Foot brake doesn't turn on brake light - adjustment

This can be caused by a loose spring...

If you check the brake lever, if you follow it up you will notice a spring attached to it which then attaches to a small button switch. The button switch is what will turn on/off the rear light. To see if this is the problem - pull the spring while the bike is on and see if the rear light comes on. If it does then the spring is too loose. You can buy a new one, or you can try to play with some plyers and tighten the spring yourself - you would tighten it to the point where the actual lever will pull the spring enough to turn on the light.

One minor warning - I did this and the result was that the rear light would go on whenever I touched the brake (good thing) but it also came on at every noticable bump in the road. So tighten the spring, but don't overly tighten it. You may wish to have someone watch you ride down a road to see if the brake light keeps flashing (I didn't notice this until my wife saw me go down a road once).

 

hey Lowa
how'd you fix it? i have exactly the same problem...

cheers

simon

 

Congratulations!!! <!-- s:rofl: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt=":rofl:" title="Rofl" /><!-- s:rofl: -->

 

ah so you can turn the switch.... cool... thanks

simon

 

Hey guys, what about the front brake not turning the brake light on? Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

 

Inderneath the brake lever you'll see 2 wires. That is where the switch is. If you pull the lever in a little bit (with the bike off) you should be able to hear it click.

 

Just had a look - there is a clicking sound, but no response on the brake light <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_sad.gif" alt="" title="Sad" /><!-- s -->

 

Then it's either the switch has died, the wiring has come undone, or the brake light is dead. You can check all three with a bit of patience and a multimeter (test for resistance... ie. circuit continuity).

 

OK, well the brake light still works (with rear brake) so that eliminates one. The next thing is I don't actually have a multimeter. After browsing the Dick Smith website there seems to be a lot of choice.. Any kind of recommendation or advice when it comes to multimeter shopping?

http://dseau.resultspage.com/search...3f0322ea942740c0a87f9c0723&site=&w=multimeter

 

THAT is my multimeter i picked up about a month or so in the DSE sale for ~$15. Does everything i need it to, although it'd be nice if it refreshed a little quicker for when im testing things with fluctuating voltages/currents it only updates about evey 3/4 of a second.

If your just using it on the bike and around the home for basic things and as a connectivity tester then any simple $10-20 multimeter will do. Above that price you get the nice things like backlighting and a 'hold' button for storing values.

edit: That page says mine has a continuity test buzzer! I didn't know that (mainly cos i refuse to read the manual).

 

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4493993f0322ea942740c0a87f9c0723/Product/View/Q1467">http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.store ... View/Q1467</a><!-- m -->

 

Thanks guys, multimeter is sorted. Picked up the cheaper of the two (I'm a cheap ass <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: --> ). So, to the testing.. Since I'm such a noob could someone explain to me what I have to do to exactly? Really appreciate all your help guys.


Edit: With reference to the rear-brake adjustment here are some pics I took today while I playing around with it. Might help someone down the track. Bike is a 89 2KR.

First pic just shows where to look on the bike to find the switch.


Second pic shows the cables and switch up close. You just twist the switch clockwise/anti-clockwise to adjust.

 

Ok, to test the front brake... as i said there's three things.

1. You've already said the brake light works so that's knocked one off the list.

2. Check the switch. If you look around the front right lever (brake lever) you'll see a small microswitch with two wires coming out of it. The wires WILL be sheathed and hidden so have a good look there. You need to use the multimeter to check for resistance between the two points on the switch. Disconnect the cables attached to it, then with the brake not applied there will be a broken circuit, with the brake applied it should close the circuit.

3. Time to check the wiring. Now im not quite sure how the front brake light circuit works but it'll either have a relay (likely) or a direct connection (unlikely). If it's a relay it's again a matter of checking for continuity between the brake light switch at the handlebar and the relay. No continuity means broken/frayed/fried cable.

My bets are still on number 2.

 

Tested the switch for continuity and got a resistance reading, so I guess the switch is ok.

As for the wiring test, I didn't actually try (dont know where the relay/direct connection is) but I guess since we've eliminated the first two options it must be a wiring problem. Guess I'll try and source a replacement wire or something?

Big thanks again!

 

Replacement wire doesnt really exist. It's just going to be a matter of getting some 10 gauge automotive electrical wire and DIY.

 

Stripped the bike (fairings and tank cover) yesterday and couldn't make much sense of it all. Looks like I'll just get the mechanic to fix it next time I'm up there. Once again, thanks for the help, at least I learned a couple things in the process.