Motorcycle handlebar switches

[senpai71]

Motorcycle handlebar switches - solved!

Hey folks, really looking for help.

I'm looking for a 3-position handlebar switch that I can use for my headlight modulator, and I absolutely can't seem to find anything.

I have a Signal Dynamics modulator (https://www.signaldynamics.com/01015) on all 3 bikes. Great for visibility when highway riding and especially when splitting. It works great, and uses a sensor to calculate amount of ambient light (legal requirement) and I can highly recommend it, except for a couple of things:

1. It defaults to on when the bike starts, and the only way to turn it off is effectively to flash my high-beams for a second. So if I'm tooling round town and I'm stopped behind a car, either I leave the lights flashing in their rear-view mirror (which kinda feels like a dick move, and may just piss off the driver) or I flash my high-beams to turn the modulator off, and then the driver thinks I'm flashing at them for some reason.

2. Because it takes a couple of seconds for the sensor to calculate whether it's light enough to turn on the modulator, then if I'm riding somewhere with trees (so it goes from shade to light to shade to light and so on), then the modulator keeps turning on and off, which itself can piss off motorists in front. Better to have the modulator on the whole time.

So I'm looking to get a 3-position switch on the handlebars so I can have the following:

Off - no modulation
Position 1 - modulation based on sensor
Position 2 - modulation on permanently (sensor bypass)

I realize that having the modulator on without the sensor is ILLEGAL, but I'd only choose that option in scenario 2 above - I'm not an idiot.

Anyway, I found some 3-position switches which look fine on crappy Chinese online stores like Banggood and AliBaba (e.g. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32780797189.html) EXCEPT that they only have them for 7/8" bars. Plenty of simply on/off switches for 1" bars, but no 3-position switches.

Does anyone know anywhere I can find a switch just like that for a 1" bar? Or do I just buy a 2-pos 1" switch AND a 3-pos 7/8" switch and take them apart to swap the innards?

Apologies for the long, complex post about a trivial issue.

UPDATE: Maybe this works - https://www.amazon.com/Monrand-Motorcycle-Handlebar-Spotlight-Waterproof/dp/B08LDH6S21. Would still appreciate any feedback, though

 

[dravnx]

That's a pretty complicated switch for motorcycle gear as it will have to be a 2 pole 3 position Off-ON-ON or some combination. One pole will power the modulator in 2 positions and one pole to bypass the sensor, it that can even be done. You'll never find one.

 

[cheez]

Just use two single pole switches- one powers the modulator, the other bypasses the sensor. It'll want to be shown either power or ground by the sensor, so just link that to the second switch and introduce it beyond the sensor (between the sensor and the modulator.)

I have one of these on the VTX, it'd do the job and look classy too.
https://www.westendmotorsports.com/...er-cylinder-reservoir-covers-on-honda-models/

 

[senpai71]

OK, I got it working just fine!

Once I realized that all I cared about was the wiring to the light sensor itself (I don't need to touch the power wiring to the headlights or the modulator), I just cut one of those wires and attached via the 3-position switch I got from Amazon - see my first post - it works.

Below are the wiring diagram of the sensor - originally (on the left) it's just two wires to the sensor (which you mount so it gets some daylight) and that's it. To mount it, you have to do some jiggery-pokery with wires, but eventually, you can add a 3-pole switch. With the arrow in the center (Off) position, the sensor circuit is broken, so no modulation. In the top position (Position 1), the sensor circuit is not broken, so modulation depends on there being enough daylight for the sensor to close. In the bottom position (Position 2), the sensor is bypassed, so the modulator thinks it's closed (that is, it thinks that the sensor detects sufficient daylight) so the headlights are constantly modulated.

The switch is pretty unobtrusive mounted just inboard of the left mirror.

I have to do something about the crappy wiring job I did, and I would prefer a higher-quality waterproof switch, but it works, and that's all that matters

 

[jeffyjeff]

Hey that's a pretty clean install. Nice job.

 

[norcalAF]

This is the switch I picked up for my eventual fog light install:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00INLZW2O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

looks to be decent and they have a few different styles.