A quick starting question......

[BPT]

Thanks.  I'll keep it in the files for reference but will have to keep in mind the differences you've pointed out.

[BPT]

"If I remember correctly you have to remove yellow dip switch lever first to get it apart.
You just pop it straight out to remove it."

I've been wondering about this myself.  I need to get mine apart but was having trouble figuring it out.  So if you pull the yellow switch lever straight out, it will just come off?  And then, from the back, you can take the black "cover" off and get to the internals?  I was trying to figure out how to get to  the insides but wasn't sure how that cover was supposed to come off stopped before I broke it.  So maybe it was the yellow switch lever holding keeping me from doing that?

[mrclubike]

I had the same issue when I took mine apart until I pulled the yellow lever out.
I think I was only able to clean the contacts and grease them.
One of the  contacts was recessed indicating it had been heating up at one point.
Hence the installation of the extra relay I added  
Be careful it has  a little ball bearing with a spring behind it.
But the hard part is putting it back together without launching that little ball out
Luckily  I had a little box of that size in my Bicycle parts stash.
I think i lost 3 of them before I got it back together.  8-)

[montmil]

Time to share counsel when working with little switches and such:

Component, tools and hands inside a large, transparent plastic bag. Anything escaping the bag will pass into another dimension or a parallel universe never to return.

Voice of experience talking here. [smiley=2cents.gif]

[jamestnewsonr65]

I tried to get the existing one apart but the yellow switch does not come off to get the internals out. I ordered a 2nd hand one from motor works which arrived today. Must be from either an earlier or later bike as the little switches are different in shape and the way they fix on to the mechanism.

Anyway the faulty switch was causing the issues I was having and all is back to normal and working with the new one installed.

[georgesgiralt]

James,
If you want to dismount these switches, you have to extract from outside the yellow lever for Low/High/pass beam BEFORE trying to open the assembly.
I agree with the big bag advce. I've bought a 200+ packed of ball bearing balls ..... instead of tearing the whole shed apart to find this little bugger and opened a cigarette lighter to get the stone spring ....
So ....

[mrclubike]

The yellow levers pulls straight out.
You may have to pull on it with a pair of pliers
It snaps around the little shaft inside the housing

[BPT]

Thanks for the tips.  I was looking on the net for some how-to's or photos to see what the insides looked like but had no luck.  And, yes, I am familiar with operating within the confines of a plastic bag (I'm also a fan of using a cardboard box lined with a towel for benchtop work, helps keep things from bouncing so much and catches them if they do).  I have sent things off into that parallel universe myself.  
Glad that I know about that ball bearing now, I was just expecting springs.
 So - if the ball bearing and whatnot come flying out, will it be obvious how they go back together?

[mrclubike]

Yes it it easy to  figure out were they go back but getting it there is the tricky part