Boxerworks.com

Hello fellow Boxer People. This is my first post on this excellent forum. I am very new to Boxer-ness, having owned my R75/5 for only a couple of months. I just last week acquired a 1972 R60/5 that would seem to have spent much of it's life on the east coast (I live in Taos, NM) and thus picked up a bit of rust here and there during it's esteemed career.

Anyhey here's my situation: Yesterday, while putting around on the mesa near our house (rough, bumpy dirt roads) I noticed that the headlamp on/off function of the ignition switch was not working. Earlier that morning I had found the missing instrument cluster hold-down nut in the bottom of the headlamp bucket as the previous owner had prophesied, replaced it, then tightened both of them to where they started to feel tight. At that point, the horizontal piece of stamped metal that they tighten against was bowed up in the middle rather substantially, which caused me to go "hmm...." But I didn't see anything for it, as if the nuts were any looser, my road would make short work of them. Back off, then blue Locktite?
So off I went pottering about, then presently put the poor old thing down in a small, very shallow muddy spot that I thought I could ride across, thus finding out that these old beests do not like ANY mud at all! But, I dropped her quite slowly and gently in soft dirt. No harm done, I thought - until trying to start her again. The electric start would not even make the slightest sound upon depressing the button, and after many tries with a quite warm engine I was finally able to kick her to life. I noticed that the contact in the ignition switch had become quite touchy, only making contact if the key was turned just so and pushed down quite hard. I took the headlamp off to have a look, and noticed that the entire switch mechanism was somewhat rusty and a bit bent up. Later that evening after dark, I looked into the shop where all my bikes are kept and noticed that the tail light and small parking light in the headlamp were on and could not be turned off! I disconnected the battery and went back to the house scratching my head. This morning I tried to kick her to life, no go (she does seem to be rather cold-blooded anyway).
So my question - does the starter circuit route through there ? (guessing it must). So should I try to take the whole ignition switch out and rehab it somehow, or should I just try to find another one?
I can't even figure out how to to remove the darn thing, as whatever screws or bolts that hold it to the inside of the headlight bucket are imperceptible to my eyes. Heavy Sigh...

This one is slipping away down the list without a response. Welcome aboard, Mr Piper. I can't help much with your problem, having no SlashFive experience. However, it seems logical that the starter circuit is fed by that ignition switch. The nice thing is that you already have a known-good spare in your 750, and it should be simple enough to swap it in to see if that is the problem. Do you have a manual? If not, I recommend getting the Clymer one:

http://www.amazon.com/Bmw-R-Series-1970 ... 0892876247

It's also good to have the Haynes version simply for its colour electrical diagrams, but if the budget doesn't extend that far I'd be happy to scan the /5 diagram and send it to you. Just shoot me an email - click on the little envelope icon on upper right of this post, and I'll send the scan by return message. Good luck.

If the switch is the same as the /2 switch (they use the same "nail" as a key), then the switch is held in by bent tabs that go through slots in the headlamp bucket. In the best of situations, they can only be bent back a couple times before they break off. With it all rusted inside there, I would think it very unlikely that you can remove the switch without breaking them off.

Edit: I just checked Duane's site, and, yes, it is the same. Look here for info on the switch:
http://w6rec.com/duane/bmw/ignkeys/index.htm

By the way, that chrome cover part is still available. I see it in the Blue Moon catalog for about $23, and the ignitions switch assembly is $79.

That bracket that holds the headlight does get a bit bent: Pull the headlight off and look at the switch as you insert and remove the key. You should see the tab bent down to touch the horizontal brass strip in this next picture, which completes the circuit. To get better contact, you need to clean where they touch and /or bend the bottom piece up just a tad. Quick and dirty; spray some contact cleaner in there.

the " switch" is held in place with tabs bent

it has acouple springs in the works and yes the starter goes though it as a posting contact place

there is the main contact in front if the metel is not worn out you could adjuct for better contact

the main switch may be revived with a good contact spray but if you pull it out bewhere there is many springs and plates that alignment is key

Major Softie wrote:and the ignitions switch assembly is $79.

That must be an old catalog, they are $200 from MaxBMW now!

The switch in my /5 bucket had the same symptoms. I fiddled with the contacts and the spring until it no longer interested me. I now have a simple rocker switch from radio shack mounted in the seat lock hole which parallels the oem switch.

also a key switch can be adapted and used under the chrome and plastic slider

For counterpoint, can I throw something off the wall in as well? My 71/5 behaved just like that - no start switch nor click or anything (and the start protection relay had been fixed prior...) turned out, while I initially thought it had something to do with the key (nail in the headlight) It actually ended up a burned up being the contact in the ignition switch itself on the handlebar was worn down and burned up instead - for me the fiddling with the key was just a coincidence.

Please take it with a grain of salt and put it at the end of the list as it sounds like perhaps you truly have other issues surrounding your case, but I beat myself up going the wrong direction just out of coincidence since the bar switch was just a SUPER intermittent failure. Food for thought (PS I do not recommend working on the handlebar switch unless you are the most patient and fortunate person in the World and then, well good luck!) I think if I had t take either apart again I would remove their entire harness from the headlight sheel and do it on a workbench in a white lent-free towel (maybe with another one draped over my head so the flying stuff falls back to the work bench!)

If a person knows how to use a multimeter then the /5 headlight shell wiring is very easy to troubleshoot. For example, if something in the starter switch out on the handlebar is suspected, it is easy to jumper it out of the circuit for testing purposes.