Changing the lower electrical part of the ignition keyswitch – Honda CX500

Broke your connector, or too corroded to be of use? Or perhaps you have an ignition switch for a later model Honda that blows your main fuse when you turn it to Park and want to make it work with your CX500? Read on for how to change it!

For those who are replacing like for like, ignore this disclaimer. For those changing it for a different model’s, this how-to will not apply to every combination of ignition switches so YMWV – heck, there may even be a chance that playing around with the electrics like this will damage something so if you can’t afford to break it and replace it yourself, just get rid of your non-working one and buy a new one. Don’t blame us if it all goes up in flames. For those who are game, take a look at your two switches:

Here's how to change the lower half of the ignition key switch on a Honda CX500 - useful for swapping a TI ignition switch into a CDI wiring loom.

The one on the left is the Honda original, the one on the right is one that blows the fuse. 6 pins left, 5 pins right. Let’s take a look at how to remove the section with the pins. There are several tabs, located in the same spots on both:

Here's how to change the lower half of the ignition key switch on a Honda CX500 - useful for swapping a TI ignition switch into a CDI wiring loom.

…and one on either side:

Here's how to change the lower half of the ignition key switch on a Honda CX500 - useful for swapping a TI ignition switch into a CDI wiring loom.

You can press these in with anything small and hard, like a small flathead screwdriver. Try not to use anything too small, though, as you will mark the plastic more with smaller, sharper objects. You will need to turn the key in the ignition to a certain point to be able to press them in easily – experiment with the available settings to find which one will work for your keyswitch. Once you have pressed the tabs in, the electrical part should come away easily:

Here's how to change the lower half of the ignition key switch on a Honda CX500 - useful for swapping a TI ignition switch into a CDI wiring loom.

New on left, old on right. In case you couldn’t tell. The underside of each keyswitch looks a little different, but the detents seem to be in the same places:

Here's how to change the lower half of the ignition key switch on a Honda CX500 - useful for swapping a TI ignition switch into a CDI wiring loom.

New:

Here's how to change the lower half of the ignition key switch on a Honda CX500 - useful for swapping a TI ignition switch into a CDI wiring loom.

Now, simply perform the reverse procedure – install the old electrical part into the new switch, being careful with the older and more brittle plastic:

Here's how to change the lower half of the ignition key switch on a Honda CX500 - useful for swapping a TI ignition switch into a CDI wiring loom.

Voila! Now go test it on your bike. Fingers crossed no more blown fuses!

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