Harley front brake light switch replacement made easy
If you've noticed your brake light isn't swallowing on when you squeeze the handle, a harley front brake light switch replacement will be likely at the top of your own to-do list. It's one of individuals small parts that will can cause a massive headache, especially since riding around with no functioning brake light is a great way in order to get rear-ended or even pulled over. Honestly, the switch itself will be tiny, but it plays an enormous role in your on-road safety.
The great news is that you simply don't need to be an expert mechanic to repair this particular. Most Harley owners can handle this particular job in their particular own garage along with just a couple of basic equipment and a little bit of patience. Prior to going tearing into your handlebar controls, let's talk about why these types of things fail plus what you're going to need to get the job done right.
Why do these switches fail so frequently?
Harley-Davidson motor bikes are legendary, but they have a few quirks. One associated with the most typical ways people break their front brake light switch is usually actually by chance while they're doing additional work. If you've recently changed your own grips, swapped your handlebars, or messed with your master cylinder, there's a high chance the switch got pinched or snapped.
The switch is a tiny mechanical switch that sits within the switch casing. When you draw the brake handle, it releases the button, which completes the circuit and lights up the particular bulb. When a person release the lever, it pushes the button back in, turning the light away from. The problem is usually the little rubber boot and the plastic plunger are usually incredibly fragile. In the event that the lever isn't aligned perfectly throughout reassembly, it'll shear that little plunger right off.
Apart from physical damage, these switches can just wear away over time. They're exposed to the particular elements—rain, vibration, and dust—and eventually, the particular internal contacts just give up the particular ghost. If your brake light is definitely stuck "on" all the time, or even if this won't come on at all irrespective of how tough you squeeze, the switch is usually the culprit.
Tools you'll want to have ready
You don't need the rolling tool chest for this, but having the right Torx bits is non-negotiable. Harley loves their own Torx fasteners.
- Torx T-25 and T-27 drivers: These are the most common sizes for the particular switch housing plus the master canister clamp.
- A small piece of cardboard or the shim: This is actually the "pro tip" that saves existence (or at minimum saves switches). You'll see why inside a minute.
- Needle-nose pliers: For getting those tiny wires or pulling the particular switch out of its seat.
- Soldering metal or heat-shrink fittings: Based on your specific yr and model, a person might need in order to splice the brand-new switch to the wiring harness. Newer bikes often have plug and play connectors, but old ones require a little bit of wiring work.
- Small flat-head screwdriver: Useful for carefully prying the casing apart.
The particular most important action: The cardboard shim
Before a person even touch a screw, I have to tell a person about the cardboard boxes shim trick. This is the component where most people mess up their harley front brake light switch replacement .
When you attend loosen the expert cylinder and the particular switch housing, the particular brake lever may move around in a way that puts pressure on the switch. If you don't prevent this, you'll break the brand-new switch before you even get the bicycle started.
Take a small piece of solid cardboard—about the width of a cereal box—and fold it. Press your brake lever and insert that cardboard into the gap involving the lever and the housing. This keeps the particular lever held slightly away from the switch plunger. Maintain that shim within there until the very last step associated with the installation. Seriously, don't skip this particular.
Getting into the switch housing
Once your shim is within place, go ahead and loosen the two anchoring screws holding the switch housing together. On most Harleys, these are T-25 screws. You don't necessarily possess to take them all the way out, but it makes items easier if a person do. Just create sure you don't drop them straight into the dark perdition of your garage area floor.
After the screws are usually out, gently shake the housing aside. You'll view a bird's nest of wires in there. Don't panic; we're just interested in the two wires major to the small black switch hidden close to the brake lever pivot.
In the event that you have a more recent Harley with CAN-bus wiring, you may find that the switch is integrated into a larger module. Nevertheless, on the huge majority of bicycles, it's a separate component held within place by a little metal cut or just the friction from the housing alone.
Swapping away the old switch
Now, find the old switch. You'll see a little V-shaped spring or even a metal clip holding it within place. Occurs needle-nose pliers to carefully pop that clip out. Keep an eye on this because you'll probably need it for that new one.
Once the particular switch is free, the actual wires. In case your replacement kit came with an extended pigtail, you may need to cut the particular old wires and solder the new ones on. When you're lucky plus have a connection, just unplug it.
In the event that you're soldering, make sure you slide your heat-shrink tubes onto the wire prior to you join them. This sounds obvious, yet we've all forgotten it at least one time. Twist the wires together, solder them cleanly, and then glide the heat-shrink within the joint. Use a lighter or a heat gun in order to seal it upward. This keeps moisture out, which will be vital since this particular area is constantly exposed to the particular rain.
Setting up the new switch
Place the new switch straight into the housing where exactly the old one particular was. Make sure the little rubber boot is sitting correctly. This is usually where you'll become glad you held that cardboard shim in the brake lever. Without it, you'd be combating the lever right this moment, and the risk of snapping the new plastic plunger would be massive.
Reinstall the metal clip or spring that retains the switch within place. It should feel snug. Before you press button everything backup, give the wires a quick check to create sure they aren't going to get pinched when a person tighten the housing screws. Pinched wires result in shorts, plus shorts lead to blown fuses—and no one has time with regard to that.
Placing it all back again together
Collection up the top and bottom halves of the switch casing. It should breeze together relatively very easily. If there's the gap, something is likely pinching a wire, so don't force it. Once it's seated, hand-tighten the Torx screws.
Now, a person can finally eliminate that piece of cardboard. Squeeze the particular lever a few times. You need to hear a weak "click" coming from the switch. That's the sound of success.
Tighten the housing screws the sleep of the method, but don't over-torque them. You're screwing into relatively smooth metal, and stripping those threads is usually a nightmare you don't want to deal with. Just obtain them nice and snug.
Testing your effort
It's time intended for the moment associated with truth. Turn your ignition on and look at your tail light. Squeeze the front brake lever. If the light leaps to life, you've nailed your harley front brake light switch replacement .
While you're with it, check your own rear brake pedal too. Sometimes, when one switch goes, we realize the particular other one has been acting upward as well. It's always preferable to find out in the particular driveway than upon the highway.
Troubleshooting common problems
What in the event that it still doesn't work? Don't throw your wrench across the garage just yet.
First, check the particular bulb. It noises stupid, but occasionally the timing is just a chance as well as your dual-filament bulb made a decision to burn away right once you were functioning on the switch.
Second, check your fuses. If you accidentally touched the 2 wires together whilst the battery was connected, you might have popped the particular brake light blend. It's a fast plus cheap fix.
Third, consider the "wedge" inside the casing. If the switch isn't sitting strong enough, the lever won't engage it. You might need to adapt the position of the switch slightly or ensure the metallic clip is pressing it forward as it should.
Covering things up
Replacing a front brake light switch any of these "rite of passage" maintenance tasks intended for Harley owners. It teaches you in regards to the delicacy of the particular controls and the importance of these tiny Torx nails. Plus, doing this yourself saves you a good amount of change that could otherwise go to a dealership's labor rates.
Just remember: shim the lever , be mild with the wires, and always test it before you trip. Once you've completed it once, you'll realize it's a pretty simple work that just needs a steady hand. Since your brake light is working again, you can strike the road along with one less thing to worry roughly. Stay safe away there and appreciate the ride!