“Euro” Switches for the LT, RT, and GS.

by Jeff Dean

By federal regulation, motorcycles sold in the United States have, for many years, been manufactured devoid of switches that allow a rider to turn his or her headlights on and off. The concept behind this rule is that motorcycles are more visible to other traffic if their headlights are turned on — a true fact. Therefore, because they could not rely on riders themselves to turn on their lights, the federal government's regulators decided that they should turn on all motorcycle headlights — permanently. ("Daylight Running Lights," or DRLs, on all cars likely will be next, even though ipso facto they will reduce the relative visibility of headlit motorcycles.)

Apparently it is not illegal for riders to retrofit their own bikes with such switches. Accordingly, BMW riders so inclined can decide, at additional cost, to install such nefarious switches on their personal motorcycles.

I choose to do this not so much out of political ire, but because there are times when I do not want my motorcycle's headlight illuminated. When I am working on my bike, riding on private property, or teaching an MSF Experienced RiderCourse I do not need the headlight turned on, and would like to turn it off in order to reduce electrical load. To achieve this with a post-1976 BMW motorcycle, one needs to order a "Euro" headlight switch.

The photo above, left, shows the "Euro" headlight switch on a BMW R1150RT. Finding the part number for this switch was the most difficult challenge in arranging to install it! That number is 61 31 7 650 772 (I took this number right off the BMW AG packaging in which the switch came). Because the wiring harness in the R1150RT has changed, installation of the switch is much easier than it was on the R1100RT — you no longer have to remove the side panels and gas tank. What was a 2½-hour job for a professional BMW mechanic on the R1100RT now takes just an hour for an R1150RT.

Caution: The 2002-2003 R1150RT Euro headlight switch does not fit on the 2004 model R1150RTs.

The photograph above, right, shows the "Euro" headlight switch, the large yellow switch, on a BMW R1100RT. Just above the engine cut-off switch is the BMW throttle-control thumb screw. A PIAA on/off switch is directly in front of this thumb screw.

The photograph above, left, shows the "Euro" headlight switch, the left-most switch, on a BMW K1200LT. The hard-to-find BMW part number for this switch is — 61 31 7 650 742.

The photograph above, right, shows the "Euro" headlight switch, right under the "ABS" button, on a BMW R1150GS, BMW part number 61 31 7 650 770. "Bob's" throttle lock is mounted to the right of the throttle. A PIAA on/off switch is above the gray ABS button.