Harley Ignition Switch Conversion

[2CoolWheels]

     :)Yes, it can be done. I've converted my EH switch housing and bracket to work with a Harley barrel-key type switch! It took some serious modification, but it works great.

[2CoolWheels]

    I wasn't sure if it would work at first, but since my cylinder had come apart and the tumblers were lost, I didn't have much choice. I had a home made butterfly knob glued to the cylinder which worked most of the time, but occasionally shut off going down the highway. I knew I had to try something.
     I had my local machine shop bore the center out of the EH housing to the same (or slightly larger) diameter as the Harley switch. He first had to make a plate to bolt to the housing, in order to center his mill in the housing. It cost me $30.
     Then I made a template so I could drill mounting holes for the switch in the EH bracket. The HD switch has four mounting holes, but only two can be used since you have to shave the other two down a bit to fit into the EH housing.  Then I drilled an additional hole for another screw to act as a support for the HD switch since it's only being held by two screws. I used spacers and washers to the switch to the correct height in relationship to the housing. Turned out better than I expected.

[franknsr]

Man, that is fantastic. I wish I had gone this route rather than using a sportster barrel lock. Looks great.
Now lets talk about that stator laying on the workbench....
EH part or did you find something that fit?

[2CoolWheels]

  The stator in the background is a dead one. I'm hanging on to it to see if I can find someone who can rewind it at a reasonable cost. If I can, I'll be sure to let everyone know.
  In the past, I did experiment a little with other stators (see post titled "Surrogate Stator"). I found that the stator from a 1990  Yamaha FZR600 was slightly narrower, but worked. I had to use slightly shorter screws to mount it, and it leaked where the wire harness came through the primary, despite much silicone sealer.
  I would not recommend it, except for a stop-gap or emergency, since it may not last long.

[franknsr]

Thanks for looking into that. I've always wanted to wander around the parts department at my local Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda dealer to see if I could match something up. Closest I've come is noticing that an 04-05 CBR 1000 RR stator looks the same and has the same kind of case grommet. No idea on the specs though.

[2CoolWheels]

Frankster,
  I looked at the CBR stator that you mentioned. It's even narrower than the Yamaha one I used. Without being able to take measurements, I sure wouldn't waste money or time trying that one.
  That being said, it's been my theory that our stator was not exclusive to our bikes. Many of the parts that were sourced from other vendors were used elsewhere in the motorcycle industry. I think there is a good chance we may find a stator that matches exactly. But that will take a lot of hunting to find, if indeed, it does exist.

[franknsr]

Challenge accepted. :-)

[Jumper]

STATORS??!! How many do you want?? Plenty of NEW STATORS are available.... Contact Jamie and Marty as they have plenty in stock...
Jumper

[Mad River MoCo]

Did the FXR ignition swap a few years back...mounted through the OEM housing, it looked stopgap...I saw Marty's post about looking for Deco housing and wanted to see if I could eliminate my ugly repair and make a slicker mod while freeing up a part for restoration...mounted $25 ignition from JP in my oil tank below the oil feed...works like a boss...slick neat and functional...

[wytfut]

Mike....
that looks fantastic....   I must really be old, I don't remember this post....
Nice Job
Bruce

[2CoolWheels]

LOL......Brother Bruce, unfortunately none of us are getting any YOUNGER!