[_Paul_]

I wonder can anyone help please, I would like to be able to turn my lights on and off.

My 2017 Royal Enfield C5 is a Euro 3 model which has the lights turned  permanently on with no facility (light switch) to turn the lights on or off, could I use a readily available "switched" item to replace my none switched one to enable me to turn the lights off (and on).

Current switch:


Proposed replacement:


Has any one done this? if so is the wiring harness the same on both types of switch or will I have to hack the wiring harness about to achieve my aim?

Regards

Paul

[Guaire]

Have you opened the headlight nacelle? Look for the jumper cable between the head light leads going into the matching lead. Remove the 4 inch or so dongle and that’s done. Now you would have to get the on - off switch into the circuit.

[Rattlebattle]

I don't think your C5 is a 2017 Euro 3 model. It appears to have a carb (based on the picture which shows an ammeter, not the usual MIL/fuel gauge on the EFI models). My 2015 C5, which is a UK Euro 3 spec bike already has an on/off light switch. I assume therefore that you are not based in Europe, or at least the UK, where 2017 models are to Euro 4 spec (rear disc brake and ABS)? Guaire is probably right, but it might be different on your bike as I believe US versions came with the on/off switch cluster but had the switch disabled - not the same as not having the switch at all.

[_Paul_]

I don't think your C5 is a 2017 Euro 3 model. It appears to have a carb (based on the picture which shows an ammeter, not the usual MIL/fuel gauge on the EFI models). My 2015 C5, which is a UK Euro 3 spec bike already has an on/off light switch. I assume therefore that you are not based in Europe, or at least the UK, where 2017 models are to Euro 4 spec (rear disc brake and ABS)? Guaire is probably right, but it might be different on your bike as I believe US versions came with the on/off switch cluster but had the switch disabled - not the same as not having the switch at all.

Sorry there appears to be some confusion, that isn't my machine I just used a stock internet photo to depict the switch without the lighting part, well spotted though.

It looks like the change to the switch came in 2016 after your machine and before mine, I contacted "enfieldcounty" an Ebay vendor of the replacement switches and they confirm that "this switch will not help as the wiring is different" so it looks like I am stuffed, I do intend to take the headlight out to see if I can modify it without making an utter hash of it.

Regards

Paul

[Rattlebattle]

Oh, right, that explains that then. I have the same problem with my Triumph Thruxton. Unfortunately mine is one of the later air/oil cooled ones that has a canbus headlight, so it's no easy task to install a switch cluster from an earlier version without triggering a fault in the ECU. TBH I was surprised to find that my C5 had a switchable headlight when I first bought it. Every other new bike I've bought since the mid noughties has had a headlight that comes on with the ignition. Thanks for posting the pictures. I have put a carb on mine and want to replace the MIL with an ammeter. It looks to me  like I should try to get one of the ones like on your picture.

[Carlsberg Wordsworth]

Has this 'no light switch' business had an effect on battery loss at start up since it was introduced? I'll admit it doesn't bother me that much. apart from the blank space maybe.

@ Rattlebattle, just a thought without wanting to change the topic into something else, I was going to say wouldn't the fact that you kept the EFI generator make a difference to the ammeter readings?

Or am I talking rubbish lol?

[Rattlebattle]

If the regulator/rectifier is doing its job properly the ammeter readings should be the same. As for lights on permanently, if you fit a voltmeter like I have you’ll notice the difference in voltage with the engine at tickover and running at different speeds and with no lights, sidelights only, and main beam. If you want to add heated grips and other power-hungry equipment you’ll appreciate not having to power the main lights unnecessarily. Also, if you service your own bike and need to run diagnostic tests/ upload maps etc it’ll become irritating to have to have the lights on and draining the battery just because you need the ignition on. (Downloading a new map on my Triumph requires the fuse for the lights to be pulled first or you risk the download failing because the voltage drops too much - downloading needs a minimum voltage to be maintained). All-in-all I prefer to be the arbiter of when my lights go on. I’ve survived nearly 50 years on this basis. It’s about maintaining a safety bubble and being alert and in control, not lighting up.

[tooseevee]

I wonder can anyone help please, I would like to be able to turn my lights on and off.

My 2017 Royal Enfield C5 is a Euro 3 model which has the lights turned  permanently on with no facility (light switch) to turn the lights on or off, could I use a readily available "switched" item to replace my none switched one to enable me to turn the lights off (and on).

Has any one done this? if so is the wiring harness the same on both types of switch or will I have to hack the wiring harness about to achieve my aim?

Regards

Paul

              Paul: You do not need to replace the switch. Just reread what Guaire says in the first answer to you. All you need to do is go inside the nacelle behind the headlight and remove the jumper and you will have control of the headlight switch back. There was no "change to the switch" as you say. My 2008 AVL has the same switch. I removed the jumper in mine years ago.

               If you want I'll go see if my jumper is still in a box somewhere and take a picture of it for you.

[Rattlebattle]

So how does he turn the lights on or off if his bike doesn’t have a switch to do it with? I think he means that his 2016 bike has no switch, unlike yours which had a non-functional switch until you do the magic with the jumper lead. I hope that is clear.

[tooseevee]

So how does he turn the lights on or off if his bike doesn’t have a switch to do it with? I think he means that his 2016 bike has no switch, unlike yours which had a non-functional switch until you do the magic with the jumper lead. I hope that is clear.

 

             Ohferfuxsake I missed that. I'm usually a super careful reader     ................tip-toes away............. Fade to black.

[no bs]

does it have a highbeam switch?

[tooseevee]

           I am so confused now about this subject that I may seek therapy*; Does he or does he not HAVE a switchset?

           Paul: If you do not have a switchset at all, yes, the one you pictured should do it. I have the exact same thing on a shelf for the day I might need it.

            *No way 

            Let us know if you find a jumper or not.

[Arizoni]

I kinda doubt if the bike has a jumper in the headlight circuit if there is no Headlight/Parking/Off switch.  There is no need for one.

If the headlight has the standard three prong connection on it where it plugs into the wiring and a suitable place can be found to mount a off/on switch the wiring change would be easy to do.  The off/on switch has to be the type that stays either on or off.  A simple temporary push button switch like the one for starting the engine will not do the job.

The headlight's three connectors are High beam (blue wire), Low beam (green wire) and a common ground (amber, orange or black).

Cut the ground wire (amber, orange or black) just behind the headlight bulb connector and splice a length of wire to each of the two newly made ends.  Securely tape the joints to prevent a short or the new switch might be bypassed so the headlight would return to an always on condition.

Run these newly added lengths of wiring to the new off/on switch and attach them to it.
Mount the switch and your in business.
You will now have a switchable headlight ON or headlight OFF switch.

This change should not have any effect on the parking and tail lights.  They will continue to be in a "always on when the key is on" condition.

If the ECU is set up to show a warning if the headlight is not on, you may have to turn the headlight "on" when your starting the bike to keep the MIL from lighting.
I don't know why they would add a headlight test to the ECU but no telling what goes thru the minds of some designers. 

[_Paul_]

Thanks for the replys gents,

It does have a High/Low beam switch but that is all.

Something else is nagging at me, back in the mists of time I seem to remember my old 1975 CB125S Honda had a lighting switch which not only turned the lights on and off but same switch also had a set of additional contacts which connected extra windings in the alternator to provide more charging power when the lights were on, I wonder does the C5 have anything that sophisticated? if so I might end up fitting the switch only to find it overcharges and boils the battery dry 

Regards

Paul

[mattsz]

I wonder does the C5 have anything that sophisticated?

err, I mean... no it doesn't...

[Rattlebattle]

Sophisticated?? You are joking...Way back when British bikes first went to alternators and coil ignition they had crude Lucas ignition and charging systems that were unregulated. They (nearly) got round the resultant issue of over-charging the 6 volt battery by having a similar system to the one you describe i.e. additional windings on the alternator only came into play when the lights were on. This also enabled (in theory) the engine to be started with a flat battery via the emergency position. All this did was to use the extra windings to put more current directly to the ignition circuit. You were then supposed to switch over to the normal position when the engine was running, otherwise the battery would be over-charged. So, no even the C5 is more sophisticated than either your old Honda or the early Brit coil ignition bikes; at least it has a regulator/rectifier.....

[_Paul_]

Finally got to take out the headlight and have a look at the existing switch connector, the plug looks to be the same 9 pin item as the switched type but is only populated with 4 wires as opposed to the 8 wires in the switched variety.

Back to the drawing board.... for the moment

[hillntx]

If the receiving end of that connector has all 8 wires populated, you may be able to order an older switch housing with pigtail and have it plug in and give you what you need.  I would be surpised if the main harness is different among the various export bikes.  I would be more inclined to think the switch housing and its pigtail would be unique.

[ThreeLions]

Has anyone been able to figure out a way to do this?

I recently bought a 2019 RE Classic 500.  The previous owner had swapped out the handlebars for aftermarket and I wanted to go back to stock.  I got a quote for $130 for a bare bar from a US RE dealer.  I found a shop in Delhi that had the complete bar with all switches for $116 shipped.  No brainer!  And, I figured having a headlight switch would be an added bonus.

I installed it yesterday, but found that the wiring from the Indian switch has way more wires in it that the US version.  This makes sense as the Indian one has the headlight switch.  The connector is the same, it just has more wires in the various ports in the connector. I was hoping this would be plug and play with the wiring harness, but evidently not.

Any suggestions to make this work?

[axman88]

This won't help somebody who doesn't have a physical headlight switch, but for reference, here are a couple of pictures I took when I did the jumper delete on my 2012 C5:

I didn't map out the wiring, but you can see that one end of the jumper has more wires than the other.   What I assume is happening within the jumper, is that power is crossing over from harness to headlamp side, then being sent back through the jumper to the headlight switch.  Also being sent over this jumper is the circuit for the running lights.  By doing it this way, RE engineers could make a single harness for markets requiring all lights to come on with ignition, and those that didn't, very clever.

I also attached a section of a wiring diagram from a 2009 published UCE service manual.  Sorry about the pixelation, that's the resolution of the original PDF.  I'm guessing that the jumper would go between the halves of the 9 pin connector at the center of the image?

[Haggis]

Two bits of wire and one connector are all you need.
The origional yellow feed wire that goes to the high/low switch is removed from the connector block and is used to feed the new lights on/off switch. The switched power from the on/off switch then feeds into where you removed the first yellow.

[ThreeLions]

Thank you both for your responses.  And, I'm sorry to take so long to reply.  I know it is not particularly good etiquette to ask question and then disappear (especially with a first post to a forum). 

I think the jumper was used in the bikes around 2009 but is not any longer.  I will open up the headlamp housing this weekend and have a closer look at what wires are present.  That tip on the yellow wire is good, I'll have to follow up.

This is the US switch that was on my bike:



This is the Indian switch that I just installed with the new handlebars:



I will say that the fit and finish on the US parts seems better. 

I also installed an Indian 7" headlamp with visor as I think they look more "correct" to the vintage look of the bike.  I realize that this is totally subjective though.



And finally a shot of the whole bike (before I changed the parts):

[viczena]

You are right, the jumper is not used anymore I installed the electra switch instead of the new one and use the switch for external lights and hazard light.

[grey pegasus]

You may order a pre-2016 EFI RH light switch from Hitchkock.

https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-shop/Other-Electrical/20341

The newer switches have the same plug mounted, but not all wires are fitted. The wires you are interested in are missing at the newer switches, but can be easily refitted.

On Euro IV models in Europe the main light has to be activated when the ignition is switched on, so it is not legal to have a manual light switch. To be legal again you can fit a day riding light (DRL) additional to your light switch.  How to do the wiring and modify the light switch shown above you may see in the diagram below.  I did this mod and it perfectly works.  When switching on the ignition the DRL comes on. When you manually switch on the head light the DRL extinguishes. If you are outside Europe or if you do not like it you may omitt the DRL.

[tooseevee]

Thank you both for your responses.  And, I'm sorry to take so long to reply.  I know it is not particularly good etiquette to ask question and then disappear (especially with a first post to a forum). 

I think the jumper was used in the bikes around 2009 but is not any longer.  I will open up the headlamp housing this weekend and have a closer look at what wires are present.  That tip on the yellow wire is good, I'll have to follow up.

I will say that the fit and finish on the US parts seems better. 

           Disregard. I quoted the wrong post.

         

[tooseevee]

This won't help somebody who doesn't have a physical headlight switch, but for reference, here are a couple of pictures I took when I did the jumper delete on my 2012 C5:

           Your "inside the headlight housing" picture illustrates perfectly how much better the factory is doing with the wiring now after only 4 years. The wiring inside my 2008 Classic AVL was a rat's nest that I spent hours making right and bullet-proofing. Then I unwrapped and went through the whole loom from front to rear after removing yards and yards of sticky black vinyl electrical tape that it was wrapped with.

           Well done, Royal Enfield.