* Mr Intruders Battery Saver Headlight Mod *

I have mentioned many times on here that I hate the way that the 2003+ UK bikes all seem to have no off switch for the headlight. Leaving the ignition on for only a short period will leave you with a huge power drain to the battery and a bike you can not start.
The answer to that is to bypass the way Mr Suzuki and all the other manufacturers have wired in the headlight with a simple switch. You could do this for both the headlight and the side light but I like to have some illumination out front so have decided for the time being at least, to only address the main beam.

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The first thing to do is to undo the 2 screws that hold the front part of the headlight in the bucket and gain access to the internal wiring. Now gently but firmly grip the plug with three wires attached to it in the center & pull. The only reason that you disconnect this is so that you have easier maneuverability when dealing with the wires.



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Next I cut the black and white wire earth wire, ready to attach extended wiring.



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Then I used heat shrink to join the wires to the new wiring that will lead to the on / off switch.



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Always best to check that what you have done is working at every point, so I did a quick test with the bear wires.

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Main beam off



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Main beam on



I will now run the new wires to where I have decided to mount the on / off switch. You could mount the switch anywhere on the bike but I decided I wanted it out of the way and opted for the right side cover. I will simply drill a hole and mount the switch approximatelly where I have indicated, on the underside, rear facing section of the cover.



This simple mod took 30 minutes in total from start to finish & I now know that I have finally got control of my lights.
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Good job Dave If you do the rear and side light ? will you use the same switch.

Good one davey boy, as usual well thought and and executed

Thanks guys

Sim, no I would not run them on the same switch because that would give me an all lights on or all lights off scenario. My main issue with the lighting is the huge power draw from the front main beam light, which I now have control over. If I decide I want more control than that & decide to include the side light and rear light as well, I will put in another switch. On a daily basis I like to have my lights on while riding & having just the side light on means that I have that but the draw is less from the moment I turn the key and to be honest if I was using only an on / off switch I would either forget to turn them off or forget to turn them on.
I could have bought a handle bar mounted dual chrome light switch but had 2 issues firstly, no room left on my bars to mount it but more so, I did not want to spend loads of cash on a fancy switch that in reality I would rather not see and won't get used that much one way or another anyway.
For the time being at least, I am happy that I have the ability to switch off the main beam & will only use the switch if I am riding in the dark to reactivate the main beam.

Good write up as usual Dave, certainly be doing this mod.

Good explanation Dave I do like the idea of having lights on during the day, but the small one one (running light) is enough in my opinion, It sometimes feels like I'm being forced to drive a Volvo because the headlight is permanently on, I know it's a safety feature, but you could have someone running 100 yards in front of you with a board displaying your whereabouts and certain people still wouldn't see you!. Good mod and one I'll be doing

Glad you like it guys, bit surprised that I have not read it being done elsewhere to be honest but someone has got to be first I suppose. Did this on all 3 of my DRZ's as having no kicker could lead to major issues if that battery failed on you do to constantly stalling miles from anywhere on a dirt track.
I had the camera flash on in both photos of the lights so it has dimmed the effect of the lights but the side light is actually illumined very well by the bucket and is enough I believe.

Dave What amp switch did you use. is 10 amp switch big enough good job with instructions

You only need a 5 amp switch for a 12v 55/60w light, so your 10 will be fine

Thanks. Working on moving headlight foreword to look better batwing. May go ahead. May do this while I got it apart.

Yep, had a flat battery on my k5 drz due to lights being on and the battery wasn't great to start with...nightmare to bump on own with full textiles on when the bike has a jacked rear and your only 5'7" with short legs lol.
Its always good to have control....simple but excellent mod..