Brake light on all the time

[crc1214]

Hey all,

Well I got the old GS up and started today (just kept on the centerstand in the garage - a little too cold to ride just yet), after doing much work/maintanance on it this winter.

A funny thing happened (at least I can laugh about it). The brake light switch just stayed on the whole time! Tried to press the rear brake pedal, nothing happened. Tried to press the front pedal, nothing. Both of them together, and nothing (by nothing I mean the brake light just stayed ON).

I have not even mucked with the electrics whatsover during my winter project, that's what astonished me! However, I did have both master cylinders completely dry for about a month while having both front and rear calipers apart/rebuilt. I assembled them back together and bled both really well. The back brake is very tight at the pedal though (very minor movement (relative to the front brake lever) is needed to lock the back brakes up. Could my bleed job or the tightness of the rear brake pedal be possible explanations?

I have read other posts that have had a problem with the brake light not lighting up, but haven't seen one that discusses a brake light that won't turn off.

By the way, the bike is a 1978 GS550E.

Thanks,

Chad
Columbus, OH 1978 GS550E

[Billy Ricks]

One of the switches needs adjusting. The one up front is located under the brake lever. Loosen the two screws and slide the switch back and forth to see if the light goes out. The rear switch just screws up or down for adjustment. Try the rear switch first, it's less testy than the front one.

[KGB]

Yea what Billy said.
My S model rear brake pedals hangs. It doesn't have much clearance from the swingarm.
This causes it to "hang" and keep the breake light on.
Simple adjustment.

Try the rear first

[crc1214]

Thanks guys. I adjusted the back brake switch, and it still didn't help. So I set it where it was before and moved up to the front brake switch. I was trying to figure out where it was located by tapping the front brake lever a couple of times, and after about the 10th time the light went out!

I think the lever was just stuck a little from the cold weather here in Ohio.

Is there someway to grease the lever with it still assembled, or should I not even worry about it (I'm guessing it will probably just loosen up a bit when I ride it in some warm weather).

Thanks for the suggestion. I have a manual for the bike that is the genuine Suzuki factory shop manual..... good for engine rebuilds but sometimes doesn't even touch the simple stuff.

[Anonymous]

take the front switch apart and clean the contacts then maybe give it some grease to let it slide easier. the front brake switch on mine needs to be taken apart again, im still trying to get it to stop sticking but I have not tried a little grease yet

[Anonymous]

Brake Light Stays On

I'm working on waking up a 850GLZ and just today disassembled and reassembled the front brake lever mechanism. I did this because when the lever was pulled the brake light would go on, but would not go off when the lever was released. Sound familiar?

The brake lever has a small key or slot near the pivot that one end of a plastic device fits into. The other end of the device has a spring-loaded, brass-like piece of metal that slides on and off of metal rails. When on the rails, contact is made and the brake light comes on.

In the case of my 850, the previous owner had put it into the dirt and I had to clean it out to get it to slide properly. I'm sure, however, that the device can become worn and wobble in its slide and get stuck. While apart, I polished the contacts and used WD-40 and a parts brush to clean it. It's working fine now.