cliverlong Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 (edited) HiFor some reason I was checking the brake light on my XJ6 and I noticed the brake light was on. I have worked out the cause is the hand brake lever.At one end of the hand brake lever is a "paddle" that when the lever is not held (i.e. the brake is not activated) the paddle pushes a little switch (see attached pictures ). I guess this is a very common set up (see attached link to photos). When the switch is pushed by the paddle the brake light is off. When I pull on the brake level the paddle comes away and the switch springs open and the rear brake light comes on. The problem is sometimes the paddle does not press the switch enough to switch off the brake light. I can overcome this by "flicking" the brake lever with my fingers, but it is tricky and I shouldn't really do this while riding. Now, over a year ago I was knocked off the bike by white van man and one bit of damage to the bike was a little cover that was part of the brake cylinder (?) arrangement that covered the "plunger" into the master brake cylinder (?) had sheared off. You can see this in one of the photos "brake lever cover sheared"Now, is it possible the "paddle" is slightly bent and with a bit of heat and bending I can get the paddle to push on to the switch when I release the brake lever? Regards, Clive Edited October 10, 2015 by cliverlong small typos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted October 10, 2015 Moderator Share Posted October 10, 2015 Just buy a new switch unit, it fits to the bottom of the master cylinder and costs about a tenner....This was after a 2 second google..... http://www.rawpowermotorcycles.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=11779282 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewart Ferguson Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Think I'd try a squirt of lubricant or WD40 to the switch and lever pivot bolt first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliverlong Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 Just buy a new switch unit, it fits to the bottom of the master cylinder and costs about a tenner....This was after a 2 second google..... http://www.rawpowermotorcycles.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=11779282Thanks for the link to the part. A useful site for spares.The switch works perfectly, it is just sometimes it is it is not pushed enough by the "paddle". Clive Think I'd try a squirt of lubricant or WD40 to the switch and lever pivot bolt first.The straightforward ideas are the best. I will try this. Ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevtheRev Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 Don't try to bend the lever , chances are it'll snap . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 As above, buy a new lever, if it's bent then throw it away and get another one. The last thing you need it to try the brakes and the lever snaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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