Rear Brake Fun!

[CA]

Well I got her running again thanks to a float sent by the saint DiverRay! Also rebuilt the rear MC. Boy did it need it, got the plunger out and saw the middle seal was split in half. So got the rear bled and boy are they stiff now! And that's the problem...Now my rear brake pedal won't activate the brake light unless I jam it down hard. I read something about the brake switch but could not find anything conclusive....

Along those same lines it is the blue wire that is for the running light correct? That's what I read, my gauges are working but my running light is not. Not really sure what to look for but I'll give it a look.

And last but not least, my starter button disintegrated today. The ring that holds it in is almost gone so I have to use my key to push it in, yet I have to put the button back in or it will begin to crank randomly while driving. My horn isn't working so can I just switch the buttons and do the horn thing later?? Is that hard??

Happy Easter!

[bikerphil]

The horn button is interchangable with the starter button. Partsnmore and eBay have those replacement buttons. There is an adjustment on the rear brake lite switch by the swingarm. The plunger rod should be adjustable too.

[corey]

For the brake, just break the lock nut loose and adjust the screw. I believe you'll have to back it out. Don't be confused by the actual switch... it looks like its threaded at first, but actually just clicks into the little bracket. it only looks like a nut.

[CA]

Won the battle but losing the war...

So I successfully changed the horn button and moved it over to the starter button. Also successfully changed the sensitivity to the rear brake light. The rod needed adjustment badly as it was way too stiff. Now the problem...

We cannot figure out the running light problem! I figited with the wires looking for kinks and what not but could not find any. Finally we put the bulb back in and the running light was on! Wow! I didn't know what the deal was but I put her back together and thought I was done for the day until just to check things I pulled the front brake lever and the power to the entire bike went off. And I couldn't get the power to come back for about a minute. After it came back on the running light was still on so i tried the brake again and the same thing happened, power died. When the power came back on no running light yet power would stay on. While testing we could get the running light to come on by giving power directly to the first clip thing that the blue wire ran into; after that it goes into the big black bundle. I checked the three main grounds for the bike and they seemed ok. I don't really know where to look now. My brother, who knows electrical on a decent level, and I sat out there for about an hour searching and stabbing at the thing and could not figure it out....help! Specifics are needed because we are lost and don't really know where else to go...

Hopefully I can figure this out because it is getting warm enough for night rides!!

[skids]

How good is the battery? The battery constantly drains when the bike is idling. If the voltage drops to something like 10 volts at the ignition box, the bike will quit getting spark to the plugs and will die. Maybe your charge state was so low that hitting the brakke light just put it over the edge. You can jumper it to a car battery while makeing your tests and see how it does. (car not running).

[skids]

PS. The lights can also go buggy when the voltage drops.

[bikerphil]

Do you have a wiring diagram? If you don't, I'll post one for you for the 79 SF.

[CA]

I don't have a wiring diagram. I would be really surprised if its the battery as it is only a month old and the running light has been out for a while now; even when running long distances. It has no other problems electrically. I was getting 12.3 volts from the battery on the voltmeter.
Should there be a click when the power comes on from the fuse box? It is pretty noticeable.

Any thoughts?

[bikerphil]

Wiring diagram, you might need to enlarge to 150%....

If you have the old glass fuses, would be a good idea to upgrade to the spade type box.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...8_edited-1.jpg