Front brake microswitch

[Disaster Area]

Hi everyone,

My front brake microswitch is playing up a bit. The bike failed it's WOF as the brake light was permanently on. I took the hand guard off and sprayed some WD40 onto the microswitch and it seemed to behave. But today I noticed it doing it again.

I can't make out if a bit of water has got in, or a bit of brake fluid. I put a repair kit in and the bellows look clean and dry, but it looks like some fluid has dribbled down from the master cylinder lid. Does that seem plausible?

Anyway, my questions is: given that the front switch assembly is £35 and a new microswitch is about £5, is there any reason why I can't just solder wires onto a generic switch and connect the wires under the tank? If so, does anyone know the characteristics of the switch? It has 'Burgess V4NC4S' stamped on it but i can't find the voltage or current rating of it.

Any ideas/opinions/experiences welcome

Many thanks,

DA

 

[Pekkavee]

Yes, you can use standard switches.

I used these.
Mini microswitch 5A

Just solder them to the original wires by the brake lever.
Be carefull with the screws. Don't loose them. They are tiny M2*12 mm screws.

Pekka

 

[Disaster Area]

Yes, you can use standard switches.

I used these.
Mini microswitch 5A

Just solder them to the original wires by the brake lever.
Be carefull with the screws. Don't loose them. They are tiny M2*12 mm screws.

Pekka

Many thanks for that,
DA

 

[Packer]

That rating should be fine it only has to handle 12volts 21watts for a standard lamp, more if you've added additional brake lights. 21watts at 12volts = 1.75 amps.

Farnell, www.farnell.com stock some Burgess micro-switches and operate out of New Zealand.

 

[Beebop]

Before you replace the switch, I found that the lever which operated the switch was slightly bent, and it also stayed on.
A quick tweak with a pair of long nose pliers sorted it out.

 

[Disaster Area]

Before you replace the switch, I found that the lever which operated the switch was slightly bent, and it also stayed on.
A quick tweak with a pair of long nose pliers sorted it out.

Thanks. That's an easy thing to try so well worth looking at first, before I break out the soldering iron. What I am finding is that after riding for five minutes or so, the problem seems to go away. I might try giving the brake lever pivot and spring a good clean and see if that helps.