Rocker Switch

I have a 1999 1100rtp.

It has a rocker switch on the left handlebar that lets you turn off your headlight.

It has stopped functioning, unfortunately in the off position.

How do I replace it?

I pryed it up with a screwdriver about a 1/4 inch but was afraid to put any more pressure on it.

The bike has been civilianized and there are similar non functioning switch such as a horn switch. Can I somehow switch with a functioning switch.?

Thanks

RTPs all are over the board regarding the switches, based on the requirements of the police agency that originally bought it.

That said, if it's any kind of a standard BMW rocker switch, it must be removed from the rear, which means take apart the housing. Then it's pretty obvious.

Morning Sam

It has a rocker switch on the left handlebar that lets you turn off your headlight.--Correct, RT-P & European bikes have a headlight on/off switch. Are you talking about the headlight hi/low switch or the actual on/off switch?????

It has stopped functioning, unfortunately in the off position.--Common failure mode.

How do I replace it?

I pryed it up with a screwdriver about a 1/4 inch but was afraid to put any more pressure on it.--Good question, every time I work on the RT-P switch pods it is kind of a guessing game as they are not all the same. Can you post a picture of your switch pod? -- Look for a small screw in the cutout for the mirror stalk (from front facing rear) & look for small screw on bottom of switch housing (bottom facing up).

The bike has been civilianized and there are similar non functioning switch such as a horn switch. Can I somehow switch with a functioning switch.?--why not just by-pass (short) the switch & hook the switch input wire to the output wire? That should give you the equivalent of U.S. import bike with no headlight switch (headlight comes on with engine starting) --Again are you referring to the hi/low switch or the on/off switch?

Hi DR,

I wasn't the OP, but I read his post to say he has a ROCKER switch on the LEFT handlebar. I took that to mean it was not the more common slide switch on the RIGHT handlebar (the European Headlight Swtich), but one of those additional POD units the RTPs have (for sirens, lights, etc.).

Current European regs mean that an EU-market bike has no on/off headlamp switch. i.e. when you turn the key to start the bike, the lamp comes on and stays on.

Except that the clever bozos in Berlin arranged a load relief relay to stop the lamp coming on whilst the starter is drawing its shed-loads of current, to save the highly-stressed battery's blushes - and then the lamp comes on when the motor gets going.

Here we have to ride with a permanent dip-beam lamp, and of course there's a switch to put it into High Beam when you want to see further down the road. Correctly angled of course, to avoid dazzling on-coming traffic. It's a regulation which isn't all that bad of an idea, judging from some of the sleepy cagers one meets...

Average comment from her / him as they rush over to your prone body with you lying gasping on the ground with the bike gently spinning on its side on the asfalt:-

"Joder, señor, no te vi...." ( Never saw you, pal....)

PS - ¿ What does a 'No Entry' sign say to a Spanish motorist ?

Give way to oncoming traffic.....

Also - ¿ what does the 120 sign on the motorway mean to a Spanish driver ?

Height in meters above sea level....

I've had good success by spraying the contacts with Deoxit. The rocker switch must be removed from its housing to access the contacts. Some of my rocker switches have a hole in the bottom which conveniently fits the spray stem of Deoxit, so no further disassembly is needed. When I first purchased the R1100RT, the PO said "it takes a while for the heated grips to work." I pulled the rocker switch, sprayed it with Deoxit and all is well. In fact with the dash panel removed, I sprayed all the rocker switches for good measure. TLC as I would call it.

As previously mentioned, the Authoritioes bike's could be configured in many ways, switch wise.

But, there is also a "blackout switch" that the OP could be talking about that is originally meant to kill all lights for stealthy approach at night.

This is in addition to the headlight on/off switch normally on the right handlebar.

The blackout switch is a rocker on the left switchpod.