Brake Light stuck on...

twizzle

twizzle

Devil may care...
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Help please, before i have to dismantle the whole bike!...

Problem is brake light stuck on.

Work so far.

Bulb checked and both filaments still working, although it is "stuck" in its holder and i am having trouble getting it out. (Could this be the issue?)

Front switch cleaned and "clicking" with WD40
Rear switch cleaned and "clicking" with WD 40
All "tabs" in proper place and pushing button in an "off" position.

to remove both switches seems a large task, as the footrest hanger has to come off and the cable disappears into the arsehole of the bike, the front switch is easier to get at, but the wire goes under the tank!.... so either way its a few hours of fannying around i reckon.....

is there an easier way of eliminating which switch maybe faulty?.... a simple little something to save me faffing about for hours???

Or could it be the stuck bulb???.....

Thanks for any help!
 
IIRC if you follow the rear brake pedal wire up the frame towards the RHS of the airbox under the seat it can be dissconected at a small connector.
 
Thanks Stu, ok the next problem..... the bulb has fused in the chrome plastic holder and although i have removed it the holder is too knackered for a new bulb....

anybody got one knocking about spare?
 
Thanks David , all clear there i'm afraid!..
 
tail light bulb holder sorted thanks to STUJW70..... lets see what happens next week when fitted!>....then back to testing the brake light switches i suspect!..

one job leads to many!...
 
Do you have servo brakes or not ? - makes a difference as the brake switches operate the opposite way to non servo switches.
If the switch is fecked the light can stay on, as opposed to if the switch is fecked on a non servo it goes out.
 
as far as i am aware its non servo, 2001 single spark??....does have ABS though
 
twizzle said:
as far as i am aware its non servo, 2001 single spark??....does have ABS though
Click to expand...

Quickest and easiest way to test without any tools or having to remove tank or any parts - With the ignition on unplug the rear brake switch at it's plug on the R/H side subframe just above and to the rear of the rear brake fluid reservoir.

If the rear light goes out it's the rear switch. If the rear light stays on it's the front switch.
 
Thanks Neil, as soon as the new (to me) bulb holder/back plate arrives i'll get it tested.
:beerjug:
 
I had the same problem last year on mine when the bulb melted into it and replaced the rear light bulb holder unit........... mine was down to the rear brake switch sticking on but was a non ABS 2003 model so might be slightly different on the wiring front which the more knowledgable will answer
 
thanks...

Thanks to Stu for the replacement bulb holder.... (mine had melted onto the bulb!!!)

Thanks to Neil for telling me where the switch connection blocks are located.. (makes fannying around in the dark easier)

thanks to all others who contributed... it was the the front switch......(for those who are interested)

and no thanks to the GERMANS who thought it sensible/practical to put 1.2 million cable ties on the cables and that stupid little screw holding the switch in upside down!.... twats....
 
I've got the same issue described above - i.e. brake light always on. Good post but it didn't sort my problem.

ABS bike with the ABS removed by the previous owner. Not sure whether it had servo brakes originally but it hasn't now.

Disconnected front and rear brake wiring - i.e. under the tank for the front and above the foot peg for the rear and the brake light is still on? I can't seen any obvious damage to wiring.

Ideas on further troubleshooting appreciated please:thumb2

** I should add that last weekend I thought I found the issue - one of the elements in the bulb had blown and fused itself to the other element. Just changed the bulb but that hasn't fix the issue:(
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the heads up. Had a read - made some sense but not looking forward to troubleshooting someone else's handywork. I don't even know what the servo connections should look like! Thanks though:thumb
 
Ok if your bike is a twin spark, then the brake switches are of the type which have contacts closed normally, and when you press the lever the switch opens.

By disconnecting both th switches you have effectively opened both switches which would put the lights on.

Where you have disconnected the switches. Short the two contacts of the bike side of the connector. If you do this for both front and rear brake connectors. Your brake light might go out. Which would indicate a faulty switch. If the light goes out reconnect each switch in turn. See what happens.
 
Ian J Hartley said:
Ok if your bike is a twin spark, then the brake switches are of the type which have contacts closed normally, and when you press the lever the switch opens.

By disconnecting both th switches you have effectively opened both switches which would put the lights on.

Where you have disconnected the switches. Short the two contacts of the bike side of the connector. If you do this for both front and rear brake connectors. Your brake light might go out. Which would indicate a faulty switch. If the light goes out reconnect each switch in turn. See what happens.
Click to expand...

Excellent - thanks again for the heads up. I'll attack tomorrow and let you know. Good advice. Thank you:)
 
Ian J Hartley said:
Ok if your bike is a twin spark, then the brake switches are of the type which have contacts closed normally, and when you press the lever the switch opens.

By disconnecting both th switches you have effectively opened both switches which would put the lights on.

Where you have disconnected the switches. Short the two contacts of the bike side of the connector. If you do this for both front and rear brake connectors. Your brake light might go out. Which would indicate a faulty switch. If the light goes out reconnect each switch in turn. See what happens.
Click to expand...

Thanks - tried that and the light still stays on which I'm guessing means that the fault is somewhere between the bike side connectors, the fuse box and the wiring back to the rear light right? If I remove fuses 1 and 2 and reinsert the light sometimes goes out and can then only be operated by the rear brake pedal - the front does nothing. If I then turn the ignition off and on again I'm back to a stuck on brake light. Annoying. Struggling with this a little and MOT time is fast approaching:(
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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