Where's the stop light on front brake?

[5RON5]

My stop light stopped working after I put all my parts back together! When the key is on, the back brake lights up. But when I use the front brake, it won't go on anymore. It did before the fire I had. And I noticed a blown fuse on the shifter & neutral light too,when I was ready to start it up after I was finished! I replaced it & no more problems w/that. But NO front brake light! Any stop light people out there? I could use some help. Thanks Ron..

[humhead]

If you look closely at your master cylinder, you'll see two wires in a plastic sleeve that connect to your wiring harness behind the headlight. There's a little switch in the master cylinder housing that triggers the brake light. It's real easy for this to get out of adjustment. Other folks on this site have replaced this nasty little setup with a hydraulic switch. These are easier to work with & fit most bikes. Dennis Kirk & others sell hydraulic switches.

Terry
PS Go here to see what I'm talking about http://www.alpha-sports.com/suzuki_parts.htm Choose the year & model of your bike & look at the "right handle switch" page

[tfb]

These front brake-light switches on the GS Suzukis are total and utter rubbish, and dangerously unreliable to boot. I mean, two copper contacts with a copper 'bridge' on a tiny sliding plastic block... whoever came up with that must have been on the same drugs as the tekkie who designed the original reg./rect setup.

So yes, just upgrade the thing with another type of switch. Pronto, because getting a car up your rear is going to hurt. :shock:

Mike.

[Billyboy]

I'm getting my 78 GS1000 on the road and the brake light doesn't light with the front brake. Is that normal on that year, or is something messed up?

[5RON5]

Terry; I think your saying that the switch, that it shows on that page, is the thing at fault? It doesn't show me where it is or how to locate it to work on it. If I can, that is. Is it a hard thing to do? Can I maybe do it myself? As I have a shortage of the green stuff. I am pretty good w/these things, if they're do-able. Can you tell me what the procedure is for doing whatever needs to be done & how? I hope I don't have to have a new one. If ya can, please let me know what & how to fix it on my own, if possible. Thank you for your answers. Ron..

[Rilla]

I'm getting my 78 GS1000 on the road and the brake light doesn't light with the front brake. Is that normal on that year, or is something messed up?

i have a 81 GS 850 and have the same prob. when ever i stop in traffic, i make sure im using my rear brake. thats the only way i can get the light to work. so im asking the same question....." Is that normal or is something messed up?" If messed up should i be paying attention to the conversation about that switch behind the head light?

[humhead]

Look at the underside of your master cylinder near the lever mounting bolt & you 'll see the outside of the switch. It's held together by two tiny phillips head screws. BE CAREFUL as it's spring loaded. I wish I knew a foolproof set of steps to adjust it, but I haven't been sucessful yet (Hydraulic switches aren't that expensive, I'd seriously consider getting one.)

Terry

[5RON5]

YES! But isn't the switch somewhere in the master cylinder? I don't know exactly! That's the reason for my last post. I'm trying to find out where it's located & how I can fix it! I see on line what it is, but not exactly where or how to get at it. I'm hoping for a return w/some directions of how & where it is, exactly & if I can fix it or if it's to big'a job. But I feel almost positive that your problem is identical to mine! Yours is out too! So I guess, lets be patient, huh? At least try to. It's not one of my biggest plus'. See ya Ron..

[5RON5]

Okay. I see now! It has 2 'lil wires on the under side of the M.C! a red wire & a white wire coming from it. So that's it, huh? You say be careful, that a small spring can get loose? Man oh man, then it's already gone then. 'Cause I sure will loose it if it's loose-able! HA! Where can ya get a hydraulic switch for it? Anybody know? Where would it go? It couldn't go where this one is, could it? Then it'd be a direct replacement for it. Wouldn't it? Man, this is beginning to be bigger than I thought! I sure how I can fix it somehow. Hope somebody comes up w/a way. Ron..

[Adler1983]

My 83 gs850 had the same issue with the front brake lever not activating taillight, after cleaning all the parts and contacts I was able to get the little piece of plastic to slide better(down in the underside of lever) and actuate the the light, sounds like a bad design issue

[ruddy]

Seems to me that if you loosen the two screws for the switch, you can slide it back and forth slightly to adjust the sensitivity. I recall doing that to mine when it wouldn't reliably trigger the brake light.

[kalessin]

I had a front brake light switch go bad, and tried sanding off the corrosion from the switch components. It still didn't work reliably, and so I ordered a replacement.

You can order a replacement switch online or maybe even from your local bike shop. They cost about $9, it's a part that fits about thirty different models.

The non-OEM-style hydraulic ones require unscrewing a banjo bolt from the brake system, which means opening up the brake system and bleeding it (because the pressure switch uses the pressure of the brake fluid) and cost a little more than $20.

I ordered my replacement switch from Cycle Re-Cycle:

http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/brake_light_switches.htm

If you go to this webpage, it's the third item down. The upper picture for this item shows all the pieces you get, the lower picture shows the details of the plastic spacer, holding screws, and that infernal little slider and its tiny spring. The spring goes inside the slider, and the saddle-shaped piece of copper clips in over the spring (at least when everything's not old and falling apart...).

If you're working on the switch, I'd suggest loosening the brake lever assembly around the handlebar, and rotate the brake lever up so the switch is almost horizontal, which makes it harder to drop the parts and easier to re-install them. DO NOT pull the brake lever when it's rotated like this or you will most likely have to bleed your front brakes.

It's all easier to replace than it sounds, I often reply with too much detail.

[Boondocks]

Seems to me that if you loosen the two screws for the switch, you can slide it back and forth slightly to adjust the sensitivity. I recall doing that to mine when it wouldn't reliably trigger the brake light.

This is correct. Most of the time when the switch doesn't work, it's out of adjustment. With the ignition on, working the brake lever and sliding the switch while watching the stop light will usually find the right spot for the switch to work reliably. Don't overtighten after adjusting the switch. The screw heads are easy to strip and the switch plastic cover is soft and may crack.

[Rilla]

ok i just went and took the switch out, cleaned all the connection points , and shot a lil chain oil into the unit. I HAVE BREAK LIGHTS when i use the front break now. but for some reason the back have stoped working any suggestions on where to look?

[5RON5]

HA! I'm sorry for laughing but that was kind'a funny! Your luck sounds like mine! If ya look down, under the right side cover, you can see where the switch is for thew back stop light. There's a spring loaded little button type deal. It has 2 big nuts for adjustment. Maybe you can decipher something there. Check a fuse too possibly. Hope this helps ya some. I will try mine now. The front brake light, that is. Good luck. Ron..