Hi all, I'm working on my K1100 which I bought with many parts missing and getting it back together gradually. The original clutch and front brake systems were either missing or badly damaged and the controls on both sides beyond reasonable repair. So it got interesting when I bought a Suzuki GSXR loom including levers and controls for a mere £20. All went well apart from having to buy a new 20mm master cylinder as the GSXR has only a 14mm piston. All of the electrical parts worked after I installed them except the flashers which won't turn off (which I expected as the Suzy item is latching and not momentary). Will I have to fit a Suzuki flasher unit and discard the BMW panel or can the BMW parts be modified for use? It does complicate things a little because the BMW switches to earth whereas the Suzuki switches the +12volts. I remember reading something on this from Dai but can't find it again.

https://www.k100-forum.com/t10150-wiring-in-non-bmw-handlebar-switches

It just got the major update I've been promising myself for a while, then conveniently forgetting about it

-Dai

Thank you Dia, that's a great write up and I'll need a bit of time to read through it all. Strangely enough, the indicator cancel wire simply is switched to earth to work. So, I put a 12 volt bulb in series ( to limit current draw) with one leg of the bulb to earth. Low and behold it works. It doesn't seem to affect the indicators when on and when switched off the indicators switch off correctly. Obviously the self cancel is now bypassed. I removed the bulb and connected the brown / white to earth and all works well. I'm just slightly concerned that I'm putting something under strain here but the first thing to do is read the Thread. Thanks again

The server with the pics is currently away with the fairies. I suspect it's down for maintenance as I can't access it from any direction. It'll be up again in a coupple of hours.

I reused all of the original control loom wires to try to maintain the ability to fault find using the colours as per the manual. Tricky little job resoldering all the switches but it's turned out ok. I have had to add another wire to the left hand plug and socket to take the R/H turn signal but there was a empty hole in the connector to do this. As a consequence ( apart from the self cancel function) new BMW controls could be plugged in at anytime in the future and work perfectly.

Nice going. There are too few people that are willing to mess with wiring looms despite the fact that it really isn't rocket science, just logical thinking.

I don't know which year your Suzuki switchgear is from, but back in the day my brother bought switchgear from a Suzuki GS1000 and put it on his MZ250, and I later put it on my 1977 MotoGuzzi California to replace the original Italian crappy plastic switchgear.

To get the same function as original, I had to solder some things inside the switchgear, but that was no problem, as all components were substantial.

I'm presuming that the loom came from a late 80's GSXR750 because I've seen similar items on eBay. There's very little doubt that the BMW switches were better quality than the Jap items but it all works fine. I took Dai's advice and drilled a 4.5mm hole in the handlebars on the right hand side to locate the control unit and stop the twist grip spinning round. Next step, new LED indicators and I've read all about it on these pages.

Actually, those plastic Japanese switches are... Italian! The majority of handlebar switches and twistgrips are made by Domino-Tomaselli. Take any two l/h or r/h switches and you'll find that although the switch caps and shells might be slightly different shapes, the guts of the switches are identical right down to the mounting points. The only other big manufacturer I can think of is Minda in India and they seem to be almost exclusively for Indian-made bikes. You can ignore Chinese switches because they're a knock-off of Domino-Tomaselli kit.

I did think there must be a big difference between Japanese made items (or Italian as you say) and the brand new controls on sale on eBay for £19 per pair ( probably from china). Why else would people ask 3 times as much for used OEM parts? The only current issue I have is that the throttle cable inner is 1/2" to short so throttle bodies don't fully close even with all adjustments made. The BMW clutch cable works fine with the Suzy lever but I did have to drill out the lever to take the slightly larger nipple. I used the Suzy cable adjuster because the BMW is a fine thread M10. I'm investigating the possibility of shortening the outer throttle cable by 1/2" but that will need care not to damage the inner.

Dai wrote:Actually, those plastic Japanese switches are... Italian! The majority of handlebar switches and twistgrips are made by Domino-Tomaselli. Take any two l/h or r/h switches and you'll find that although the switch caps and shells might be slightly different shapes, the guts of the switches are identical right down to the mounting points. The only other big manufacturer I can think of is Minda in India and they seem to be almost exclusively for Indian-made bikes. You can ignore Chinese switches because they're a knock-off of Domino-Tomaselli kit.

I seriously doubt that the Japanese used Italian parts in 1979, when my Suzuki GS1000 switchgear was made.

The original Italian handlebar switches were utter low-grade plastic crap, with tiny self-tapping screws holding the halves together. They were not even worthy to fit on a kids electric toy bike.

We used to call the Guzzi switches 'dolly mixtures' (look it up - it's a multicoloured sweet/candy). You're right about Eighties switchgear - if you take the top off it I'd guess it probably says Nippon inside it. It was in the Nineties that Domino-Tomaselli went for world domination. For years my preference for replacement switches was late-Seventies kit with the metal casings, before they disappeared into a black hole somewhere.

Glyn wrote:Thank you Dia, that's a great write up and I'll need a bit of time to read through it all. Strangely enough, the indicator cancel wire simply is switched to earth to work. So, I put a 12 volt bulb in series ( to limit current draw) with one leg of the bulb to earth. Low and behold it works. It doesn't seem to affect the indicators when on and when switched off the indicators switch off correctly. Obviously the self cancel is now bypassed. I removed the bulb and connected the brown / white to earth and all works well. I'm just slightly concerned that I'm putting something under strain here but the first thing to do is read the Thread. Thanks again

Looks like Dai's status has been elevated.

In the Land of Eccentrics 'Dia' is Irish for God! I knew it.

It's the same in Scots Gaelic too, Olaf.

Have a look for secondhand switches for a Piaggio Beverly scooter - the older ones are in good quality die cast alloy casings that polish up well. Internals are substantial and re-solderable. Like the late seventies stuff you're describing.

A slightly different view from the seat of a K1100. I can hear some of you groaning already. There's quite a lot of BMW bits missing from the front end.

I'm not critising because I've butchered my unfair share of bikes. Be aware that the chrome on those indicators is very poor and will almost certainly go rusty as soon as you breathe on them.

That's almost certainly true Dai, especially given the price. However, as I suffer from osteoarthritis in my neck it is unlikely that I'll be well enough to ride it in the dry let alone the wet. This bike was butchered when I bought it so I'm just playing about in the garage with whatever parts I can get my hands on. I've spent most of the day removing the ABS wiring from the loom. The big bits were taken off by a previous owner who then just taped over the cut wires and left them. I certainly needed the manual to see where the wires went. Loom all re-taped up and working now. The new 22mm front master cylinder does not have a brake switch and apparently one is not available. So I've bought a pressure switch that fits on the banjo bolt. I've yet to try it because I intend to fit new brake hoses before filling the system.

Osteoarthritis - lovely disease, eh? As I stated in the original post, it was painful for me to use the OEM BMW switches. About three months ago I was finally diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both thumbs and both wrists - no wonder reaching the BMW paddles was painful! Hindsight says I've had it for somewhere between ten and fifteen years.

UK MOT regs is a single working brake switch on one of two independent braking circuits. My preference is for hydraulic brake switches as over the years I've found them to be far more reliable than microswitches or plunger switches. They don't get crudded up with water and corrosion and when they eventually do stop working, as often as not punching the inside of the switch with a thin rod frees up the crap and gets them working again. If your switches are Made In China (they will be!) and have the ninety-degree boot on them, my advice is to cut the boot off, slide some heatshrink down each wire then slide a slightly wider piece over both wires to support the wires where they come out of the switch. That boot puts pressure on the wire exit and frequently breaks the wires.

Out of curiosity, where in Hampshire? I used to live round the corner from Fort Brockhurst in Gosport, but that was forty years ago when the fort was still covered in undergrowth and trees.

I, as always bow to your knowledge, it's almost as if you're watching over my shoulder. Yes, cheap Chinese pressure switch, 2nd one on order now as I managed to break a wire off the first just screwing it in. I'll use heatsink, I've got some various sizes round here somewhere. You lived in the far East of Hants, I live in the far West near Fordingbridge. While I think about it, is there anyway to check the speed sensor on the K? I've plugged in the cluster and everything works. If I switch on the ignition and spin the rear wheel, the needle fails to move. Does the engine have to be running? Sadly I no longer own a scope.

But you do have a soldering iron, yes? Pull the sensor out of the bevel drive and bring a plugged-in soldering iron close to it. 50Hz should give you an indicated speed of between 15-17mph.

Fordingbridge. I lived in Poole on the quay for seventeen years and have fond memories of Fordingbridge as a quiet sleepy town in the 1980s, not the sprawling monster it's become. We also had fun times wellying bikes up and down the A338 to Salisbury and back, which is something you definately can't do now. The last time I was back in that area was ten years ago heading for Bournemouth; I chose to do Salisbury - Bournemouth via Coombe Bissett and despite the extra miles, I'm pretty sure it was quicker than the direct route.

Great biking rd that Salisbury A352. Coombe bissett is not that far from my home in Damerham. I used to like the Cranborne to Wimbourne rd when I went to the VJMC Dorset meets on my ZZR1100. The reason I wanted to check the speed sensor is because I want to fit the Acewell digital unit and I see than many have had issues with the interface. As I got no reading on the OEM unit with the ignition on and spinning the wheel by hand I don't know which end ( if any) is faulty. Therefore, I might be chasing my tail if the Acewell doesn't work on the Speedo part. I could always fit the supplied sensor but that's too easy and slightly messy. I'm in a layby on the A338 as I wrote this.