Brake Light Always On...

["Tom Brown" <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Fritz:

Regardless of which shop manual you buy, your problem is probably in the area
of the foot pedal micro switch.  Lots of crud can wash up there.    Just put
the bike on a clean, level surface on the center stand and lay down with a
flashlight.  You can see the switch and the linkage etc.   Chances are, the
linkage came loose or the switch itself came out of its perch.   You should be
able to figure it out without a manual if you can get a good look in there.

If everything looks OK at the pedal, you can check the hand brake switch.
Just take it apart...a couple phillips screws on the bottom side as I
remember.   Check the switch etc.  and proceed as needed.   The little switch
should click on and off audibly and you should feel the click in your fingers.
If it's stuck down, it will cause the brake light to stay on.

Another possibility is that the previous owner had some hyper-lights or other
extra brake light installed on the bike and removed it prior to sale and
boogered up the wires in the tail light housing.   The lens comes off with a
couple thumbscrews located under the seat all the way back.   Just remove
these and the lens will pull straight out revealing the wiring.  If something
looks crappy in there, it probably is.

Only other thing is to trace the wire and look for something
pinched...probably under the seat from a tool kit or (hopefully not) near the
tank from a careless removal/replacement.   If it's the harnes, better let the
pros have a look.

Priority:

1. Pedal linkage or switch mount or something stuck in there.

2. Previous owner messed up wires behind rear lens.

3. Broken switch, either pedal or hand brake.

4. Shorted wire under seat.

5. Shorted wire in harness under or around gas tank.

- -TB

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