Kill switch

[shchuka]

So, some time about a month ago I started having some problem with the electrical.  It seems like a short somewhere, but no idea where.  Basically, when i'm riding, everything seems perfectly fine.  When it's parked - the battery would discharge very quickly.  I measure voltage when I get home - around 12.7V.  I measure voltage in the morning - 10.2V.  Clearly, this is abnormal.  Nothing changed in the bike over the last couple of month (electrical-related, that is - I changed front sprocket recently).  I spent a bit of time trying to track down the short - took out the wiring diagram and started going through it piece by piece.  Everything seems normal.  It could be one of the relays somewhere, but I didn't want to spend too much time or money on this.  I suppose, I could take it to a mechanic and let him poke around - but he'd charge me for at least 2-3 hours of labour and it's not a fact that he'd find the problem.

So I decided to simply isolate the battery - and put another anti-theft thingy in the process.  I installed a simple kill switch.  I spent about £3 on all the parts (around $4.50) and about 30 minutes putting things together.  I wish I thought about taking pictures earlier - but I didn't until I finish the install, so will have to do all the explanation in words.

I know, this is not a major mod - but very quick - and it does the job.

I bought this switch:


And these crimp connectors:


And dug out a couple pieces of wire like this one (just different colours):


First I though about splicing the small wire essentially between the positive battery terminal and the fuse holder and connecting the switch in there.  Then I realised that the crimp connectors I bought are exactly the same as the ones in the fuse holder, so I simply pulled that wire with the connector from the fuse holder and connected to the "pwr" connector on the switch - the red wire seen in the upper right corner of the image below.

I then took a piece of wire about a foot long (brown wire on the picture), attached two crimp connectors one to each end, inserted one end into the now-empty place in the fuse holder (I took the insulation off) - it fit perfectly - and attached the other end to the "acc" connector on the switch.

I put the fuse back in place and flicked the switch: the little blue tip lit up - so far so good.  I put the key in the ignition and turned it on - all the lights came up.  I flicked the switch - and all lights went out - good!

So now all that was left is another couple feet of wire (blue one in the picture) with one connector attached to the "gnd" connector on the switch and the other end to to one of the screws on the frame, that holds one of the relays in place.

Now for the most complicated piece: try to figure out where to stick the switch.  Ideally, I wanted it to be somewhere out of the view, but easily accessible from the outside - so that I wouldn't have to lift the seat up every time.  The ideal place seemed to be the small horizontal metal panel that serves as the bottom of the battery compartment.  It extends further sideways all the way to the bike frame.  The clear empty area between the battery compartment and the bike frame is about 3x3 inches.  I would need to drill a 12mm hole in the middle of it and then put the dolly of the switch through that hole and secure with the nut that came with it.  Then all I would have to do is put my hand uner the frame and flick the switch.

Unfortunately, this didn't work out as I planned, because, no matter how I tried, I just couldn't get the drill in there to drill that whole - and I didn't feel like removing the battery and taking the battery compartment apart (at least for now), because some of the bolts are rusted through. So I reverted to plan B - and put the switch under the seat. Right on the tank - slightly to the right.  Put some black gauffer tape over the whole contraption - and it works perfectly.



I have enough lengh of the wires to move the switch if I need to in the future.  And, as an added bonus, if somebody tries to hotwire it, it wouldn't work, as I always turn the switch off when parking.  Yes, I have to lift the seat up - but that doesn't take too much time or effort.

Problem sorted - cheap and cheerful.

[Twism86]

Nice work. Ive done similar setups with installing amps on my car.

[sledge]

Seems a bit of a PIA to me  

I would suspect the reg/rect, more specificaly failure of one of the diodes in there which in turn will cause an unwanted earth path.

Try disconnecting it when you leave the bike overnight and see what effect this has on the battery static voltage......... If it stays up you have found the problem.

[shchuka]

I know reg/rect is a bit faulty, as at very high RPMS (above 10K), the flashers blink much quicker.  I even bought a replacement reg/rect, but with the way the top box is installed, I can't get to the screws holding it in place.  I would need to remove the top box to take off the side panels comletely.

I will do the test though - just out ofcuriosity.