The Hodaka Club Forum

I'm hopeless with electrical work
The plan is to wire a Dirt Squirt for road use.
At this point I'm not going with indicators unless I have to.
Hoping someone can advise me as this goes along.
So I have what I believe is an Ace main switch, a Road Toad harness and a kit lighting switch?
Main switch: Kit lighting switch:

So first up, it looks like the first click of the key provides ignition only from magneto, and second click gives ignition and lighting from battery?

Main difference I see to start with is the RT harness doesn't use the HL wire from the Ace main switch,so can I just ignore the green HL switch wire from the main switch?

It appears they both use the emergency toggle switch, so I guess that'll stay in play.

Glenn,
There are multiple posts concerning the wiring of various models and even some where people have a mixture of harnesses and components such as you have. You might try the "search" feature to see what you can find. Look for "wiring diagram" to start with. Any posts that you see from Rlkarren (Roger) is gold. There is also a great post from Pep (Laurie). These posts should help explain the ignition switch, the emergency switch and which components run on AC and which are DC.

If this does not yield the necessary information then I will do some searching too.

Also, there are wiring diagrams on the Strictly Hodaka web site under Technical Tips. You should find diagrams for that would show your Road Toad harness and also the Ace diagrams.

My first question to you is; does your headlamp bucket have a toggle switch on the lower backside? That is the switch known as the emergency switch. Early Ace's did not have it. Later models did. It switches the headlamp circuit from AC (normal operation) to DC (emergency) to run directly off of the battery in the event of a dead engine.
Dale

Thanks Dale, I'll do some searching first then and see what I can find..
Yes the light shell has a toggle switch, though it's a plastic one...Will get a decent metal one. Can't see why it's required if the key does the same thing.

Ah, but their function is not the same. Think of the ignition switch as off/day/night and the emergency switch as the choice of AC or DC to the headlamp when in the ignition is in the night operation. Pretty sure that I have that right...

Another point to be aware of is that the earlier models had the 3 position ignition switches and the later models (including Road Toads) only 2 positions. I can only assume that this was due to the change in the laws that required lights to always be on when the bike was in operation. So, connecting an Ace ignition switch to a Road Toad wiring harness is an additional challenge. It will work, but must be accounted for...

Here is a link to a post regarding mixing model switches, harnesses and lighting coils. It is good reading, but be warned, it will make your head hurt...
http://www.hodakaforum.com/viewtopic.ph ... ness#p1591

Glenn. Do you have the wiring diagrams for the Road Toad? If not they are available on the Strictly Hodaka home page or I can shoot you a picture from my owners manual with it. This way you can look at it to see what plugs into the main harness and what you can leave disconnected! Should help a lot! Let me know! ; D Victor

This is the one from the SH home page, but it's not as clear as an attachment.

Yes Ive downloaded the wiring diagrams, which is how I came to the conclusion I have a RT harness. lol
I also have a repro 3 position switch on the way..... Actually I thought it meant the off plus two more clicks, but perhaps not.

OK then! Go getter! ; D Victor

I have wired all systems together it can be done . it was not easy for me, age maybe? I then put a wiring diagram in the tool box. Heaven help whoever tries to repair. -----------clarence

Ok then, I'll have a beer then read that link through properly
Being a Dirt Squirt, I doubt it'll need the regulator then.

The purpose of the regulator is protect the headlamp. The OEM headlamps are quite rare these days. If you are planning to use an original 6vdc 35 watt headlamp, then a regulator is a must.

I saw this post earlier and wanted to comment, but Life and snow storms got in the way...

I want to study this problem a little more, but my initial thoughts are that it can be adapted to work, but as I kept thinking about it, I noticed a couple things that will get in the way.

You have a Road Toad Harness, and Ace100 Key Switch and an Ace Horn/Hi/Lo switch. Initially I thought it might be easiest to adapt the RT harness so that it functions the same as the Wombat. But then I remembered that you are putting it on a Dirt Squirt. You probably don't want the overhead of a wombat harness.

The thing that keeps creeping up in the back of my head is that we need to be absolutely sure you have a RT harness. The RT harness is VERY similar to the Wombat harness. As near as I can tell, after looking at the diagrams, the only real difference is that the yellow and green wires are switched in the 4-way connector that the key switch plugs into. Meaning, if you plug in the key switch to the harness using the 4-way connector, do the yellow and green wires match up or are they switched? Additionally, the presence of pink and gray wires will indicate it's either a RT or a 94A harness. But the 4-way plug test will still be the same to identify it correctly. After which I would want to see the pin locations on a bonafide RT harness 4-way connector to confirm.

The other option is get your hands on a Dirt squirt Lighting kit picture that illustrates the parts well and compare. I have a low level suspicion that have everything you need to do it this way. The parts you have seem to be the correct ones.

Anyway, those are a few thoughts I had.. but if you can verify your harness, it'll make it easier to recommend the adaptations.

$0.02

Roger

P.S. Hmm.. did the DS Light kits include a key switch? anyone?

Re-checking the harness I have, it has the light green for a Neutral switch....so must be from the Road Toad?

I'll tape off all the Pink and gray wires for now, just in case I'll require indicators when the time comes.

Main sticking point for me is the operation of the key switch and and wiring it for the toad harness

Remember that on a Toad, the switch was under the battery box, (see the black eared tab with 2 holes in the pic), so the ignition connection is a multi-wire plug! You will likely have to run wires under the tank to the switch inputs and either cut the plug off or get a similar connector. ; D Victor

viclioce wrote:Remember that on a Toad, the switch was under the battery box, (see the black eared tab with 2 holes in the pic), so the ignition connection is a multi-wire plug! You will likely have to run wires under the tank to the switch inputs and either cut the plug off or get a similar connector. ; D Victor

Yes, I realised that just after I made my dashboard I was looking at the 4-pin plug on the end of the harness (which was sold as an Ace loom?) and thought the it was for a headlight mounted main switch....I see now how it all works. So yes, I'll be re-routing those wires up to the dash now.