You would think this would be an easy fix, but for the life of me I can;t figure it out.

My brake lights are always on. If I push the front lever forward, the lever depresses against the brake switch, and turns them off.

Why? Because the brake lever while at rest position should be depressed AGAINST THE SWITCH. When you apply the brakes, the lever breaks the circuit and the brake light come on. Problem is why can;t I get the break lever close enough to the switch? There;s really no adjustment.

I had replaced stock bars with Chubby 504s Iinternal wiring), and all the throttle, braske and clutch cables with Magnum Chromite. So, obviously I had the controls off. When pulling the master cylinder unit from the control switch, I used a piece of cardboard inserted between the level and master cylinder as recommended without any problems.

the brake cable from magnum are of a 2 piece design. Bleeding the brakes were also not a problem.

Soooo, could it be the hydraulic back pressure that does not allow the master cylinder piston to extend fully outward against the lever which pushes against the brake switch? If yes, posibilites could be air in brake lines OR caliper pistons not pullnig back into caliper enough?????

help please, anyone....

 

sounds like you did break the brake switch at one point. Hope not, but...
If so, join the club. PITA

 

Did you lose the metal shim that holds the switch in place and pushes it outward? If not, is it in the correct position?

 

Really don;t think it;s the switch. The brake lever needs to be pushed closer to the switch. The reason is that there is a small gap between the brake lever body and the master cylinder body at rest position. See pic with my finger pointing. The brake lever should not be sloppy at all and tight. To correct this, the direction would have to come from the master cylinder side.

I'll check the switch from the inside and shim. I'll also check a bike and the switch to see how far out it is on a new bike down at the bike shop later.

Your right, a real PITA....

any other thoughts are welcome....

 

Thats not right. Looks like your MC is out of adjustment or needs a rebuild.

 

hmmm.. 15K miles and needs a rebuild? guess it;s another possibility. What MC adjustment can be incorrect?

 

I had a new chrome aftermarket MC that did the same thing. Pressure was bleeding past a O ring on the plunger causing the slack in the brake lever. Since it was new I just sent it back to the Dealer and they replaced it. Even if it had air in the line it should return all the way.

 

fatboy, now we're getting somewhere. frickin' hydraulics. Makes sense. I'll clean the caliper pistons also. Got some pads left, but maybe put LRBs on since I'm doing the rears.

 

rony

I dealt with this, too, on an older bike

my problem was solved by an MC rebuild. The plunger just wasnt pushing back fully

BUT, while investigating, I also noticed that my switch assembly was not snug up against the lever assembly and that tiny little misalignment introduced just enough play that the switch wasn't engaging

 

Dave71, that switch always seems to be the 1st thing on the hot list. since I have that gap shown in my pic, I would have to discount the idea that the switch is not aligned. I tried every which way adjusting the MC and control housing, and end up with the same result. the MC plunger just makes so much sense since it should push the lever in the correct direction toward switch and would definitely eliminate that gap and I would have a nice snug lever.

thankx for the info