Light bar switch recommendations

[Tx Bohemian]

I have a Cobra lightbar (I think) on my '99 Standard that came with the bike.

The rocker type switch is on the light bracket on the right side close to the fork.
It's a kinda PITA to turn it on/off the way I use it.

Has anyone mounted a switch on the bars that can be operated without removing your hand off the bars?  Similar to the way the factory hi/lo switch is, or the horn, or kill switch.

I'm sure I could stick some kinda switch there for it but I'd rather it not look "bohemian rigged", if ya'll know what I mean!

[hubcapsc]

You might not want it to work this way, but it is double-easy to make
it so that your light bar lights come on when you hit high-beam.

Your light bar installation needs to use a relay anyhow, so make
the relay-trigger wire be the (blue?) wire that goes into your
headlight.

I did it without modifying the OEM wiring harness at all. The plug
into the headlight is such that you can just stick a blade-style
connector into the same slot where the blue wire already goes.

Been working great for years.

-Mike

[Gryphon Rider]

Kuryakyn 7803.  Works on brake or clutch reservoirs.  Each switch rated 10A.

[Gryphon]

Gryphon Rider has it right.  That's the setup I've used on this one, the one I totaled when I hit the deer, and on my wife's Shadow.  It's easy to install, looks great, works well.  That model  has indicators in the switch that light up to let you know you have the switch on.  I use mine for my light bar and my LED's.  Mines on the clutch side, wife uses hers on the brake side.

[sandy]

Are you wanting to operate the switch while riding? I have the Cobra light bar and turn it on before I ride and turn it off before turning off the key. The lights stay on all the time day or night.

[Kunkies]

Fair warning, pls check local laws.  In some states, driving lights AND high-beams burning simultaneously is a Bozo no no.

[BF]

Seriously?  So some states want you to be less visable?  Which states are these?

Most bikes I see with a light bar and riding with their headlight on low beam look as if the headlight is virtually off.  

Mine stays on hi beam day AND night.  I've never had anyone flash their brights at me suggesting my lights are too bright.  

btw.....as for switches, I have the Kury tri-switch also.  Love it, works great and looks even better. 

[Gryphon Rider]

Fair warning, pls check local laws.  In some states, driving lights AND high-beams burning simultaneously is a Bozo no no.

My two auxiliary lights are 4" H4 high/low headlights.  Power goes from battery to fuse to toggle switch then split to two relays which are controlled by the high and low beam wires to the main headlight.  They can be switched off by the toggle switch, but are usually on, being either high or low beam according to the main headlight.  (One of these years I'm going to change it to one relay switched by the high beam wire, with high on the NO contact and low on the NC contact.  That way if the headlight circuit fails, I'll have low beam aux. lights on.)

I run high beams in the daylight unless it's too dark to wear sunglasses, when I switch them to low beams.  I've never been warned about my three daytime high beam lights in my travels through four provinces and eleven states.  I'll take my chances and choose safety over maybe there maybe not regulations.

[John Schmidt]

Here's where I mounted my switch using a water proof toggle switch that has a rubber cap. The relay is mounted on a small metal tab under the left side cover in front of the overflow tank. As you can see, it's easy to reach and also easy to wire in place. Just used a small piece of SS I had in my stash, drilled two holes and mounted it all in a couple hours....including interruptions.  

[pago cruiser]

I've been using these for several years on different bikes.  5 years ago they were $20.  Now they're $35...

Prolly not much current capacity, but I always use them with a relay.  TPI Motorcycle Parts was my source, but last time I saw the price increase I found them at Bike Bandit as well.  BB was still... $35, but they also include a bit more cheapo wiring components.

BB version:



TPI Version:



Here's a pick of them on my GL1200:




While they are not listed as waterproof, after being caught in the rain multiple times annually for 5 years or so, none have yet failed.

NOTE: they are only sold for 7/8" bars.  But a little dremel work to open up the plastic sides and a slight tweaking of the rear bracket lets them fit 1" bars fine.  I had them on my HD (1" bars), but when I had 4 switches I went another route. 

[Chrisj CMA]

Are you wanting to operate the switch while riding? I have the Cobra light bar and turn it on before I ride and turn it off before turning off the key. The lights stay on all the time day or night.

I actually almost forgot there was a switch on the Cobra light bar.  Mine is just on always.  I never even think about that switch unless Im cleaning the bike so I don't accidentally turn it off and then forget about it.  Its been on for 12 years now and never burned anything out.  The good thing is, Whoever wired it left the starter button out of the loop, so it doesn't go off when you hit the starter.  I know its supposed to but I think that would cause the little starter switch more stress that way.  whatever its doing its been happily doing it since I bought the bike and now with the H3 bulbs I think (hope) the amp draw is much less than those hideous sealed beams it came with

[6tigo]

This is a perfect replacement.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039KZP4Y/ref=pe_309540_26725410_item_image

[MarkT]

Are you wanting to operate the switch while riding? I have the Cobra light bar and turn it on before I ride and turn it off before turning off the key. The lights stay on all the time day or night.

I actually almost forgot there was a switch on the Cobra light bar.  Mine is just on always.  I never even think about that switch unless Im cleaning the bike so I don't accidentally turn it off and then forget about it.  Its been on for 12 years now and never burned anything out.  The good thing is, Whoever wired it left the starter button out of the loop, so it doesn't go off when you hit the starter.  I know its supposed to but I think that would cause the little starter switch more stress that way.  whatever its doing its been happily doing it since I bought the bike and now with the H3 bulbs I think (hope) the amp draw is much less than those hideous sealed beams it came with

The following will let you select On-with-ignition, On-with-hi-beams, or off, while the spots will go off automatically when you hit the starter, or turn off the key. It also preserves your starter sw and hi-lo sw since only relay trigger power goes through them. You won't need to access the switch frequently so putting it in the left plastic gas tank gusset (just to the left of the triple tree) is a good spot - don't need a special sw for the handle bar.  This is how I wired both pairs of spots, each pair on their own 3-pos sw control.  So I usually have them selected, the crash bar spots on with ignition, with the aircraft landing light spots on with hi beam.  Daytime, when I hit the hi beam, the A/C lights melt their retinas while the 130w headlight also modulates.

Wire them using a relay and a 3-pos switch.  Run the blue-white wire in the headlight looms which is the feed to the hi-lo sw, to one end pole of the 3-pos sw.  This wire is triggered off when you hit the starter.  Use the blue wire (hi beam) to the other end of the sw.  Run the center pole to the trigger of the relay (86).  On the relay, run 85 to ground.  87 to the spots.  The power the relay switches on/off to the spots at terminal 30/51 from an inline fuse, from the battery (or from a power panel if you installed one).

I wired our Magna's extra 2 headlights (H4 bulbs and parking lights) with 4 relays and a diode - now the lights can be selected Hi, Lo, Follow-the-headlight hi/lo sw, or off-and-turn-on-parking-lights.  VERY versatile and HUGE light, wifey loves it.

Here it is with the spots off, but the parking lights on.  Note the H4 bulb:



The circuit: