Broken turn-signal switch spring

[jestephens]

I cancel my blinker manually and religiously. It's a nervous 'tick' or something. ;) I've done it even before I lost the auto-cancel feature of the original blinker.
In fact just after finishing the project I submitted regarding an electronic blinker replacement, my signal switch broke! Worn out, the thumb lever became limp and lifeless, and ultimately useless.

"No problem," I thought to myself, "I'll order a new switch and be on my way!" You may have guessed, I found that the switch could not be bought alone but required the purchase of the entire left-side housing at a cost of $145. The problem then became a challenge.

Including a trip to the hardware store, I was able to fix the switch in under 2 hrs by replacing a spring ($0.29) and cleaning the contacts with a pencil eraser.

Maybe I'm the only one this has ever happened to, but I thought I would share this money-saving idea with others.

Disassembly
001: The left-side switch housing


002: Remove both screws clamping the housing to the handle bars


003: What you should see once inside the housing


004: Remove this screw


005: Remove the top copper plate


006: Once the copper plate is removed the spring is accessible. BE CAREFUL in removal of this spring. At the other end is a small ball! But don't fret too much, this ball can be replaced if lost.



Assembly
007: Push the new spring in place


008: Compress the spring while replacing the top copper plate


--Replace all screws to assemble--

Pictures 9-12 are measurements of the spring and ball components. You will notice, the spring I used to replace the original is not the exact same dimensions, yet works perfectly. A person could even buy a larger spring and cut it to length. That is what I did on my first attempt, but I cut it a hair too short resulting in barely enough tension to return the lever. Before I cut a new length, I found the spring I ultimately used. Also note, to [hopefully] avoid future spring failure by corrosion, I heavily coated my new spring with lithium grease, and likewise with my new chrome ball.