I have a 2006 Ultra Classic and the front brake lever stays engaged when I drive which causes the brake light to stay on. Does anyone have that same issue and how do I fix it?

 

Usually a symptom of front brake light switch having failed. It's on the handlebar. Not a tough job to change but be careful you don't break off the little tab when engaging it into the handle.

and welcome to the forum from Alberta Canada.

 

Bingo, broken switch. There's probably thousands of threads on this. A new switch will need to be soldered in, and as mentioned, when reinstalling the brake lever, you gotta use a shim to hold the switch in so you don't snap it off again.

 

I'm not sure what you mean when you say the lever stays engaged. Do you mean it doesn't return all the way out? It the lever goes all the way out then it's probably the switch.
But if the lever doesn't fully return out then what you have is a sticking master cylinder. This can happen over time, especially if the fluid has not been regularly flushed.
When my mc failed it would not return that last 1/4", leaving the brake light on. I could push the lever out to turn off the brake light so I knew the switch was fine. A mc rebuild and flush fixed the problem.

 

 

Quick fix, shin the brake lever and pull it away from the brake switch. Spray WD-40 on the pin that come out from the master cylinder (cause it may be sticking) it pushes against the brake lever. My lever felt very loose. The WD-40 loosen the pin up to slide again. My brake do not stay on anymore and pin sliding out putting pressure on the brake lever, my lever is not loose anymore. Hope this helps.

 

Like what was previously said,if you can push the lever forward and the light goes out,switch is OK. If that happens plan on overhauling master cyl. or replace the unit.Piston is hanging up in cyl. bore and not returning fully. All amounts of shimming,etc is not going to solve root of problem.

 

Thank you everyone for your responses. Based on everything. It sounds like the master cylinder needs to be rebuilt. I may try wd 40 on the pin first.

 

Also, make sure to shim the lever so you don't rip the boot. That will cause a switch to go bad for sure. The switch on Ebay is identical to the HD part and works great for way less $$ and so is the plunger and o rings for the Master rebuild.

 

Not being funny - Do you by chance have leather lever covers with fringe? A friend was having Brake light issue and found the wind drag was moving his lever just enough to cause the brake light to be on. Took them off problem solved.
Otherwise flush the fluids, first, the WD may help (never tried that), then if that doesn't solve it a MC rebuild. If you reach the rebuild stage, remove and clean your calipers while you're at it. Good brakes are more important than the engine.