Hitchcocks Forum

Bullet 500 2011 EFI B5 model.

Have been having quite a lot of issues with the bike "cutting out", not starting and lights not coming on.
I have eventually pinned it down to the ignition switch. Once again the dubious electrics have done their thing.
If I "waggle" the key in the barrel I can induce or cure the fault. Weirdly sometimes the bike stops dead if I switch on the lights/use indicators/press horn/use brakes. It all seems linked to the ignition switch.

So, do I get a new switch and key and live with another key on the ring for the other locks on the bike, or is there a way round it? I haven't tried to dismantle the switch yet so don't know if it can be serviced. It must be the contacts not making a firm enough connection to each other if vibration can dislodge it?
The other question is: Are these switches inherently unreliable or have I been unlucky with this one.
I'm beginning to sort of understand why there are so many cheap used 500's on the market as a few of these annoying faults would soon put a less determined owner off.
I was wondering about bypassing the ignition switch altogether and replacing it with something like the good old? Lucas key switch that we used to use in our plant at work for years and they took immense amounts of abuse.

Somebody else is bound to have experienced this, I confess I haven't been able to find a thread on it yet.

Andy.

My woes and troubles are again useful to the EFI world!! I have had EXACTLY your issues on my EFI Electra. The switch is unreliable - this is my second. The first was replaced under warranty for another reason, but this one needs a 'shoogle' (Scottish for waggle). A while of this has led me to ralise that INSIDE the barrel, the contacts are poor. It isn't so much as a shoogle that makes contact, but rather the downward pressure suggesting barrel wear.




I live with mine, becuase I think the main ignition barrel comes as part of a 'lock set' for the whole bike? Incidentally, I stripped my ignition barrel completely last year when I had other electrical issues and noted that there are TWO redundant wires coming from it. These were removed and I re-soldered (very carefully) the main, damaged two. Things got marginally better, but there is still and issue with electical contact within the switch.




As for your lights killing everything - check your right hand switch module. Mine was badly corroded, with a lot of very damaged wiring all the way down to the headlight itself. The damage was due to overheating, with melted wiring etc. The fuses did NOT work well here! Ultimately, I replaced the RH switch module on the bars, replaced ALL the wiring to the headlight (and tailight loom - only 6 quid so worth it!) and had my relays all replaced. Autoelectrician said that the relays had melted created a high current draw through the subsidiary parts of the loom, which in turn melted the wiring where it was compacted (i.e. in the switches). So... check you headlight wiring and RH switch wiring! Then check your relays.




I thought about bypassing the switch altogether, not hard to do at all. But my bike sits outside all day at work, so thought better of it.




Hope it helps!

Yep! Poor quality Indian parts.

My 1993 500 classic is the same. Wiggle the switch and it works. I can live with it for the moment.

I think you must mean 'shoogle'?!

I've just had a similar problem with my Electra X. Turned the ignition switch on and nothing. By shoogling it, I could get an intermittent contact. New switch from our hosts in super quick time solved the problem. Living with the duplicate keys.

Parts for these are cheap but the problem is you go through so many parts at the end of the day if you add up all you spend and the time and trouble the dodgy parts cause they do become an expensive hobby

You say "shoogle", I say "wiggle"

right now I generally say "Oh Bugger not again"

to the second post............

the rh switch is ok I think. The fault seems to be entirely inside the ignition switch as wiggling it about can cause the lights to come on, along with the rest of the electrics. Its just sometimes switching an electrical load which may be brake light/horn/indicators/flasher etc etc can kill the motor but a quick "shuggle" of the ignition key restores motion. and said lights etc.
Its the switch I reckon. My feelings are to wire in a key switch somewhere else on the bike if I can't get an aftermarket one to fit in the nacelle

Andy

Just get a new switch and fit it, good chance it will work, just a pain that you end up with mixed keys but that is the way Enfield life is