Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Custom Corner relocating switches

So my new Nash bars and internal throttle came in and I am ready to start the project. I want to fab up a box that will hold my on off switch and starter button. Prolly gonna locate it under the seat somewhere. The bars are going to be cleaned up, only thing on them will be the clutch lever. No front brake, no horn, no high beam or blinkers.

I know little to nothing about electrics, so my question is will this be as simple as buying two switches and just rewiring them? Can anyone point me in the right direction as far as what type of switches i should buy? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks and merry xmas.

The starter button's easy, you just need a normally off push-button that can handle a bit of current, nothing major. You could even use a spring loaded toggle or rocker switch if you wanted, but why re-invent the wheel?

When you say on off switch, do you mean the engine kill switch or the ignition switch? If it's the ignition switch that's less simple as you'll need a "triple pole single throw" (3PST) switch just to do the ignition, and that'll lose the "parking lights" position. If it's the kill switch (which is what I suspect you mean) that's pretty easy, a simple on/off toggle switch will work fine, just ask for a "single pole, single throw switch" (SPST)... toggle, rocker, or whatever other style floats your boat. I'd use a toggle switch so you can easily feel it with gloved hands in case of an emergency, but if you decide on a rocker switch (like the original one) use the biggest one you can find. I'd put your switch box on the right side of the bike rather than the left, so if you do go over you can still reach either the ignition switch or the kill switch, depending on which side the bike's down on.

If you'll be riding at night you might want to include a high beam switch too, since you're already going to be extending wires and mounting a switch box... that's a simple "single pole dual throw" (SPDT) switch. They're hard to find so you'll probably end up using a "dual pole dual throw" (DPDT) one and just ignoring one of the poles. If you did this I'd use a toggle switch for the kill and a rocker switch for the lights, so you can feel the difference. You don't wanna go for high beam and kill the bike instead.

FYI, a "pole" in this respect is like an individual switch and a "throw" is how many "on" positions it has. A simple switch that connects two wires has a single "on" position and an "off". It will have two connectors. You can get a switch with two "on" positions - it will have 3 connectors, one common connector and two "on" connectors. These can also have a "centre off" (on/off/on) or just two "on" positions (on/on). A dual pole switch is like taking a second switch of the same sort and putting it beside the first switch, so you can turn on two separate things at the same time (for example, turning on an ignition coil and an electric fuel pump, through two separate fused supplies). So a DPDT switch will have 6 connectors, 2 central "commons" and a pair of "on" connectors for each "common". It may or may not also have a central "off" position. Confused yet? Here, I'll draw you a picture.

Thank you. sounds easy enough.

I was thinking of using something like these switches in a future project, not a bad price on ebay.

excellent explanation sandman!
blackbird- i also eliminated all wiring from my bars- i built a box under the seat (where the air box was)that holds all the electrical components (fuse box, igniter, relays, etc)- on the left side of the box i mounted the factory key switch, starter button, and horn button- i eliminated the kill switch altogether as the key(ignition) switch does the same thing(when in the off position)- i then mounted my hi/lo beam and turn signal switches in the headlight bucket- looking back i should have mounted the key switch on the right side of the bike so i could shut it off with my right hand instead of my clutch hand- basically i tore the whole wire harness apart eliminating everything unnecessary for a much cleaner look- all the switches i used came from the local ace hardware- hope this helps- keep choppin-

Hey hutch. Do you have Pics?

just posted some in members rides-

Very ambition project... I can sure appreciate wanting to clean up the bars, something I may tackle this winter. I'm not quite as ballsy as you though... I want to keep my horn, hi/low and kill switches all within finger's reach. But yours will look more old school, that's for sure!!

Sorry for the ignorance over here. But what is an internal throttle?

any updates blackbird?

I cant figure out the throttle. Having trouble so I'm waiting on my buddy to give me a hand. I'm hoping to have completed pics in aweek or so. I've been all over the net looking for help with this throttle. Seems me and Josh Kurpius may be the only ones running it. Nash hasn't returned my emails or phone calls. So much for customer service.

Darrin,

your private mail box is too full as I can't send you a PM.

Darrin:
Check out these microswitches. They might be what you are looking for. A guy on the Jockey Journal put them on some FU bars on an FX. I think they look pretty cool. I asked the guy for the source.
Here's the thread link:
http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=693323&posted=1#post693323

Here's the ebay link. I bought one for my America, might relocate my garage door opener to the dash. I could also use one (if they work well) as a kill switch for my chopper.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/12mm-Stai...sQ5fAccessories

Here's the link to the switch on Ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/12mm-Stai...emZ140507818701

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I can sure appreciate wanting to clean up the bars, something I may tackle this winter. I'm not quite as ballsy as you though

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My balls must look like peas in comparison then

I've been thinking about internalising my electrical wires for a couple of years now but besides having my bike off the road for a little while ( that's my main excuse anyway), my pea sized balls are really the culprits.

I'm working on growing them bigger so I can tackle the job though.

Good thread btw.