Firestorm Headlight switch
 

So my dad sparked a thought. The European VFR750s have an "Off" position on their headlight switch.

Does the Firestorm headlight switch have an "Off" position?

I can think of a couple of reasons why I would want/need an "Off" position.

I have an on/off switch for the headlights on my VTR Firestorm, the european model.

Looks like I need to hit Ebay UK or Aus and find one.

just remember the US inspectors may not like that (if that's wehre you live)

Good thought Sassage. I intend to do an HID in the near future, and after reading what Tweety, Anto and Hacknslash have posted on the subject, being able to turn off the headlight will improve the live of the light and the battery.

I agree with you there...just remember the local requirements if you get pulled over or if your state has inspections. most wouldn't know the difference if you just show that it works when the key is on (and your switch ;) ) but use it your way the rest of the time

Si Si... We have that switch... unfortunately it's prone to moisture build up... Once you get it, clean it with alcohol and fill it to the brim with vaseline..

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/_W0QQ_d...itch&_osacat=0

Unfortunately you guys aren't taking into consideration the life of the regulator/rectifier. The headlight is probably the largest constant load on the whole system. Our fragile R/R will have to work harder to dissipate more energy in the form of heat with the light off.

I don't really recommend this...but to each his own.

Well, the point about being able to turn it of isn't to keep it off for any period of time...

It's because the cyclic power pulses when hitting the starter is basicly killing the life of the bulb (a HID doesn't like to be interrupted when warming up...) Also during the initial start-up the HID uses oodles of power, combine that with a slightly morning cranky VTR on a cold morning and you get a dead bike as the load on the battery when running the starter and igniting the HID will prevent it from starting...

So you push the starter first, then switch the headlight on... I think the impact on the R/R is negligable in this case as the bike is at that point turning over on the starter which should be load enough...

Thanks for the link Tweety. I wished I had seen this earlier. Got a bid in for one on ebay UK for 9.99.

Greg, I understand what you are saying about the R/R. I do not want this to ride with the light off, but for the reasons Tweety stated. I WILL be doing a HID in the near future, and that's the reason for the switch.

Ah, gotcha. You know, my Yamaha XS750 has a neat little relay that keeps the headlight off until the motor is running. I think its power source is the alternator. Once the alternator kicks out enough juice the relay energizes and has a maintaining contact so that if the motor shuts off then the headlight still stays on (think running out of gas at night). May be possible to integrate something like that into the system. I have the XS wiring diagram in electronic form if you want to see how it's hooked up.

Hmm... That would actually be legal in the US then? Since you can't switch off the headlight manually...

And Yeah, I'd really like a look at that wiring to see how it's done... :) That's the beauty of this place... the combined wealth of knowledge is immense...

cool concept...I like that idea

Older Kawasaki ZX7Rs did the same thing; no lights until the engine is running. It was a function of the fuse box. A new implementation with a more robust design could work. Especially since it won't be part of the more-expensive-than-a-fuse box (I worked on one that had electrical problems and kept killing the circuit board inside).

You could tap the coil side of a SPDT relay onto the positive lead from the R/R and wire the ground for the head lamp circuit through the normally open side of the relay. As far as keeping the headlamp on after shutting off the engine using the kill switch, this is beyond my electrical knowledge. Maybe I can get the fuse box wiring diagram posted soon.

I came up with a solution for another guy who had an HID setup on his Hayabusa. He was having issues with his ballast not wanting to function properly during startup. Basically, he didn't have a light and would have to turn off the bike and try again.

I used a SPDT relay which would cut the ground for the ballast when he hit the starter button. His problems were over until he lost the ballast while doing 180mph on his way to Florida. I told him to keep an eye on it as where it was mounted wasn't good (previous owner installed the ballast on the flimsy cowl under the headlight), but it had stayed on the bike for a while already and he wasn't worried. The new one I mounted isn't going anywhere, even if you can find it!

Idea Coming! Can't export images from the service manual PDF.... argh!

Well wiring a relay to remain open after getting an initial signal to turn on isn't that hard... just use a little ingenuity and crosswire with a diode and the relay keeps itself open with the power it is passing...

No power anywhere and the relay is open, power the coil and it stays on regardless of the power to the coil... Cut the power it's passing, ignition, not kill switch, and it opens...

Getting it to stay off until the engine is running would be "easy" with a zener diode... unless it gets say 14V it won't turn on... and a add a monostable flipflop with a capacitor to delay it a couple of seconds after startup...

But that's just general ideas... looking at the shematics of the other stuff would be helpful...

What about something like this:

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...8&d=1228335850

Well... yes and no... This cures the problem with the ballast going completely bonkers from the starter... But not the diminshed bulb life from an interrupted warm-up...

The starter relay cuts power to the HID and all is well that far... But the HID will still come on the first time you let go of the starter button regardless of the engine running or not as there probably is enough current to keep the relay (rel4) closed... And turn of when you push the starter agian if it didn't start the first time, then on again... The warm up will still be interrupted and the bulbs lifetime will still be affected... that is unless the bike always fire on the first attempt, something I rarely get 70% of the year... Probably different in sunny california... but...

It will still be on once you hit the kill switch... Just can't turn it on unless starting the engine... So yeah it solves a whole lot of the problems...

I'd still like a delay on the HID relay though... I'll let it rattle around in my noggin a while and see what happens...

I'm just going for the basics as that is what I know for now. I'll do more reading tonight.

Any tips/knowledge you can pass along would be appreciated as I have been meaning to learn more about circuit design and layout for quite a while.

How about some sort of delay before the ground makes connection in the event the engine doesn't start. Just a few seconds to allow the start button to be pressed again before the ballast can fire off the bulbs. Otherwise, I could just start drawing relays all over the place to form some sort of logic circuit. Just imagine all the clicking!!! :p

How about a simple time delay relay off of the switch that is already on the bike. I have adjustable ones at work that have a switch on the for manual over ride. You can set them from 1min to 10min

Hm... the delay is till bothering me... But the solution is soo good anyway that I'll probably start looking for a US spec switch so I can have automatic lights...:D

Yeah, yeah... I'm lazy... :rolleyes: :lol:

Well... I'm not that good... :D I just do it for a living...;) Altough I usually never see anything above 5V in my work projects... :) Just logic chips...

Well, relays are mechanical... And they fail... Plus they are expensive if they are sealed... Most cheapo ones only have a plastic hood that is rarely even glued on... just clip-on... I tend to dislike any risk of water and current mixing...

Well.. same reason as above... And also it's probably a bit annoying to have to wait one minute before the light come on... especially as the HID will then need a few seconds to reach full output...

I'm pondering a flipflop solution... Gimme a couple of minutes and I'll probably get it right... This is basics since school... Haven't done this in ages...

True, most of the widely available and easiest to acquire relays are pretty cheap. On that Hayabusa, I used a pretty nice miniature one that I believe was sealed. At least it wasn't as cheap or cheaply constructed as the others. I'll get the specs on it later tonight when i'm done woking on my little brother' car.

Do you have any ideas that would work if this were a 5V problem? From there it's would be easier to upscale the parts for 12V and higher current. What'cha think?

You posted before I finally hit submit (need to hit refresh more often). I wasn't thinking about a long delay, just five seconds or so should be enough. I'll just stick to kindergarten style EE and wait to see what you come up with.

UPDATE! Finally got the switch, after some shipping probs.

Very cool. Couldn't tell from the picture on Ebay that it has a passing light switch. Excited about that.

When it warms up a little, I'll install it. I'm hoping it's plug and play for my bike.

post some pics up

Lol...:) I could have told you that...:) Now get it cleaned and fill it up with vaseline inside before mounting... the downside of the europaen style switch is that it's prone to stick after a little water gets in there... Ie stuck on highbeam... not so funny when you have a very bright HID...:)

ok, my problem is that i turn the key light is on, hit the start button and it cuts out. wont relight. it just wont work hi or low beam! help?

Well, my video camera is broken, how do I fix that?

You should be able to answer that, given the amount of info I gave you, right?

So, either tell me how to fix my camera, or tell me enough to even begin helping you... Stock parts? Swapped to a Firestorm (EU spec) switch? HID?

stock US parts & standard bulb. when I switch hi/low beam no change on panel indicator.