SuzukiSavage.com - rear brake light not working

vineman

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rear brake light not working
05/22/12 at 12:22:22

It comes on and stays on like it should but when I apply the brakes it doesn't illuminate any brighter to signal that I'm slowing down. I'm about to go down and look into it but I didn't know if any of you on here may have any ideas as to what it could be? Like a fuse or bad connector?

I figured if it were a bad connector then it wouldn't even be lighting up at all but I'm not positive.

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2007 ls650 s40, Ruby Red, Nighttrain muffler, pod air filter, 155 main, chain conversion, superbrace fork brace, vista cruise cruise control, and a helluva lotta fun

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EJID Serious Thumper Offline Work to ride and ride to work. Posts: 1536 Pocatello, ID Gender:	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #1 - 05/22/12 at 12:33:53 Start with checking the bulb, has 2 elements and 1 might be burned out.
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vineman Junior Member Offline Oh sweet Ruby how you tease! Posts: 53 Mid MO	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #2 - 05/22/12 at 12:35:48 I was hoping for a possibly easy solution
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EJID Serious Thumper Offline Work to ride and ride to work. Posts: 1536 Pocatello, ID Gender:	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #3 - 05/22/12 at 12:36:29 While you're there check for corrosion and make sure it makes good contact in the connector.
Back to top	05 S40 15" Memphis Slim, FXDWG Bars, Moved Rear Signals, Saddlebags, Fork Bag, Mini-Tach, Raptor, Cone Filter, Fishtail Muffler, Mix Screw Out 2.5 Turns, 4" Fwd Controls, 147.5 Main/55 Pilot @ 4500 IP Logged

gcsdls Junior Member Offline Midlife...about time! Posts: 69 Arkansas Gender:	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #4 - 05/23/12 at 10:39:53 I had the same problem...thought the brake light wasn't coming on, but it was on all the time. Found the switch cable from the rear brake pedal was sticking and holding the switch closed.
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Dj12midnit Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline If you'r here and I'm here isn't this our time? Posts: 1036 Lynden Wa. Gender:	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #5 - 05/23/12 at 11:07:49 Where is the rear brake light switch?
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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Online Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28752 L.A. California Gender:	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #6 - 05/23/12 at 11:43:56 brake light switch is on the right side, just above the swingarm. if it were a snake it woulda bit ya right on the @$$
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gcsdls Junior Member Offline Midlife...about time! Posts: 69 Arkansas Gender:	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #7 - 05/23/12 at 12:45:25 ...looks like a cable connected to a spring connected to another cable (which is connected to the switch).
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Dalziel_A

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Re: rear brake light not working
Reply #8 - 05/23/12 at 14:22:35

I had a similar problem. The brake light would come on for the front brake but not the rear. It turned out that the cable had broke. I did notice though, that when I tried pulling on the cable it was seized. It took a couple minutes of playing around with it to work properly but it's good now. I actually reattached it to the brake lever with a guitar string ha ha.

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vineman

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Oh sweet Ruby how
you tease!

Posts: 53
Mid MO

Re: rear brake light not working
Reply #9 - 05/24/12 at 10:22:02

gcsdls wrote on 05/23/12 at 10:39:53:

I had the same problem...thought the brake light wasn't coming on, but it was on all the time. Found the switch cable from the rear brake pedal was sticking and holding the switch closed.

I got to looking at the whole thing and this is exactly what i found to be the case on my bike too! Is this common at all? Have you had anymore trouble with it sticking again?

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2007 ls650 s40, Ruby Red, Nighttrain muffler, pod air filter, 155 main, chain conversion, superbrace fork brace, vista cruise cruise control, and a helluva lotta fun

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gcsdls Junior Member Offline Midlife...about time! Posts: 69 Arkansas Gender:	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #10 - 05/24/12 at 14:16:07 I just found it this past weekend. I haven't fixed it yet. I ended up disconnecting it for the short term, since I use both brakes when I stop anyway. Brake light then works for the front brake only. When I get a chance, I'll get that cable freed up...then I'll put the spring back on.
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vineman

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Oh sweet Ruby how
you tease!

Posts: 53
Mid MO

Re: rear brake light not working
Reply #11 - 05/29/12 at 12:48:57

Been moving for the past week so I haven't been on here since but I did get a chance to look at my rear brake light cable and this is what I found.

It seems that I had a bad exhaust leak due to my shoddy attempt at adapting my dyna muffler to my exhaust, which did not go on as smoothly as others had implied.

Sorry for the bad focus in the photos. The leaves had all of my camera's attention.

I guess the cable just got so hot that it effected the cable inside the sleeve. I don't know what it did to the cable but it is a total b!tch to get the cable to move in the sleeve at all. even with pliers grabbing the light end of the cable it takes about all I have to get it to budge. And then once I have it set back where it should be, if I hit the rear brake lever the cable sticks again leaving the light on. I guess a new cable it is! Maybe eBay?

Sorry for the bad focus in the photos, the moving leaves had all of my camera's attention.

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2007 ls650 s40, Ruby Red, Nighttrain muffler, pod air filter, 155 main, chain conversion, superbrace fork brace, vista cruise cruise control, and a helluva lotta fun

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Dalziel_A YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 31	Re: rear brake light not working Reply #12 - 05/29/12 at 15:42:26 Yeah for me it just seemed that pulling it in and out a few times with needle nosed pliers loosened it up and now it works no problem. I guess your exhaust must have melted the outer part of the cable to the steel part. ? Just a guess. Either way, you can find new or used ones on eBay for around 15-25$.
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