Tail Lights Work Brake Lights Don't

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ThrillSeeker

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I was on a ride this past weekend and the tailgunner advised me that either my brake lights weren't working or I had some pretty big kahunas because he didn't see me brake before going into ANY turns on our ride. :eek5:

Unfortunately, it's the brake light. The tail lights work fine but they don't brighten when i hit either the front or the rear brake.

The bike is an 09 Gen 2. When I took it in to have some accessories added, I had the rear turn signals replaced. Those work fine. I'm not sure how long I've had the brake light problem.

Has anyone had any experience w/ this?

Thanks in advance.
 
Doubtful it's the front or rear brake switch, the odds of both being broken or out of adjustment are high. Do you hear the front switch "click" when you squeeze the brake? You could unplug it and check with a continuity meter. The rear goes out of adjustment easily; try turning the knob to raise the switch with the spring attached.

Assuming both switches are okay (also check the fuses, but stoplight probably doesn't have it's own fuse), you either have a broken wire somewhere, or there's a problem with the bulbs or the sockets. Did you change you taillight? Take the lense off, remove the bulbs and check the sockets with a 12v light. Good luck.
 
Check the bulb and work back from there. The wires for the tail light (GND, TAIL, and BRAKE) are all in one segment of the harness so unless someone cut into it, its unlikely a broken wire.
 
The brake light isn't on its own fuse, and the taillight wiring is separate from the signal wiring. (I've replaced my own signals also) they would have to have pulled something out or went crazy cutting things to do something like that. They'd haveta be pretty inept.
 
I'll start w/ the bulbs.

**EDIT**

Wasn't the bulb. Put a new bulb in and it does the same thing that the old one does. The taillight works, but it doesn't get any brighter when i hit the brakes.

I don't hear an audible click with the front brake lefter (aftermarket levers) but I do hear a click w/ the rear brake. Regardless of which lever I use, still no brake light.

Also, I see where the taillights were spliced but I don't see where the wiring for the tail/brake light were touched.

If the front switch is bad, would that affect the brake light coming on while using the rear brake?
 
Last edited:
ThrillSeeker said:
I'll start w/ the bulbs.

Although, if the bulb is bad, would the taillights work?
Click to expand...

Two separate filimants. The brake one is most common to fail as it runs hotter. A jarring bump with the brake applied can break the filament. That is how the police investigate collisions, they check the brake light to see if the filament is broken. If you have your foot on the brake during a collision the filament will snap.
 
I don't know if this applies.....away from the source to confirm, but if you replaced the levers, did you disconnect any wires?

On the Gen I, there are two wires connected, and maybe reversed during the install?
 
I wasnt the one who installed the levers. I was having a bunch of stuff done and asked the mechanic to put the levers on. I can say w 100% certainty that there is no audible click whn I pull the front lever
 
ThrillSeeker said:
I wasnt the one who installed the levers. I was having a bunch of stuff done and asked the mechanic to put the levers on. I can say w 100% certainty that there is no audible click whn I pull the front lever
Click to expand...

Stuck on is likely since the bulb is good, the switch could be gunky, take the two wires off the switch and see if the tail light dims. If it does that's your issue.
 
Are you sure you've got the correct type of bulb installed?
If you've replaced a blown dual filament bulb with a new single filament one you'll have symptoms similar to those you've described.
 
Oh, and I said to reverse the wires just in case the mechanic put something backwards. The switch is really easy, it has a tip that sticks out that the lever touches, you can see it if you look under the handlebar. It's not hard to get to at all. I'm betting with a little investigative work you'll see the issue there.
 
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