Topic: 2 questions: Headlight & rear brake switches

[Dr. Noisewater]

My 550 build is getting close to completion (although I've been saying that for months) and I'm crossing off all the little things that would make it fail safety.

First is the headlight switch. On my 550 it's simply a low beam/high beam switch on the left hand control along with the turn signal switch and horn button. Both the signal switch and the horn work perfectly, but the headlight is finicky. It seems to me like it has a dirty connection or something. The light will come on but vibrations or fiddling with the low/high switch will make it cut in and out. It kind of snaps when you flip it to high beam, doesn't feel good, but the high beam will work - although it'll still cut out with vibrations.

I've read some of the nightmares about re-soldering the inside of these switches and I'd like to avoid that. Is there a safe way to clean the inside connections of the switch so the light will remain stable? Would it be easier to just bypass the left hand control and wire a separate toggle for the low/high beam? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Second is the rear brake switch. The brake light works when the front brake is applied but not the rear. The switch has the spring connected to it and to the pedal, when I press the pedal it pulls on the spring, but the piece that connects the switch to the spring doesn't move. Isn't it supposed to slide out a tad when operated? I can tell somebody has tampered with the switch at some point and it doesn't appear to be the factory switch. Should I just swap it out or look somewhere else in the wiring?

Thanks for any ideas.


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[kammery]

 Yes the black plastic rod will move freely when you push on the pedal . You might try and spray some WD40 on the rod   The headlamp problem . Make sure all the male and female bullit connectors are clean and tight  that apply to the headlamp . Also check the fuse box , the fuse for the headlamps and the clips that retain the fuse .

[TwoTired]

Year and model of bike?  The 550's have different wire diagrams and routing for headlight power.  Newer models route headlight power through the starter button switch.

[LesterPiglet]

That rear brake light switch seizes quite easily. Give it plenty of WD and operate with a pair of pliers until it functions normally.
As for the handlebar switch. Again give it plenty of WD to clean it out( while off the bike) to determine what the real problem is. I'd rather fix the Honda switch than replace it.

[greenjeans]

On every switch I've ever taken apart, there has been spider webs etc in there.   I agree with the others - spray it liberally with WD-40.  If you have
an air compressor, give it a good shot of air after the WD-40.  Do it several times while moving the switch back and forth.  That has kept me from taking
apart many switches.  You don't even have to take it apart at all.  Compressed air & WD and I'd bet you'd be ready to go.

I know it's a pain in the arse, but you should probably check and clean the connections for everything in the headlight bucket.

[Black 750K8]

On every switch I've ever taken apart, there has been spider webs etc in there.   I agree with the others - spray it liberally with WD-40.  If you have
an air compressor, give it a good shot of air after the WD-40.  Do it several times while moving the switch back and forth.  That has kept me from taking
apart many switches.  You don't even have to take it apart at all.  Compressed air & WD and I'd bet you'd be ready to go.

I know it's a pain in the arse, but you should probably check and clean the connections for everything in the headlight bucket.

+10
The first thing I do with a new to me bike is separate and clean every single connection from head to tail on the entire bike. This gives me peace of mind going down the road 200 miles from home at 2am. On what should be a fun trip. Get it bright and use some dielectric grease to keep down corrosion.

[Dr. Noisewater]

Great, thanks guys! I have plenty of WD around, I just wasn't sure if it would do damage to the controls if a little happened to get stuck in there.

I tried pliers on the brake switch but gave up quick, didn't want to break it. I'll try again with the WD.

Thanks again guys, I'll update once I've attempted both methods.


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[bjbuchanan]

Even if the switch is so stuck it breaks or the PO really screwed it up you can get another identical one for like 8$ from just about any vendor