peanut

XS650 enthusiast & inveterate tinkerer
Top Contributor
Messages
4,054
Reaction score
2,827
Points
263
Location
England
Thought the following images of the insides of my ignition switch might be helpful to anyone else thinking about replacing or overhauling a faulty switch. Its very straightforward .There are only 6x screws in the whole switch as most of it simply slots together.
xs650 ignition switch 1 .JPG


Ignition switch removed from XS650 1979 special ll
xs650 ignition switch 2.JPG


Unscrew and seperate the switch body from the base. Lots of oil in an unsucessful attempt to get the switch working
xs650 ignition switch 3.JPG


Pull the nylon steering lock cam off the switch shaft. Spiders nest has come all the way over the pond from Iowa!
xs650 ignition switch 4.JPG



The circular wired disk just lifts out. Note the locating slots
 
xs650 ignition switch 5.JPG


Flip the disk over to inspect the copper contacts. No wonder there was a voltage drop and intermittent operation. These will need a good clean !




xs650 ignition switch 6.JPG


Pull the switch contacts off the shaft and and the switch position plate lifts out.

xs650 ignition switch 7.JPG


Carefully undo the 2x screws and remove the switch shaft and limit plate

xs650 ignition switch 8.JPG


Seperate the switch shaft from the limit plate
 
Last edited:
xs650 ignition switch 9.JPG


Undo the two lock screws and dismantle the steering lock mechanism
xs650 ignition switch 10.JPG


Thoroughly clean all parts. Apply plenty of white grease and reassemble

xs650 ignition switch 11.JPG


Reassemble the switch shaft and contact plate Apply grease to all moving parts aoiding the electrical contacts

xs650 ignition switch 12.JPG


Ensure that all the electrical contacts are clean before replacing the contact disk
 
Last edited:
xs650 ignition switch 15.JPG


Replace the nylon cam in the steering lock mechanism . Screw the two parts of the switch together .

All that remains is to check the switch operation with a multimeter before replacing in the bike.

The switch now has a positive click at every key position just as it would have when new and there is now no voltage drop through the switch
 
Last edited:
How I wish i had some of that :D

I guess if the white lithium grease lasts another 36 years its gonna see me out
 
Hay Peanut !
I know this is an old thread But....... I am doing a switch overhaul because the fork lock doesn't work !
so I took it apart and it is exactly like yours My problem is Understanding how it is SUPPOSED TO WORK !
I think to get the forks locked you are supposed to Push in on the key-switch in the off position and turn the key.... BUT my key does not turn either way
when pushed in..... (is it supposed to ?)
Perhaps it is just turning the key to the left past the off position that is supposed to extend the pin.... but I don't know
I thought you had to push in on the key and turn the key to engage the locking pin but I do NOT know....
could you or anyone else shed some light on this for me Please ?
thank you very Much !
Bob.........
 
oh and Peanut you forgot the spring inside the switch that pushes on the contacts ! and indents ....<grin>
.....( well My switch has a spring in there anyway !) ( which I left out and it seams to work fine now!)
Bob......
 
Last edited:
bob on the later specials; key to left til it stops ie the normal off position, push in, release ie let key come back up, now it will turn left to engage the fork lock. yeah it's a bit arcane, took me a bit to figure out also. 'specially cause I didn't RTFM.
 
Thanks Gary ! I actually figured that out as it was the only way it would go together and have some semblance of working ! LOL
with everything lubed up good it's working but a bit stiff ...I suppose it should be ! LOL
I left that spring out as it made it very difficult getting the contraption back together as it was one of the screws that hold the fork lock portion on
stripped out anyway... so I jerry rigged it and got it to hold
now to put it back together again and Now I can lock the forks !!!!!!
all in all I guess Clean livin' and perseverance prevailed ! HAHAHAHHA!
the inside of that key switch is a myriad of channels and notches and it will go together about 3 different ways, but Only ONE way will everything work like it should ! LOL ... I even had the tumblers out ! ( had to put my glasses on for that ! )
i figured the contacts were dirty and needed cleaning anyway and they really were cruddy ! bound to help transfer power better now !
thanks Gary ! Much appreciated !
Bob..........
 
oh and Peanut you forgot the spring inside the switch that pushes on the contacts ! and indents ....<grin>
.....( well My switch has a spring in there anyway !) ( which I left out and it seams to work fine now!)
Bob......



I didn't forget the spring Bob , you can see it in image #3 . I didn't remove mine because ,like your switch, it wasn't the issue.
I wouldn't recommend removal of the spring because it is there for a purpose ... It is a struggle to get the thing back together , you need 3 hands but it can be done with patience.:)
 
Hi Peanut ! THANK YOU for the thread here ! Good show it's just what I needed !
yes I discovered that that Ornery spring is what pushes back on the tumbler when you push down ... release and then turn it left !
I don't think mine was broke I just didn't know how to operate the dumb thing ! Garys explanation confirmed that ! LOL
But seriously thank you for your hard work on making this thread !
......
Bob.......
 
and Yes I did see the spring after looking through the pictures 3 times and then i finally saw it on the shaft down deep....
KOOOL ! so I had it assembled all wrong that spring goes under the stop plate that will push the tumblers back up !
so I'll go tear it apart and put the spring back in there right !
Thanks Peanut ! your a life saver !!!!!!!
Bob...........
 
thanks Bob its always nice to get a bit of positive feedback :)

You need to be a smart octupus to put that switch back together again.
 
I've done one three times, so not that bad ;) I think I remember something about leaving the key inserted to keep the tumblers in place when removing the cylinder or something...

Voltage to the coil goes directly through this switch so it needs to be very clean if you expect a good spark. For a nominal 12 volts, if the coil is only about 2-3 ohms then just 2-3 ohms resistance from key switch crud would voltage divide you to just 6 volts at the coil...
 
gggGary ! I did I put the spring in there and put it all back together No problem it went together much easier with the SPRING in the right place
LOL
and now the push in of the key has a return like it should..... I guess they have a ball-point pen push to click on and push to click off type of system in there.... it's an ingenious over engineered piece but I can't help but wonder WHY...... HAHAHAHA!
......
XJWMX : sounds like a real good reason to keep those contacts clean in there.... and YES leave the key in there ! LOL
.....
Bob........
 
Do I even need a kill switch if I have a key switch ???y do u need both

Welcome Dave

no you don't in fact they can be a nuisance at times, I always use the ignition switch . I've lost count of the number of times I've accidentally knocked the kill switch to off and struggled to start my bike until I think of checking the kill switch.
 
Need is a strong word but handy as all get out now and then sure fits. Most of the ignitions get rather unhappy being left on with the engine not turning. Not rare to want a light on or check something electric without motor running. An XS never has a "shift to neutral when stopped issue"......
 
Back
Top