Xj650 - Left Hand Controls Compatability

Hello all,
I was recently in a minor accident and among the damages was my choke lever on my left hand control set. It still works but is now fiddly to use so my question is this: can I use left hand controls from other yamaha bikes that have integrated left hand choke levers, such as viragos and similiar XJ motorcycles

 

To be clear my turn signal switch has been broken for some time prior to this accident so the control set is not worth saving

 

You should be able to find an exact replacement - not super rare or anything.

What year? Maxim or Seca?

 

1982 maxim. I have seen several exact replacements, but I was wondering about compatibility because some other models have nicer switches or are easier for me to reach (broke my thumb last year and activating my turn signals is painful if they're too far now)

 

Oh, OK. I don't see why you *couldn't* make a similar control work (such as from an 85/86 Maxim), but I suppose it would come down to specifics of wiring and whatnot.

 

That is true. I can do that kind of wiring fairly easily (God knows hardly any of the plugs in my headlight bucket are attached to the original parts anymore) I was just wondering if there are known direct swaps. Thanks for the quick replies also btw

 

Does your maxim have the self cancelling indicators, mine doesn't? Most of the more upmarket, and modern Yamahas do. Will make life more difficult...

 

Many Yamaha control switches tend to "the same but different".....and those differences can be:

a) threaded boss (or not) on the lower shell for installing a choke cable knob (some models used manually controlled chokes, a knob or lever down on the carbs). On switches w/o the threaded boss for the screw that retains the rotary choke cable knob, there is basically no way to install that rotary knob.

b) wiring amount and/or wire colors and/or wiring length and/or the wire-end plastic end connector shells.....style/shape, wire arrangement, number of shells/wires.....some bikes had more functions on the left side control switch than others. Note that the control switch harness connects to a mating plug onthe main engine harness (somewhere under the fuel tank) rather than inside the headlight bucket.

c) going along with the above, some switches had more functions (flash-to-pass, etc.) on the switch, and thus more wires and of course different connecting shells and/or "re-arranged" wire placement into whatever shell(s) are there.


For example:

HCP458 OEM left side CONTROL SWITCH, brand new original unit features the horn push-button, the turn signal selector, the headlight hi-lo beam selector switch, and the choke swivel lever. Finished in the original low-gloss-black paint. Fits all XJ550 North American models, all XJ650 (except Turbo) North American models, 1981-83 XV750 Virago, and 1983 XV750 Virago Midnight Special models. See NOTE below regarding the wiring harness that comes with this control switch.
$ discontinued

NOTE: the wiring harness that comes with the HCP458 switch above does NOT come with the correct molded plastic harness terminal connectors.

It has the full complement of nine, correctly color-coded wires, but each wire is terminated with an individual male bullet connector....the two original plastic terminal connector "shells" are not included. The switch comes with matching female bullet connectors and their protective plastic sheaths, and it is intended that you cut your original main harness-side terminal connectors off, and then install the crimp-on female bullet terminals instead. We do not recommend doing this!....but, it is a “solution” Leaving your main wiring harness intact is an important issue, in our opinion, and so that will be our recommended optimal solution-----but doing so will take some extra effort on your part! (meaning: about 30 minutes of time, a wire cutter/stripper tool, and a proper open-barrel terminal crimping tool).

You actually have three options:

Method A: cut up your main harness, and use the female bullets supplied with this switch to terminate the wires on your main harness (after you---cringe---cut off your original main harness plastic connector blocks), or........

Method B: you could cut off your original switch plastic connector blocks---leaving some wire length coming off the connectors----and then crimp the female bullets to these lead wires to those terminals, and plug the male bullets into those newly added female bullets. This method re-uses your original (proper) connector shells and attaches them to this switch harness.

Method C: similar to the above method, you could cut off your original plastic connector blocks---leaving some wire length coming off the connector----and then use our HCP13045 insulated, solder-sleeve butt connectors to join the wires together, thus re-using your original (proper) connector shells and attaching them to this switch harness.

 

Thank you for this detailed reply. I did method c when I replaced my speedometer and tachometer that were nonfunctional (broken my heart to trash but they were beyond saving). I am familiar with the process of cutting the oem plug off on the female side of the connectors (which is usually the side that isn't part of the main harness, I dont cut that under any circumstances) and rewiring until everything works. Today I've purchased a control set from a 1983 XVZ12T which used the same female plugs. I'm hoping yamaha had the good sense to reuse the pin pattern to make my life easy but in the likely even that they didnt ill simply connect wires one by one (or more accurately in pairs) until everything works as intended. Im aware the XVZ12T was a 1 inch bar so I ordered a 50 mm, 7/8” to 1" shim to make it clamp properly. That control set has the same controls as my current one does, just nicer switches, and the choke cable adjuster lever on the underside of the housing which is the same location as mine. I'm confident I can make this work but im open and curious to hear your thoughts on this project

 

No its manual cancelation, definitely nothing fancy I've been inside to try and fix the turn signal connectors but alas no such luck

 

IF the only issue is that the wires on the XVZ12 switch are in the "wrong positions" on the connector shell (compared to what is on your main harness), then you can de-pin the terminals inside the connector shells and re-arrange them until everything is aligned. Note that the "de-pinning} process is much easier if the wires/shells are using flat blade ("spade" ) terminals in them rather than the more-common (on control switches) "round-pin" terminals.....those can be challenging to de-pin.

Of course, if the connector shell(s) are of a completely different style on the XVZ switch than what is on your main harness......IOW, if the shells won't mate up due to different size/shape, or, even if they are the same but they are reversed from what you have (meaning: your main harness has a female shell, and so does the control switch harness......) then you have to go to plan B/C/D etc. We have a variety of different style empty shells (and un-crimped terminals) if things need to be switched around.

Also, here is the wiring pinout / testing procedure for the original XJ650 Maxim (which is what I assume you're working on; if it's and XJ750 Maxim, all bets are of) that can also be used to check the XVZ switch for wiring compatability.......the same wire colors don't always control the same function:

NOTE: when there are 2 wire colors listed for a single position (wire).......such as: Yellow/red this means that the wire is YELLOW with a red tracer stripe.


Your original switch has 2 harnesses and is wired as follows:

a) a 3-place, T-shaped white male shell with female round-pin terminals, oriented as follows:

Looking at it from the back of the connector shell, where wires enter into the shell:

..................Yellow

Yellow/red .......... Green


b) a 6-place, trapezoidal white non-divided female connector shell (with an external a male latch "finger") with male round-pin terminals, 6 wires, oriented as follows:

Looking at it from the back of the connector shell, where the wires enter into the shell:

Dark Green..........Dark Brown ..........Dark Blue/black
Black ...................Brown/white.........Pink

NOTE: dark blue/black is for the headlight power feed!
NOTE: Yellow/red and Black complete both/either the right or left turn signal active
to the self-canceller.

Headlight Switch Circuit:
- when in lo-beam setting: dark blue w/black tracer to solid BRIGHT green wire
- when in hi-beam setting: dark blue w/black tracer to Solid Yellow wire

Horn Button Circuit:
- when button it NOT pushed in: no continutiy anywhere
- when button is pushed in: pink to black will buzz


Turn Signal Circuit:
- when left turn signal is selected, and until lever is pushed in at center: brown with white tracer to dark brown
When lever is in center and pushed in, continuity (buzz) stops.

- when right turn signal is selected, and until lever is pushed in at center: brown with white tracer to DARK green
When lever is in center and pushed in, continuity (buzz) stops.

- when either left or right signal is chose, and lever is fully pushed "over", yellow with red tracer to black.
As soon as lever moves away from "fully engaged" (full left or full right) position, continuity stops.


TESTING:
using an ohmeter with an audible sounder to indicate continuity:


HORN switch: Pink wire (6-place shell) to Black wire (6-place shell) will buzz when horn button depressed.

HI-BEAM LIGHT switch: Blue/black stripe wire (6-place shell) to Yellow (3-place shell) will buzz when switch
is in HI position.

LO-BEAM LIGHT switch: Blue/black stripe wire (6-place shell) to Bright Green (3-place shell) will buzz when
switch is in LO position.

LH turn signal switch: Brown/white stripe (6-place shell) to Dark Brown (6-place shell) will buzz when
switch is pushed over to LH position and released. NOTE: buzz will continue until switch is pressed straight
inwards after it returns to the centered position.

RH turn signal switch: Brown/white stripe (6-place shell) to Dark Green (6-place shell) will buzz when switch
is pushed over to RH position and released. NOTE: buzzing should continue until switch is pressed straight
inwards after it returns to the centered position.

Signal cancel function on turn signal switch: Yellow/red stripe (3-place shell) to Black (6-place shell) will buzz
when switch is operated to the LH or to the RH position (test both positions). Buzzing will stop when switch returns
to centered position.



Yikes, round-pin terminals everywhere! Tough to de-pin.......you'll be cursing and throwing things....[/b]

 

@chacal - the Po's maxim does not have self cancelling, button reset switch turn signals....
Or did I read his post wrong?

 

Not sure.....although almost all bikes of this era had the self-cancelling, mechanical switch mechanism. The self-cancelling system is sorta "silent" in that the user doesn't need to be aware of its presence for it to operate (AS LONG AS ALL THE COMPONENTS ARE THERE). The only thing that is needed to know in regards to self-cancelling is if you want to MANUALLY stop the cancelling (before the self-cancelling system does its job), you do so by pressing straight in (or, on some switches, straight down) while the lever arm is in the self-centered "midway" position.

And actually, if one were to read their owner's manual, you'll find that Yamaha says that you are always supposed to perform that task (pushing straight in or down, depending on the switch configuration) to either manually cancel flashing, or after the self-canceller has finished. The reason is that pushing the signal lever over to the right or the left.....to activate signalling....latches the switch contacts in their "signalling position", and even though the self-canceller system will electronically stop the signalling, the switch mechanism inside the control housing will still be mechanically locked into the left or right "signalling" position.....and which can only be properly released by pushing the lever arm straight in (or down......). Note that you CAN (will) also release the contacts by activating the lever arm to the left or right again....such as the next time you want to start signalling....but that "forces" the release of the previously latched slider switch in a manner that it isn't really "designed" to do......and doing so will shorten the life of the sliding switch contacts, etc. that operates the signalling function.

So....to insure that your turn signal slider switch will love you long time, always remember to either manually cancel signalling (by pushing straight in, or straight down) on the lever arm after it has returned to center and when signalling is finished.