good headlight mod for Special

xjwmx

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'81 Special. Make adjustments as required...

It dawned on me the only thing keeping the headlight on is a relay with an old not really sealed coil. You can keep it on all the time by soldering the wire on the left on the relay, bypassing the relay. The light comes on when you turn the key on, and the bike still starts fine, at least in warm weather.

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You can just stop there, or adding a switch will probably help with cold weather starting. This switch is all over ebay and comes in different colors.
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Cut the blue/yellow wire that comes from the left handlebar switch, and splice in an on/off switch. Tape the joints individually and then make it part of the left switch bundle with tape.

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The switch wire is thinner than the stock wiring. It's 22 AWG, good for at least 8 amps, and my headlight draws 4 - 5 amps. So good to go. Keep your headlight turned on even in daylight.

Something that will probably happen....if you still have your Reserve Lighting Unit, it will probably think the switch is a blown headlight and turn on the high beam through a sneaky back channel, which you don't want. I removed my RLU a long time ago, because I didn't know if it would turn the light off if it failed from old age. I'm hoping to quickly get on my high beam with my thumb if my low beam ever fails... To bypass the RLU, remove it and connect together the blue/yellow and the blue/black wires that went to it. Since you don't need the headlight failure light on the dash anymore, you can turn it into an alternator failure light -- just connect the green wire from that same connector to the red/white wire on the starter solenoid. Good to go.
 
Forgot to say I modified the switch just slightly. I checked the solder joints to the slugs in the switch then covered those joints with Amazing Goop to give them extra protection from vibration. Then slathered all the contacts and springs with dielectric grease.
 
nice mod xjwmx I'm all for simplicity Maybe we should make this a tips & mods thread
 
Nice modification - I just hate not having control over the headlight on my SH. There seem to be loads of switches available now for clipping to the handlebars. I am still looking for the perfect one to come along.
 
^I looked around a little bit for something like that. Nothing that turned up had push to cancel though, which I wanted to keep. I don't mind having one switch on the bike that looks modern :)
 
^I looked around a little bit for something like that. Nothing that turned up had push to cancel though, which I wanted to keep. I don't mind having one switch on the bike that looks modern :)

I really like the new switch. Its compact neat and practical , does no permanent damage and easily removed for originality sake if selling the bike.:)
Lets face it, most of us add some modern conveniences to the bars like a choke lever or voltmeter , GPS holder, cellfone holder, engine temp gauge etc
 
I agree with Peanut, the switch is compact and practical and easily removed at a later date if necessary. Perhaps I could fit something similar next to my voltmeter on the handle bars. Perhaps I could fit 2 to balance the appearance???

I must also explore the feasibility of removing the push to cancel option so will go back to the wiring diagram next week while on holiday. There is fine weather forecast this weekend but my MOT has run out - must do that also along with the car's.
 
I ditched that big old school relay altogether as it seemed to be burned out and I couldn't trigger it.
I did run the same exact switch you have for a while for the headlight also, but ended up wanting a factory look so i bought an old 78' housing and grafted the the light switch into mine.
 
Forgot this: In case anyone was wondering - You can use a standard cheap auto-store relay to function as the starter cut-off if you are so inclined. Mine was toast anyway and didn't need the light function. The auto-store one was small and cheap and hides well.
 
I see that this is an old post. But wanted to ask if there is other things that can be bypassed on the xs 650s? I have a 77d and would like to make mine as simple as it can be but still want to keep the headlight and blinkers.
 
There's not much added safety stuff on the '77 model. It didn't get all the added safety relays that the newer models had. About the only things it has you would want to eliminate are the RLU and a stop light checker. The little light checker is the simple 3 wire one and can simply be unplugged and removed. For the reserve lighting unit, see here .....

http://www.excess650.co.uk/tips & tricks.htm
 
I see that this is an old post. But wanted to ask if there is other things that can be bypassed on the xs 650s? I have a 77d and would like to make mine as simple as it can be but still want to keep the headlight and blinkers.
IF (big "if") your bike is an unmolested '77 you should have the headlight on/off switch at the right handlebar control.
 
If I'd known about the '77 switch I might have used that, but the one I used has been doing fine these five years. I remember finding a nice left side cluster that had on/off but no push to cancel.

wanted to ask if there is other things that can be bypassed on the xs 650s?
You could bypass the Off-Run-Off switch, although some would consider it a safety feature. It needs to have low resistance. Mine removed itself by disintegrating into pieces (another reason I might have used the '77 switch). I soldered the two wires together and in the hole I put a black knockout from an industrial lighting fixture that fits and looks like it belongs there.
 
There is no push-to-cancel on the right switch assembly (cancel what?). That's only on the turn signal button on the left switch.
 
cancel what?
Only the turn signal, unfortunately :) My '81 has turn signal with push to cancel on the left cluster. No headlight off switch on right or left. I found a left cluster with headlight off switch but it lacked push to cancel -- it was move back to center to cancel. If I'd known about the the headlight off switch on the '77 right cluster I might have used one of those because then I would have everything I wanted -- headlight off plus turn signal push to cancel. To clarify, or further confuse...
 
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