Anyone have a front brake light switch fail?

My brake light was stuck on. I thought it was the back brake switch actuator because I bent the rod before and it left the brake light on. Therefore, I spent an hour troubleshooting the switch on the rear brake. Much to my surprise, it was the front switch. I did not fall or smash the front brake. It just failed, which is very odd.

Have you tried to take out the switch from the master cylinder assembly? It's probably just really dirty. I take mine out each time I swap out the wheels and master cylinder. The first time I did, it was jammed with dirt. Worth a try anyway.

There is a chance either is got dirty or stuck on when you dropped the bike today, since it was on the right side. That switch should spring out on its own when not being activated by the lever.....if its not, you might have to take it apart and see what the issue is.

Yeah, but I only dropped the bike once today and it was on the left side. The switch is apart and I cleaned it. It was not really dirty. Of course, the return spring went flying when I took it apart AND I cannot find it. Since I never got to inspect the return spring, I am going to assume it was the culprit. I will buy another spring tomorrow and all will be good.

DougZ wrote:

There is a chance either is got dirty or stuck on when you dropped the bike today, since it was on the right side. That switch should spring out on its own when not being activated by the lever.....if its not, you might have to take it apart and see what the issue is.

I thought since you were looking at the rear brake lever, after the drop, that was the side you dropped it on. That switch should be cheap enough to replace.

My bike had the exact same problem when I bought it used. The previous owner was going to use it as a woods bike and didn't care much about the lights. When they put on the new levers, they must have taken the switch out. if you take it out and look VERY closely, the switch is directional in how it goes in properly. If you install it backwards, the light always stays on. If you flip it 180 degrees, the switch is recessed just enough to let the switch work properly. Very easy fix.

John

njbill wrote:

My brake light was stuck on. I thought it was the back brake switch actuator because I bent the rod before and it left the brake light on. Therefore, I spent an hour troubleshooting the switch on the rear brake. Much to my surprise, it was the front switch. I did not fall or smash the front brake. It just failed, which is very odd.