where to start?

[catch2otwo]

there is a little latch at the front of the cap cap (12 o'clock position as viewed from the seat) if I recall correctly. You might be able to push something in between the tank and the cap to get it to open but I'm not sure.

ill look at it closer tonight. if i end up beating the shit out of it to get it off, it wont matter, i can get another one for cheap. theres plent of ex's being parted.

[Sheppo]

ill look at it closer tonight. if i end up beating the shit out of it to get it off, it wont matter, i can get another one for cheap. theres plent of ex's being parted.

You should be able to pop it with out too much damage.. then drill the tumblers out so you can open it with a screwdriver.

[CEO]

Take the whole gas tank to a locksmith. Bring proof that the bike it yours. It will take him 5 minutes and he'll probably do it quite cheap since he won't have to drive anywhere.

[Sheppo]

Take the whole gas tank to a locksmith. Bring proof that the bike it yours. It will take him 5 minutes and he'll probably do it quite cheap since he won't have to drive anywhere.

My thoughts is there should not be a key on a race vehicle... lose it and your F'd ( like now )

[CEO]

yeah i'm going to be taking off my ignition and gas cap lock

[Sheppo]

yeah i'm going to be taking off my ignition and gas cap lock

I liked that idea of the killswitch instead of a key.

my racecar had toggle switches

[FTMS]

Replacing starter brushes isn't a big deal. They just require some patience putting the armeture back in. Pay close attenion to the orientaion of the starter brush plate. There are notches for alignment. Get a set of dentist picks to help hold the brushed out of the way when you slide the armeture back in. This is a real pain in the ass or you get it first try. Most brush kit run about $35-$40.

[catch2otwo]

its not that i didnt get a key or dont want an ignition thing. when i got the bike the key was broken off in the ignition and wasnt given any spares. no big deal. got the gas cap off last night via screw driver. tank looks a bit rusty but i guess nothing out of the ordinary for being over 10 yrs old. also pulled the ignition off. next step will be to wire the ignition into the kill switch by the idea mentioned above.

took a quick glance at the ignition last night, theres definately more then three wires on the back side. hopefully that manual has a wiring diagram.

[OreoGaborio]

there is a little latch at the front of the cap (12 o'clock position as viewed from the seat) if I recall correctly. You might be able to push something in between the tank and the cap to get it to open but I'm not sure.

I'm fairly certain the latch won't budge unless the key is in the lock cylinder, allowing the cylinder to turn... Afaik there's only one way to open the cap w/o a key and that's with a screwdriver and hammer..... On the plus side, the latch will still open and latch normally after you do it, you just use a screw driver instead of the key.

[OreoGaborio]

The extra contacts on the bottom of the ignition are for the lights and prking light.... Can' remember which is which though. Shouldn't be too hard to figure it out though through trial and error.

[catch2otwo]

The extra contacts on the bottom of the ignition are for the lights and prking light.... Can' remember which is which though. Shouldn't be too hard to figure it out though through trial and error.

i figured thats wut they were for. time to break out the test light. god i hate electrical work

[Pittenger5]

PS. if you get to the point you wanna convert it to a 17" wheel I got a spare swingarm

[FTMS]

It looks like if you jump the yellow and white wires from the 6 pin connector from the key switch this should give you power to the stuff that you want and let you turn everything on and off with the kill switch.

[catch2otwo]

It looks like if you jump the yellow and white wires from the 6 pin connector from the key switch this should give you power to the stuff that you want and let you turn everything on and off with the kill switch.

so just connect the yellow and white wires coming from the key switch together and the kill switch will automatically act as the on off?


Pitt: what else is involved with a 17in wheel conversion besides the swingarm change. i imagine, you need a new rear brake mc, new wheels, new front end?

i tried using the ex500 forum and the people irritate me like nothing else. so ill be asking you ex experts for help from now on. thanks for all the info so far


update: got the gas tank off, emptied all the gas. tank insides are in alot better shape then i thought. cleaned the petcock. took the ignition, dash, and fairing stay off. going to need a gas cap. anyone got an extra i could buy?

[FTMS]

The key switch and the kill swith a wierd in series. Once the key switch has power it then goes to the kill switch.

The wiring diagram in the Clymer manual link, that is in this thread is what gave me the color combo. Wiring isn't that bad, it is just a pain in the ass.

[CEO]

The key switch and the kill swith a wierd in series. Once the key switch has power it then goes to the kill switch.

That's pretty much always the case, right? So you could just take the hot line coming into the key switch and connect it to the hot side of the killswitch after removing that wire, eliminating the connection in between, and move one wire back at the harness, yeah?

All the wiring is already run for you it seems

Maybe I'm missing something though.

[FTMS]

You got it. This will give you everything you need to run the bike.

You can run into problems with the saftey switch circut on some of the newer bikes. You may need to put that circut to ground or it will work fine if it is left undone. The other thing you can do is bypass it at the CDI.

[catch2otwo]

The key switch and the kill swith a wierd in series. Once the key switch has power it then goes to the kill switch.

The wiring diagram in the Clymer manual link, that is in this thread is what gave me the color combo. Wiring isn't that bad, it is just a pain in the ass.

i see it now that i have the manual. ill look at it tomorrow.

[Pittenger5]

For the 17 inch swap you need a new rear swingarm, new rear caliper and master, and a new front end, I think everything else bolts right up, I could be wrong though

[catch2otwo]

is the only reason to switch to a 17 inch wheel is for tire selection or is there a performance aspect im missing.

[Pittenger5]

Tire selection. The tires for a 16 inch wheel are VERY limited, and more touring oriented. Theres at least one guy who still races a 16 inch, but he's a slow novice, basically just out having fun. Anyone competitive is on 17s

[OreoGaborio]

Hehehe... The performance aspect IS the tire selection. Pirelli sport dragons or Dunlop GP501's (think that's what they were) are about a good of a 16 inch tire you're gonna find and they fall well short of the 17 inch tires that are on the market.

[catch2otwo]

gotcha. ill get everything up and running first and then worry about making the conversion.

[OreoGaborio]

werd. Good plan. Right now the 17 inch conversion is the least of your worries. Gwt it in top knotch condition first.

[catch2otwo]

k so here goes, ive done enough research and gathered enough info from you guys to at least get this thing started.

so heres what it starts out as. 88ex500 non running, sat for 2 yrs








11/23/08
pulled the tank off. drained old fuel. have new gas cap assembly coming in the mail. have ignition off, going to rewire to have kill switch assembly act as the on/off switch.

question:

1. will an automotive tachometer work? id like a small 2 3/4 tach from say autometer or the like instead of the whole dash. will these work? more pics to follow with progress.

2. to bypass the ignition. ive looked up the wiring schematic and a little lost. i have a brown wire (horn), white wire(regulator), yellow(goes to red/yellow wire on engine stop switch) , blue ( goes to blue/red on junction box), red (tail light), black/white(ties back into white wire), and orange/grn (turn signals). now someone said if you jump two wires to keep the kill switch "hot" then you will not need a key. exactly what wires am i jumping here?