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DR650: off-switch for lights? DR650: off-switch for lights?
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  #1  
Old 18 Apr 2011
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DR650: off-switch for lights?
In the process of setting up my little Suzuki DR650 for the Africa Tour I installed a 12V socket last weekend. Calculating the max. Watts of things to connect to it I’m sure I’ll be fine. It will only be for some battery chargers and maybe a netbook. However, I was thinking about the advantages of having an off-switch for the lights and quite liked the idea. Not just for saving power but also to be able to switch the bike into stealth-mode. Without having the headlights on which can be seen for km. That would be a handy feature on the last few hundreds metres before deciding on a camping spot or when riding through some dodgy areas.
I am aware that in many countries the law requires to have the lights on whenever you’re riding. But it shouldn’t matter in Africa so much.
So I had a look around at the usual places on the web if there was any info about acquiring an off switch as some overseas models or older models of the DR might probably have. But couldn’t find any.
Do you guys know if such a switch is available somewhere or can you think of a way to make your own?
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Old 18 Apr 2011
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lights
Motorcycle Relay Kits, Parts, Powerlet, Centech, Posi-Lock, and More!

They make pretty good switch for many bike and also some great fuse panel.
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Old 18 Apr 2011
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My two pennys worth
For what its worth!

Have just spent a year touring europe and then crossing africa on 2 DR's with the missus, you made a good choice on the bike!

Fitting an on-off switch was something I had planned to do before we left but never got round to it and I can honestly say there has never been a time when it would have been useful, but that said it is a very cheap and easy thing to do, any waterproof/marine switch bought off ebay will work and all the wiring is nicely tucked away behind the head lamp making it nice and easy. An easy place to mount a switch would be in the recess at the back of the headlight cowl, above the light itself, nice and neat and easily accessible, the only problem being that you'd have to disconnect it whenever you remove the headlight cowl, but if you use bullet crimps and leave the wires about 20-30cms long it shouldn't be any hassle. This was how I was planning to do mine, almost everything is connected with bullet crimps on the loom there anyway.

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Old 19 Apr 2011
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Thanks Matt & HandiKaf,

I was thinking about just putting a switch into one of the cables to the front light too. It would be the easiest and cheapest for sure. The thing I dont like with this is that it only switches the front light off, not the rear light.

What I was hoping to get my hands on is an old or overseas model of a switch unit for the left handlebars. The current one can switch the lights between high beam and low beam. Apparently some overseas models of the DR650 have a different switch that can switch between high beam, low beam and off. But even if such a switch exists I'm not sure if it fits into the wiring of the Australian DR650.
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Old 19 Apr 2011
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Hi Marco,

You can try fitting one of these:

K&S Compact Motorcycle Multi-Switch - BikeBandit.com

I doubt its made specifically for the DR650 but im sure it could be adapted to fit.

I put a toggle switch on my DR650 for just the headlight, which was helpful, especially starting the bike in the morning at 4500 metres in Peru when it was bloody cold.
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Old 19 Apr 2011
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You could also ask Jim to make one or he may have one on his site, I don't have time to look through it but he is brilliant.

Motorcycle Relay Kits, Parts, Powerlet, Centech, Posi-Lock, and More!



More specifically, if you buy one of these it should fit your headlight, not sure about the rear

Suzuki VStrom Electrics



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Old 20 Apr 2011
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Cheers, you guys are awesome! The K&S Multi Switch is pretty much exactly was I was looking for.
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