Issue with rear brake lights - Harley Forum

Hammerhead Pat · #1 12-01-2008, 06:58 PM

About three weeks ago I replaced the rear brake pads on my 05 Sporty with OEM pads. The brakes work great, no problems there. Well today I had the bike on the driveway and decided to check all the turn indicators, brake lights, blah ,blah, blah and I discovered that when I depress the rear brake pedal I have no brake lights

, the turn indicators work when the pedal is depressed, and the rear brake lights and turn indicators work as normal when the front brake lever is used.( no,I didn't check the lights when I finished the pad replacement). I checked my manual and really the only thing I found was mention of the rear stop light switch. It states that if I replace the switch to bleed the rear brakes seeing that the switch reacts to hydraullic pressure. Again, the brakes are operating great. Is there anyway to test the rear stop light switch? Is there anything I am overlooking or should I go ahead and bleed the brakes and hope that works?

I have the Kuryaken module that makes the turn indicators act as brake lights,it has been on the bike since about the 1000 mile mark, I'm over 11,000 miles now. Thanks in advance,Pat

frisco-rigid · #2 12-01-2008, 08:10 PM

Hey Pat

The pressure operated switches sometimes get old or a bit of debris etc will prevent them from making a connection when pressure is applied..

Do you have access to the rear stop-lite switch.?
There should be two connections on it..
Those are the single Hot wire to the Brake-Lite..
One to the switch and the other is a continuation of it going to the Lite..
When pressure is applied, the contacts in the switch connect sending the elect. to the Lite..

Now,, the way to check for continuity is to place the probes of a multi-meter set on the Continuity/OHMs dial on the 2 connections on the switch..
Then press on your brake pedal-- the applied pressure will make contact in the switch and you will see an OHM/continuity reading between those connections.. You do this with no elect (ignition OFF).. All you're doing is checking for continuity..
If a bubble or debris or age is preventing the contacts from making ah, you know, a connection then there will be NO continuity thus no elect. getting to the lite..
I have un-screwed the switch just enough to barely lift it away from the housing while at the same time gently depressed the pedal to force out some fluid.. If there is debris or a bubble preventing good contact that will kinda sorta bleed and clean the fluid channel.. Then, keeping slight pressure on the pedal and still squeezing out some fluid, you quickly screw the switch back into the housing.. That sometimes works with the OEM style brake-lite switches I use.. Maybe your Kuryaken Mod works diff..

I'm guessing the hot wire to the rear brake is the same one from the front Master-Cylinder,, yes..? In that case you don't need to confirm the rear brake Hot-wire is indeed Hot..

Hammerhead Pat · #3 12-02-2008, 03:42 PM

Frisco, thanks for the response, I think my brother has a multi meter so I'll get that and give your method a shot. I'll keep you posted, thanks again.

rjrivero · #4 12-02-2008, 05:05 PM

Frisco has you covered really well. The connector to the rear brake switch, depending on where it's located on your sporty, can be subject to direct abuse as well. Check the wires and connector while your mucking with the hydraulic switch.

Hammerhead Pat · #5 12-08-2008, 03:41 PM

Frisco and RJ, thanks again for the input on my rear brake lights, I did the things Frisco suggested and still no luck. It turned out to be a bad sensor, $20 later and all is good