so why not again use the little but powerful mechanical relay to isolate your ignition system on using the igmition key contact and let the DC-CDI to have its own path from your battery thus producing a more constant current flow at all times..

THINK outside the BOX. current plus resistance= poor ignition performance, yes the CDI needs current for the HV converter works efficiently at all RPM. 

This is a simple trick that may do the job on poor performance ignition system, eitherwise, if its not how come i still have my 9 year old bike that runs like as if it is brand new.

FOR HOW to put a relay that will power up your DC-cdi using mechanical relay...I will post it soon, i haven't taken a shot or make a block diagram of it, but for now, why not gather all the materials for it..

1 pc. mechanical relay preferably those enclosed one like as shown, they are encapsulated and no water can enter inside...


DO NOT USE THIS KIND OF RELAY ON YOUR IGNITION SYSTEM, this is not water proof, and may corrode the contact and the armature inside. They are only used on switching high current load such as horns and HID (high Intensity Discharge)



Come back soon, i'll make an article for it.


TRY it. you may like it and retain your bike for good. I do not see anything bad bout it. If it didnt work for perhaps i have something that you do not know i did to my IGNITION SYSTEM...

cheers people.

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