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Recommendations for a compact and reliable hidden kill switch

By CRF420X,
in General Dirt Bike Discussion

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CRF420X

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Its been my experience that small switches are not very reliable. I'm looking for recommendations for a small all weather switch that will not let me down. It needs to have a sturdy action, while being sealed from the elements. Everybody claims to have the best switches so its hard to say which brands are worthy. A marine grade switch from a brand that I thought was good (and will remain nameless) has not held up. Maybe its the vibes or something. I don't think it was heat. It was never hot when I flipped it even after some brutal rides. 

It's for a 2022 FX 350 dual sport conversion. I've also considered a key'd switch but I need to replace my faulty hidden switch first. 

image.png.672bf9972fd1ce82e0cc9016f8073c1d.png

 

 

 

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CRF420X

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14 hours ago, Doug. said:

Nice wagon.

Why not just get another OEM kill switch and mount it somewhere it won't get damaged? Or is it integrated into a map selector/traction control doo-dad?

What I have now is a simple switch to ground on the normal kill button circuit. It's hidden so its smaller then a typical bar mount switch. The one that failed looks like the pic below. It's currently flush mounted on a discreet section of the air box with the wiring hidden in the box. It just didn't hold up for some reason. I originally thought it was my wiring but the Ohm meter showed the switch failed internally. When the switch failed I could no longer short the ignition to ground so it becomes useless. At least you don't get stuck, I suppose.

image.png.1f8507a5dc42cd45492353053c2182d5.png

16 hours ago, gitenby said:

Due to the fact two men can throw that into the back of a truck in less than 30 seconds I'd chain to something and use a rotor alarm.

Otto mil grade switches are very good 

As for throwing it in the back of truck. I agree, you can't protect from that unless you use a cable/chain lock, but I know me. I'm far too lazy to break out a chain every time I walk into a convenience store or "cafe."  I will check out Otto switches, thanks for the lead.

 

 

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76xtdrvr

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Hard to believe a marine rated switch would fail. Maybe this was a rare bad one? Not a direct comparison, but there are thousands of dirt bikes with $10 Chinese aftermarket kill buttons on them that are exposed to everything and last forever. Where was the hot side of the switch wired? Maybe too much voltage blew it out.

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CRF420X

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2 hours ago, 76xtdrvr said:

Hard to believe a marine rated switch would fail. Maybe this was a rare bad one? Not a direct comparison, but there are thousands of dirt bikes with $10 Chinese aftermarket kill buttons on them that are exposed to everything and last forever. Where was the hot side of the switch wired? Maybe too much voltage blew it out.

I wasn't going to mention the manufacturer, but I think I bought a knock-off Perko. It's significantly different from the catalog and it came loose and unpackaged. I wasn't really looking to hard when I bought it. I was simply looking for the name. It's not like Perko is some premium brand, its more like the work horse. I'm surprised somebody took the time to fake it. 

Anyhow, while I was looking through the Perko catalog I found this other style switch (pic below) that I like even better. It doesn't really look like a switch which is attractive to me for this purpose.

BTW - One of the things I should have pursued further is that Perko switches usually have metal threads and nuts. Cheap knock offs like mine, are usually plastic. I always use silicone when installing panel switches like this on boats so its not like you have to crank them down, but I should have realized it wasn't legit. It's been a few years since I've done boat work. I assumed Perko got bought up and now they sell crap like so many other name brands. That is not the case. Perko is still a decent buy.

 

image.png.a9c603b6701000543b9d161caa7f675e.png

 

 

 

Edited by CRF420X
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Grand Master

The Agitator

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I added an inline fuel line on/off petcock and at the very least some one need to figure out it needs to be turned on to get the bike to run.

Otherwise you could try spicing an on/off switch into the kill switch. I actually replaced mine with this bar mount one for the indicators and no matter which way i turned it on, the bike would only start with it in the off position.

 

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nots0much

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On 9/27/2022 at 1:54 PM, CRF420X said:

I wasn't going to mention the manufacturer, but I think I bought a knock-off Perko. It's significantly different from the catalog and it came loose and unpackaged. I wasn't really looking to hard when I bought it. I was simply looking for the name. It's not like Perko is some premium brand, its more like the work horse. I'm surprised somebody took the time to fake it. 

Anyhow, while I was looking through the Perko catalog I found this other style switch (pic below) that I like even better. It doesn't really look like a switch which is attractive to me for this purpose.

BTW - One of the things I should have pursued further is that Perko switches usually have metal threads and nuts. Cheap knock offs like mine, are usually plastic. I always use silicone when installing panel switches like this on boats so its not like you have to crank them down, but I should have realized it wasn't legit. It's been a few years since I've done boat work. I assumed Perko got bought up and now they sell crap like so many other name brands. That is not the case. Perko is still a decent buy.

 

image.png.a9c603b6701000543b9d161caa7f675e.png

 

 

 

don't know about your application. but I have an eBay pack of those switches. 2 have been working fine for over a year as a light switch and as a fan switch.

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bweighmaster

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On 9/27/2022 at 1:46 PM, 76xtdrvr said:

Hard to believe a marine rated switch would fail. Maybe this was a rare bad one? Not a direct comparison, but there are thousands of dirt bikes with $10 Chinese aftermarket kill buttons on them that are exposed to everything and last forever. Where was the hot side of the switch wired? Maybe too much voltage blew it out.

No.

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