For some reason, my tail light works but the brake light doesn't light up when I hit either brake. I thought it might need an entire new tail light, so I bought the OEM tail light but the brake light won't work with it either. I recently replaced all fuses under the front left fairing. Could it be a bad fuse under the seat? Some of you might remember that I recently blew some fuses a couple of weeks ago as I tried to install new rear turn signals. The brake light was not functioning before that happened either, so it's not a result of that. I actually realized right after I bought the bike that the brake light wasn't working, so it's the result of something a previous owner did. Stupid of me not to notice that as I inspected the bike before buying.
Yeah, adjust the rear switch, by adjusting the black plastic nut behind the right rear set. It is prolly so tight that it is always engaging the brake light
Yeah, adjust the rear switch, by adjusting the black plastic nut behind the right rear set. It is prolly so tight that it is always engaging the brake light
Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll give it a try in a couple of days when I get back home.
I always thought that the rear light was extremely bright, so I wondered if the brake light was working ALL the time as opposed to not working at all.
If the brake light has always been on and I've never seen it without, how could I tell just by looking at it?
oh boy, this kind of stuff makes me think...wth?
do you not do a basic operational function check of your lights, switches, levers, brakes etc, periodically?...
usually before taking the bike for a ride.
im not trying to insult you or your intelligence.
basic simple knowledge could be the differences and answers to your questions and gripes on your bike.
do yourself a favor and get yourself a service manual. it will teach you alot of things about your bike and answer maybe 80% of your questions.
do you not do a basic operational function check of your lights, switches, levers, brakes etc, periodically?...
usually before taking the bike for a ride.
quote]
Obviously I do, or otherwise I would never notice problems. I noticed it didn't work literally minutes after I bought the bike and the previous owner drove away. And as I implied, I feel like a complete idiot for not noticing it while inspecting before buying.
So yes, it's a legitimate question as to how could I possibly know whether the brake light is on or not by looking at it, seeing as how it's been like that since I bought it.
Anyway, I still haven't had a chance to tinker with it; hopefully tommorow.
Obviously I do, or otherwise I would never notice problems. I noticed it didn't work literally minutes after I bought the bike and the previous owner drove away. And as I implied, I feel like a complete idiot for not noticing it while inspecting before buying.
So yes, it's a legitimate question as to how could I possibly know whether the brake light is on or not by looking at it, seeing as how it's been like that since I bought it.
Anyway, I still haven't had a chance to tinker with it; hopefully tommorow.
rock on mang. like i said, im not insulting you or bashing. im a nice guy.
how you can tell: Stand back WAAAY back. if you can see see it prominently, the brake light (as opposed the running light) is ON. there are two switches that feed that circuit. on is at the brake lever (which rarely fails) and the other is at the rear brake pedal (this one also rarely fails but is sometimes out of adjustment).
I'm very certain that the brake light is engaged 100% of the time because at night standing 25 yards away, the thing is almost hard to look at, it's so bright. Compared it side by side to my buddy's bike (03' ZX-6r) as he held the brake and they seemed to match up.
I loosened up the black nut for the rear brake switch and nothing changed. I completely unhooked the spring from the brake lever so that there was no pressure on the cable and the light still didn't change.
So... what's the next step? I definitely need to get myself an owner's manual
It turns out that the brake light was always on. I unplugged the sensor on the front lever and the taillight dimmed down. Now the brake light lights up when the rear brake is used, but if I reconnect the front brake switch, the brake light stays on permanently. Therefore, it remains disconnected and the front brake doesn't signal the brake light. I generally use both the front brake and rear brake together when I stop, so the brake light will light up as long as I'm riding it.
Could be the brake light switch on the lever. It depresses and completes the circuit. Take it off and see. Are these aftermarket or stock levers? The rear is controled by a sprin attached to the brake pedal. Take a look at that as well.
The levers are stock and the rear switch has been looked at. I know the problem is in the front and from what I can see, it's either one of two parts (maybe both, actually) that need to be replaced. I don't know the names of these parts or what to call them, so I'll try to describe them. Think about an electrical outlet found in your home and a plug that goes into it. That's exactly what there is on the bike. There's two thin metal plugs that plug into a black outlet underneath the lever. So what needs to be replaced, the plug(s) or the outlet?
Awesome, thanks. I'll give it a shot and let you know what happens.
Do these switches usually go bad over time like a stator does, or does the bike need to suffer some damage (dropped or wrecked) in order to render the switch useless?
Try www.bikebandit.com Not saying to buy there, BUT, if you go to the OEM section, they have great schematics and part breakdowns. You can easily find the name, and part number you need and then shop around for it or even try ebay... Good luck!
Was having the same issue, but mine was with a ca light. The advice here, and my manual, cleared it right up. Oh and i feel your pain I didn't know if mine was lighting up either.
Mead for Speed
Maybe if i poke it a little... 
