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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Almost turned into Ghost Rider...Help?
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Message started by zwspringer on 03/04/15 at 12:07:27

Title: Almost turned into Ghost Rider...Help?
Post by zwspringer on 03/04/15 at 12:07:27

So I was coming home the other day, and stopped at a light. When I stopped, the bike sputtered and died, and I was confused. Figured that it was probably nothing and tried to start it to no avail, so I looked down to see what was wrong.

I saw fire...

Expletives where uttered, and I pushed my self to a relatively safe area to try and beat out the flames after I figured out that it didn't seem to be coming from any fuel related areas.

I eventually got home and found that it appeared to have come from a burnt doohickey that attached to the frame underneath the airbox. Traced the wiring and consulted a diagram and I think it is the rear brake light switch.

I can fix that, but I'm still left wondering a few things:

1. Why would a brake light switch ignite?
2. Why did the bike die, and was it a related occurrence?

I'm new as hell to riding in general (less than 1500 miles under my belt), and am still pretty uneducated about motorcycle stuff. Luckily you guys are here, and I'm learning. Any help you guys could give me would be appreciated.

Title: Re: Almost turned into Ghost Rider...Help?
Post by youzguyz on 03/04/15 at 12:15:11

My guess:
The switch "ignited" because it had the most resistance on a shorted line.
There is a short somewhere on the line between the brake switch and the brake light. You hit the brakes, power went into that line to light the bulb.
It is shorted somewhere, so the circuit passed as much current as it could, and the place with the most resistance got the hottest.

Would it kill the bike? Yes. That voltage drop would keep the CDI from firing the spark plug.

So, don't just replace the switch. Find that short first!!

Title: Re: Almost turned into Ghost Rider...Help?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/04/15 at 15:45:07

If it's When the switch closes, applying power to the lamp, that the short is connected to the power, then pull out the lamp and check resistance of the wire from the switch, disconnected from the wiring harness.
Question is, why did he get enough current to light up and not blow a fuse?
Are we sure this isn't gasoline in the switch?

Title: Re: Almost turned into Ghost Rider...Help?
Post by verslagen1 on 03/04/15 at 15:55:31

3B2D373825373B38420 wrote:

+1
I think the rear brake bulb is 24w, or 2 amps.
plenty hot enough if the switch gets flaky and becomes high resistant.
switch housing is plastic and flammable if it gets hot enough.

but do check your light and wiring to make sure there's no shorts.