'86 VF1000R headlight circuit

Hiho-

In the process of finishing up my resto-mod . The handlebar switches/controls still work well but they're so oxidized and faded that I hate looking at them. Been lucky with previous bikes since virtually all that needed handlebar controls restored had raised or lowered labels and not sure how to approach it. These seem to have decals or have been silk screened. Has anyone been successful restoring them? My other option is to a third-party set I picked up from Ebay. They were labeled generically as "for Honda" but ARE, nevertheless, shaped exactly as the factory pieces and appear to have the same exact choke lever. They have additional conveniences of a headlight on/off switch and a 'flash to pass' switch but the wiring is different. I think I have the left hand control more or less figured out but the right side is a different story and the service manual I have is for an '85 1000r so the headlamp section of the wiring harness is different since
the '86 uses a relay. Am wondering if the '86 is diagrammed anywhere on the 'net? Maybe better off restoring mine if I can figure out how to go at it.

thanks in advance for any pointers-
bill

 

Looking good!

The headlight power that runs through the right switch is to shut it off during cranking to save the battery (you probably know that). I would expect it to be the same 85 to 86 as it should be the power before it gets to any relays. I think I have the 86 Service Manual though, I will check and maybe try and grab a scan or a high res pic.

The plastic on these switches is very porous which helps contribute to the fading. I've painted before after completely dis-assembling and it kept soaking up the paint but came out ok. Vaseline works pretty damn good but needs some re-applying after a while depending on what kind of weathering it gets.

Oh, throw a new radiator cap on. It's time and you don't need to spend $30+ for a good quality 1.1 bar (16 psi) cap. I just put a 7$ vented Stant (for systems that have res tanks) on the RC26 and it works perfect.

 

That would save my worthless bacon!! MUCH APPRECIATED!!

 

hmmm I had assumed this diagram was hanging out in various places around the 'net but maybe it isn't so not a great idea to be scanning and posting.
However, no worries...am poking away with the continuity tester and using my '85 wiring diagram. Making progress...only a couple wires left. These things seems to be arguably needlessly complex- they run extra wires thru the left side control for the purpose of shutting the running lights while the
turn signs are blinking. Nice touch I guess but wondering how much difference it really makes....

thanks again-

 

It turned out that there were a few real "inconveniences" getting these new controls cleanly installed on the bike. The wiring was doable BUT-each pigtail
needed to be extended by a couple feet, the connectors and terminals came thru with males and females exactly reversed, and some of
the pigtail wires needed to be crossed over to the other side of the bike. Doable but not topping the "fun mods" list. Still, I was prepared to do it. Since the original controls had to be removed anyhow, I decided, mostly out of curiosity, to smooth the oxidation with some 2000 grit paper then clean with
alcohol and try again with one of the 'back to black' type 'restorers'. It was late in the afternoon and I gooped the stuff on (in this case, Meguiar's "Ultimate Black") and let it sit over night. I headed back into the basement next morning and expected no change but was surprised to see the surface on both
controls, which had faded to a light gray, a few shades darker. I wiped the residue and applied another coat then later repeated. At this point, I've shoveled on 4 or 5 coats of the stuff. Each time, the controls become a shade darker and the orange labels (decals?), which luckily were completely intact, also seem to be renewed. Gonna coat them once more and declare the issue to be history.

 

I got busy working on the VF1000F yesterday and forgot to dig the SM out.

I replaced the left switch on my 85 1000R with another unit (not sure what model it was off but it was a brand new Honda item). It was not fun integrating it onto that bike. To make it even more fun, the switch I used has the headlight plug on it too.

Sounds like your good with your solution but let me know if you need any info.

Looking good.

 

Thanks, Cap'n. Yeah putting new controls on makes a huge difference. Have upgraded a few other bikes but spring is coming and these are passable now although it WOULD have been nice to have the light switch to save cranking power now and then. Was surprised how well the stuff worked. In truth,
the bike could probably use an entire new harness- checking the voltage at remote points sometimes displays a reading of around 11 volts and the coil
primaries are coming in between 3.4 and 3.8 ohm. Kinda high....

Hope the weekend is going great-
b