Has anyone bypassed the center handlebar mounted headlight with a toggle switch. If so, what wire do I tap into. I love having this light, but if I'm carrying something on the front rack the glare from the light is very annoying! Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

The two wires in the circuit for the handlebar-mounted headlight are brown (source) and green (ground). Splice into the brown a few inches from the bulb and put your toggle switch in series where it can be used to make/break continuity on the source wire. This allows the center headlight to be turned "OFF" when the other two are "ON", but does not allow it to be "ON" when the other two are "OFF".

A two-position (ON/OFF) toggle switch is all that is needed for this application but some thought should be given to its current rating as well as its exposure to the elements.

Though the bulb consumes a little less than 4A (45W at 12V) when "ON", I would suggest a switch rated for at least 5A - and if you think you may want to replace the bulb with a higher wattage one in the future, I would get a heavier duty switch. A switch rated at 10A should suffice for up to a 100W bulb.

Since your ATV probably sees a lot of mud and water (as most do), a sealed switch is desirable for ensuring proper operation and increasing longevity. Switches for marine applications, brass-bodied switches, and rubber boots that fit over the switch lever should all be considered.

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Greg McKinney