Tail light on but hand and foot brake does not turn on brake light

[Ryan T]

Hope someone here can help me with this issue. I will try to make this as short as possible.

All the tail lights come on when I turn on my motorcycle, signal lights work fine as well. However, when I pull the hand brake or use the foot brake, the tail light does not brighten, it stays low, as if neither brake was engaged. At first, I thought the brake filament in the bulb was burned out, I changed the bulb, no result. I checked the fuses, they all are good (not to mention the tail light is on, it just will not become bright when the brakes are used).

This is not the "brake light is always on issue". It is a "brake light does not illuminate brighter when the brakes are engaged."

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Gary in NJ]

I have replaced a number of brake light switches over the years (never on an FZ) so they do fail. It is possible that they both have failed. A continuity tester is your friend here.

 

[Ryan T]

I have replaced a number of brake light switches over the years (never on an FZ) so they do fail. It is possible that they both have failed. A continuity tester is your friend here.

Thanks for the info. I think I got a lot of diagnosing ahead of me.

 

[Gary in NJ]

Not a lot. Disconnect the connector at the brake switch. Attach your tester to the two prongs, apply the brake and listen for the magic continuity beep. No beep…then you have found the problem. If it beeps, you’ll have to start digging further.

 

[Ryan T]

Thanks. I found the issue. Color me stupid. Fuses were the first thing I checked back in September when I realized I had the problem. I checked the fuse id'ed as TAIL and one labeled as BACKUP. Both were fine. So I moved on to checking wires, switches, etc. No joy there. After researching the forum, I found a few different approaches. One was to check/test the horn. It was not working. I went back to the fuses and this time checked EVERY LAST ONE of them. Found the one marked SIGNAL was blown. Mind you I did not check this originally cause the signal lights were working with no issues, so I didn't bother looking at the fuse marked SIGNAL.

Well, once that fuse was replaced, both hand and foot brake made the brake light come to life. Man, oh man, talk about a happy camper. Now I have to take it and get it inspected (Virginia safety inspection). It was due last year (Aug/Sep), now, once that's done, I'm back on the road.

Thanks for the responses and help, it's really appreciated.