[tsdavis54]

I'm needing to add a Tether kill switch to a 2016 Recon 250 ES for an upcoming race. My question is does anyone know if the circuit is normally open or normally closed on this model? I was going to try and locate the wires for the kill switch and test for continuity, but I can't seem to get the box apart and I don't want to pry on it to hard and have to replace it. any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[retro]

All of the Honda utility ATVs made since the mid-eighties have a battery-ignition system, so are normally closed by both the kill switch and the ignition switch. If you can plug a (normally closed) two-wire tether switch directly into the handlebars kill switch where they connect to the main harness, that would be the cleanest installation. Avoid all temptations to hack up on your existing wiring... solder plugs on your tether switch and plug it in.

Welcome to the forums!

 

[tsdavis54]

Thanks retro for the welcome, what I ended up doing was following the wires from the kill switch on the handle bars down to a connector under the gas tank, I found a wiring schematic and found that the Green/Black & White wires were the two for the kill switch. I checked continuity with the switch on and off. I then use two small strips of wire and ran one from the Green wire and one to the Black & White wire, I then started then engine and touched the two wires together and the engine stopped. I then ordered a normally open tether kill switch and attached it the same way, it works great.

 

[Melatv]

Thanks retro for the welcome, what I ended up doing was following the wires from the kill switch on the handle bars down to a connector under the gas tank, I found a wiring schematic and found that the Green/Black & White wires were the two for the kill switch. I checked continuity with the switch on and off. I then use two small strips of wire and ran one from the Green wire and one to the Black & White wire, I then started then engine and touched the two wires together and the engine stopped. I then ordered a normally open tether kill switch and attached it the same way, it works great.

Yes your bike is different from the 300 & 350 -- the kill switch on your bike pulls the the Bl/W wire to ground via the green wire to kill the engine. You have done it right by using the normally open sw -- good job.

 

[Rotaxrob]

Normally open and closed systems are defined in the running position. If its a closed system the two wires need to be connected to run, if its open system the wires need to be disconnected to run.