AND... No Brake Lights

[Johnp]

It's been a rotten day for my Hawk. I just discovered that neither my front or rear brake activate the brake light. I don't even know where to begin trying to track down the cause of this one...

Turn signals, headlights, horn... everything else works. Just no brake lights.

[w0ss]

When I had that issue it was my bulb. I never found the exact one but found one close to it at autozone and jammed it in.

[Johnp]

Originally Posted by w0ss

When I had that issue it was my bulb. I never found the exact one but found one close to it at autozone and jammed it in.

Oh! That would be fantastic if that was all it is. I'll go see about that right now. :-)

[BlackBike]

Check connections to front and rear brakes, make sure terminals didn't come loose. Also under seat near the rear of the bike and check the multiplug connector and re seat it and of course check the rear bulb. Nows a good time to replace brake bulb with led. Should be 1157 type.

[Johnp]

Ok, after spending more than an hour tracing and testing wiring and electrical stuff I finally figured out at least half of the problem. There is an actuator attached to the rear brake, and when it is pulled hard enough it will fire off the brake light.



On my bike I had to adjust it almost to the end in order to get it to light. Basically, I adjusted it until it was so tight that it turned on the rear brake without even touching the pedal - then I backed it off a little bit and tightened down the nuts on it so it hopefully won't move.

However, that didn't solve the FRONT brake issue. It still won't light up the rear brake light. So if you were only braking with the front, people following aren't going to get an indicator no matter how hard you brake.

I haven't been able to find ANY electrical linkage from the front brake designed to power the brake lights. So can you guys check your bikes and test out the brake light, both front and rear?

If anyone can find any sort of switch for the front brake please let me know so I can get mine working. I can't believe RPS would sell any street legal bikes that don't fire off the rear brake light when you slam on the front brake!

[Azhule]

Are you sure no wires are going to the front brake master cylinder? Should be some wires (2?) on the bottom by the looks of the pic on RPS Parts webpage

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/4/7/8...68372720_o.jpg

[Weldangrind]

There is a banjo bolt switch you can buy for the rear brake. It would appear to be an upgrade over the stock mechanical switch.

[Johnp]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

There is a banjo bolt switch you can buy for the rear brake. It would appear to be an upgrade over the stock mechanical switch.

That is awesome. I hadn't heard of those before, but I found of a guy doing an install.

You don't happen to know where to get one that fits the Hawk do you?

[Ron B]

Originally Posted by Johnp

Ok, after spending more than an hour tracing and testing wiring and electrical stuff I finally figured out at least half of the problem. There is an actuator attached to the rear brake, and when it is pulled hard enough it will fire off the brake light.



On my bike I had to adjust it almost to the end in order to get it to light. Basically, I adjusted it until it was so tight that it turned on the rear brake without even touching the pedal - then I backed it off a little bit and tightened down the nuts on it so it hopefully won't move.

However, that didn't solve the FRONT brake issue. It still won't light up the rear brake light. So if you were only braking with the front, people following aren't going to get an indicator no matter how hard you brake.

I haven't been able to find ANY electrical linkage from the front brake designed to power the brake lights. So can you guys check your bikes and test out the brake light, both front and rear?

If anyone can find any sort of switch for the front brake please let me know so I can get mine working. I can't believe RPS would sell any street legal bikes that don't fire off the rear brake light when you slam on the front brake!

thats about normal on the hawk, but if you want you can always shorten the spring length. pull the rubber boot back on the hand brake and make sure one of the wires didnt come off the spade for the front.

[Johnp]

Originally Posted by Ron B

pull the rubber boot back on the hand brake and make sure one of the wires didnt come off the spade for the front.

I just looked everything over again. The only wires that connect to anything near the front brake have little spade connectors beneath it.



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They appear to be part of some sort of pressure switch that the brake lever is supposed to actuate:



Full size image

By design, it looks like when the brake lever is inactive it should push the little button in, and when the lever is squeezed it should let the little button pop out. I suppose this could possibly be how the brake light is activated. But it definitely isn't working on my bike.

Could someone else check this out and verify what it does on their bike? If you just squeeze the brake and use something to push that button we can verify if it is indeed for the brakes.

[Ron B]

thats your brake light switch. pull the wires ,put yuour meter across it on continuity and check it and make sure its opening and closing

[2LZ]

That's what we used to call "fixed". On our Harley's, we'd unhook the front brake light switch so when we blew past a cop, we could hit the front brake and the rear light wouldn't come on.

[traygiddens]

might want to follow the front bake wires and reseat the connector behind the headlight. had a similar issue.

[Johnp]

Ok, what I lack in brains I make up for with persistence!

I removed the front brake light switch and checked it. When not installed, it worked perfectly. Then I installed it, and it stopped! GRRRRR.



Then I discovered that by loosening the one screw holding it in place, it magically started working again.



So, chalk it up to a cheap plastic part that was compressed a little too much and prevented the mechanical switch from engaging.

Oh well. At least out of all of this I now have intimate knowledge of the electrical system. And I've got an LED brake too! ;-)

[BlackBike]

Excellent work tracking down the issue! Put some locktite on that screw so you won't worry about it backing out in the less than tight condition you will be using. These China bikes have a charm of their own with there little issues. You just have to manage their cheap fasteners and parts etc. Chinese proverb say, One must become one with machine, one must become ,the bike whisperer.