250ES ignition switch on 250SX

[adam38654]

Since the 250sx ignition switch is discontinued the next best thing is the 250es switch which is still available. However it needs to be modded to work on the sx. What wires need to be swapped around?

[ps2fixer]

Wire colors all match up for both machines so just have to swap the old 3 pin connector from the sx to the es switch. The black/white wire didn't change, but if I recall correctly the 250es ignition switch wire is longer than the 250sx wire. Remember that when you're splicing wires, you NEED to seal the connection point, electrical tape does NOT seal, it only insulates. Recommend is adhesive heat shrink which has a glue inside to seal the splice, or the 3M butt connectors with the shrinkable tubing on it. If you don't crimp the wires together, solder them and be sure to use flux so no sharp spikes and such, it should be smooth when you're done, and you still need to seal it. Soldered wires can break off over time, the crimps are generally a better solution.


The other option is to use the ones I mod with all new parts linked below. I also sell one of the rubber caps separately since they are also discontinued but comes with the new switches from Honda.

250sx ignition switch: https://www.ebay.com/itm/201808638729

Key cap: https://www.ebay.com/itm/192097463375

[adam38654]

I ordered one of the cheap $12 ebay switches because this is not a full restore. It doesn't look like the rubber piece comes off of the key.

It is good that all of the colors will match but the person who had it before me installed some kind of universal keyed switch so I have to make sure they didn't hack the wiring harness up too much or I will have to install bullet connectors.

Right now the key will turn on the light and kill the starter but not the motor. I have to use the kill switch on the handle bar to kill the motor. If it weren't for the dash lights staying on I would just delete the ignition switch all together.

[ps2fixer]

That doesn't make sense .... dash lights and the electric start works off the same wire from the ignition switch. Sounds like some rigging up happened in the harness . The kill wire should be green (ground) and black/white. Off = they short together.

Good luck with the ebay switch, if you can link me, I'm trying to find a suitable aftermarket option since I know some people can't afford the expensive modded Honda switch. I'd rather buy a $12 switch, clean the contacts and make sure it's all good to go, and sell it for like $35 and know it's a solid replacement, than hope the 5% failure rate doesn't hit the buyers. (I've had defects as low as around 1% and as high as around 10% from my supplier). I've never seen a China switch that's the correct size for the 250es/sx dash.

[adam38654]

I don't think the kid knew what he was doing. He may have ran an extra power wire from the battery.

There are about 20 different sellers on Ebay for these 250es chinese ignition switches, most of them from california,but i ordered from this seller because they are closer to me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-ATC-B...72.m2749.l2649

The key is a little rough cut and feels kinda of chunky but a little powdered graphite should help that out. The switch itself seems pretty positive and sturdy. I haven't checked it for fitment yet. One guy said they have very strong ears and are hard to remove. I don't know if that will keep it from spinning.

[ps2fixer]

Looks like the small switch body to me, but hard to really tell the difference of 1in diameter vs 1.25in diameter. Most are 1in, like every china switch I've ever bought, so if you could measure the bottom half (where the wires come out) for how wide it is, it should be about 1in or 1 1/4in.

Pretty amazing... they have the right connectors photoed. There's a ton of clone listings for my KS101R switch (200ES big red) and basically all of them are the wrong switch, atleast the photos are the wrong switch.

If you want to fix the clunky feeling, take the switch apart and put dielectric grease in as a lube. Dielectric grease is plastic and rubber safe. I use a needle greaser when I work the switches I sell over and also lube the contacts. Also the connection on the swiches I get are unreliable, so I sand the contacts with 400 grit sand paper till it's shiny brass. FYI, the ones I get are like brass plated steel, under a thin brass layer it's a silver color. The old switches I used to get that where higher quality had solid copper contacts. Taking the switches apart is a royal pain, you might be able to cheat and just pack it full of the dielectric grease with a needle greaser though. I buy tubes of the stuff though.

I personally preferred the solid key caps (key molded right in the cover), but I haven't been able to find a source for them and not a reseller. These are built to a very low price point, but with some work they seem to work quite well. Throw 5 years at them and I really don't know if they'll hold up, the Honda ones I know will last 20+ years easily.

The mounting tabs aren't bad to work with, bit thicker than Honda, so stiffer but there's only 2 to deal with, the 250es/sx I think had 6. They don't do anything to hold the switch from spinning, they are purely to hold the switch from popping back out. There's a knotch in one spot of the switch to "clock" it to the dash, that's what keeps it from spinning. The 1in switches in a heavily worn dash will spin, while the OEM one won't because the OEM tab is thicker/larger. Besides that flaw, I haven't had complaints (sold over 1000 of these switches, should be pushing 2000 pretty soon, been making/modding them since around 2014).

Good luck on the fitment, if the switch body works, your only other issue is the garbage wiring China uses. Also the bullet terminals are silver colored, which I fear is the weird silver/chrome finish that gives horrible electric connection. If you have any issues or heat build up in the terminals with the lights on or unreliable at killing the engine, I'd say to sand that crap off down to the yellow brass which is a much better conductor. Terminals look like typical Chinese terminals, super thin brass. On the switches I mod from China, I replace all the wiring and connectors, 18 guage standard wiring is atleast twice as heavy as the china wiring (copper based, ignore the insulation, they put thick insulation on them to make it look bigger). I can get photos of my wire vs china wire vs stock if you want, I should have the cut offs from modding honda switches handy, and tons and tons of the china garbage wiring (like 40lbs of the stuff). Hopefully the scrape yard will give me #2 insulated rate again for it and not like Christmas light rate.

Dug up my OLD switches I used to use (better quality overall) and compared my current switch + old vs the listing. Looks like an exact match of the old switches I used to get which had better contacts in them, lock cylinder was metal etc. Photoed parts are defective ones (broken/cracked housing, bad contacts, rivet broken, etc. Casting marks and such match the old one + ebay one as well, the newer ones I use you can see the casting marks in the clips. Also the better switch I was mistaken on, 1 pair of terminals are copper while the other side is brass, either case I very rarely had connection problems. The other side is what the contacts look like before sending, shiny almost polished looking, but poor connection while the other better ones are rough almost looks machined. The contacts in the housing is heavier on the old one too, wider dome etc.

Left switch = what I currently mod/sell, right side is what I used to mod/sell (supplier I was using disappeared). Both of these are the wrong switch body size for your machine.