Did switch placement change in 74?

The handlebar switch clusters on my 74 850 MKII are backward from the 72 wiring diagram and the 73 rider's manual. My blinkers are on the right side, along with the kill switch and (empty) start button.

I've owned the bike since new, and though I've changed handlebars which offers the opportunity to reverse those switches, would never had any reason to swap them. And I think that I would have noticed such a thing and swapped them back toot sweet (I'm anal about such things).

So, I'm wondering if the factory did that change sometime in 74, or if maybe I had one too many tokes one night while working in the garage. Not gonna change them after 40 years, just curious if anyone else has seen this.

Also, I seem to recall that the lower button (start) was red. The button broke and fell out long ago and I replaced it with a black one from a salvaged switch, but was the switch red or is my memory... umm... flawed?

The factory did change the sides for the switches, I changed my 74 to put the blinkers on the right but the previous owner must have changed them before as they now match the 850 MK2A handbook and the earlier 750/850 combined handbook (maybe this got edited, my copy is a new print from the 90's). The lower red is the kill switch, the spare black one on the top would have made the starter switch if they had introduced it earlier or kept using them on the MK3.

My 74 has the blinkies on the left hand and the beams on the right hand. Now of course I cannot
remember if I changed them from original or not. Also have a 73 Triumph and I wanted both
to be identical. Seems to me I may have found that operating the blinkie lever and the throttle
was too fiddly. Horn is on the throttle hand and I find it nearly impossible to use especially when
in a sticky situation when you need it most.
One the whole I find those cast Lucas switches to be hard to use and a bother to repair.

I bought my 74 roadster new in 74.The blinkers are on the right with the kill switch and spare button.High beam/Low beam paddle switch,horn,and high beam flash are on the left.

maylar said:

I'm wondering if the factory did that change sometime in 74

Click to expand...

Done during 1972.

SERVICE RELEASE
No. N3/3
.
Late 1972 Commando - all models.
.
As a direct result of users requests for right hand operation of the direction indicators, the decision has been taken to interchange the left and right hand switch clusters. To save changing wiring colour identification at 6 connectors, the functions of kill button and headlamp flasher and spare button and horn shown in illustration 2 of the Riders Manual are also reversed. New prints of the handbook will include this modified layout but where motorcycles have been despatched which are at variance to the handbook, the supplying dealer is requested to acquaint the new owner with the revised layout.
.
.
MAY 1972.

Click to expand...

Kool. Thanks. The only other Commandos I'm intimate with are my brother's 71 and a buddy's 72 Interstate. Both of those have switches on the opposite sides. It rather makes sense to have the kill switch on the throttle side and the horn on the left.

So, that red button was kill, eh? Mine became intermittent long ago and left me stranded, so I soldered a jumper across it and never looked back.

I took my kill switch out and replaced it with a rocker switch. At least now if you kill it ,it stays killed!