Hey guys/gals,


I was riding down the road yesterday and people in a car told me that my brake light wasn't working. When I got home, I replaced the bulb with an extra I had from another light assembly I have. But, the brake light stays on all the time.


Does anyone have an ideas on why this would happen?

 

Check the switch in the brake lever perch/switch housing. It may have fallen out of place.

 

The front brakelight switch is broken , specifically , the tip on the small plunger which actuates the switch. I've seen this countless times , often when someone changes handlebars or messes with the handlebar controls.

In the factory service manual , there is a note and a picture showing how to prevent this , by using a small wedge placed between the brake lever and the master cylinder housing while doing work on the handlebars.

Fixing it means replacing the switch , requiring patience and some surgically precise soldering skills.

The switch is a bit on the expensive side.

 

Start here.. Run down the hydraulic line from the rear break and find the hydraulic switch in the line with the two wires. Pull one on the wires off. Does it go out? If so buy the hydraulic switch.. Autozone has a lifetime one.
If it does not, carefully put a piece of card board shim in behind front brake lever and pull the pin on the lever. If not done, that will shear the switch button off. Now push the little switch button in and out. If that fixes it, I still bet as old as bike is, switch is gone. Its a pain to solder one in and like the above post says, make sure you shim it correctly. Note mine is sheared off but the switch was also burnt. If you go into clamshell, note how all the wires lay. Protect all exposed paint, cut it short, one wrap of tape and shrink wrap over that. Shim correctly. It helps to have 4 hands and know how to draw solder and us a heat sink clip up near switch.. . .

 

I broke the tit on my last bike. thought the hd replacement was too spendy so I bought one from j&p for somewhere in the neighborhood of $23 shipped (shipping was damed expensive for this bugger).

but, while I was waiting, I took my lever off, drilled a small hole in the tang that contacts the switch and threaded in a small machine screw. the button head gave just enough height to fully depress the switch, allowing the brake lights to go out. being threaded, I had no worries that it would fall off, or have to be replaced. best part? $.10 fix.

 

Thanks for the quick replies!!! I will try and track it down later tonight.

 

Cheapest switch I ever found was on EBAY and branded CUSTOM CHROME, I believe. Still working after three years

 

OK, so I took the switch assembly apart. I located the brake switch and depressed and released the switch multiple times and the brake light still stays on.


I'm assuming its a bad switch and not a bad tab on the lever?

 

Wrong bulb, or bulb in upside down?

 

I grabbed a bulb from another Deluxe tail light I have.


I'm pretty sure its not installed upside down, But I will double check..