How to: Install a rear brake switch for your tail light

[EX LONERIDER]

ok so i kinda took it upon me to answer this constanly asked question with a step by step pictorial.

Step 1) You'll need some essential tools. here's what i used; wire cutters/strippers, crimps, screwdrivers, zip ties, sharp razor blade, and some heat shrink tubing.

Step 2) You will need some parts. your choice brake light equipped tail lamp assembly, a factory honda brake switch, a 4x10mm screw (to hold the switch in place under your master cylinder) and a spool of 16 gague wire or lighting equivellant to run for power. i used an 05 yamaha R6 tail light. needles to say this can be done with any 3 wire tail lamp. i then ordered a switch from the dealer part number 35340-ML4-005. this ran me about $15 bux for the switch and found a deal for the tail lamp for $20 bux.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6265/440exprojecttaillamp015pz4.jpg
http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/9581/project440exbrakelight0rz1.jpg

depending on your choice of tail light, you'll need to come up with a method to install it to the rear of the bike. here is a thread on how i did mine should anyone want to do the same style.
http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?threadid=307005

Step 3) Next, you'll want to mount your switch with your 4x10mm screw to the bottom of the front brake master cylinder. make sure it lines up with the notch in the casting. you'll want to add some green or light duty locktite to the screw. place the screw into place and snug down. (BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER TIGHTEN THE SCREW. IT JUST NEEDS TO HOLD IT THERE, NOT SUPPORT THE BIKE!!!)
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7866/project440exbrakelight0kt5.jpg

Step 4) i used some pre-made insulated 2 wire for easier routing through the bike but you can follow the same steps with whatever you have available. take your ends and make a power lead for the battery connection and one for your brake light power lead.
http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/4128/project440exbrakelight0yn8.jpg
disconnect the power lead from your battery in order to connect your 12V lead to the battery terminal. (i disconnacted the battery holder to slide out the battery to cut the plastic in order to hide the wire. you can skip this f you wanna save time) connect your lead to the terminal and screw the lead back in.
http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/2572/project440exbrakelight0he1.jpg

Step 5) connect your brake light lead to the lead off the brake light.
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7470/project440exbrakelight0ns1.jpg
run your wires as cleanly as possible through the same route the wiring harness for the bike runs. using the metal tabs, run the wires through there in order to retain them.
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6970/project440exbrakelight0dy2.jpg
http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/5344/project440exbrakelight0bw2.jpg
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6326/project440exbrakelight0mx1.jpg

Step 6) you will want to find a way to secure the wire near the steering stem area so the wire has a clean path to hinge from without pulling on the wire when your bars turn. i found a good place right on the brake line bracket. i used some cut fuel tubing to insulate that peice of the wire from vibration against the sharp ends of the zip tie and steel bracket.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5994/project440exbrakelight0sh6.jpg

Step 7) now, since the wire insulator i was using was grey, i decided to not only further the insulation process (cus im anal that way) but also color match the wire to the rest of the cables running next to it with some black heat shrink tubing. if you are running single individual wires you will definately want to run some sort of insulator to cover the wires from element exposure.
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/4554/project440exbrakelight0ky4.jpg
http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/6864/project440exbrakelight0lr8.jpg

Step 8) you will now crimp on some connections to your leads for your brake switch. when clipping on the leads check your tail light to make sure you didnt cross them. youll want to check em by just squeezing your brake lever and see if your brake light lights up. if it does, it should turn off when you let off the brake. stuff some dialectrical grease in your connection leads and clip em on.
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/6872/project440exbrakelight0xo9.jpg
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2618/project440exbrakelight0ae4.jpg

with the leads connected, make sure you have left enough slack so the wire does not try and pull out of the sockets when fully turned to the right. this is where the bars pull away from direction the wires are coming from.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9840/project440exbrakelight0ip8.jpg

with that, you are all done. you should now have a live feed to your brake light and good to go!

[Kaleigh]

cool thanks.. Ive been wondering about the front brake switch.. is that a r1 brake light you got there?

oh you should join threads with " http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=299313&highlight=rear+brake " I think these would be great to sticky.. Wonder why it wasnt?

anyways.. thanks so much for this cause I didnt want to do a brake conversion with only the pedal.. now I can use the pedal and handbrake..

Kudos to you and Oldschool73.. this is my next mod :macho

[EX LONERIDER]

the brake light is off a 2005 R6 yamaha. not sure if they used em on the R1's but this is what the guy told me it was off of when i bought it off him. he looked at me strange when i told him what it was going to go on. :rolleyes:

yea. i had always seen that one. there were 2 things i didnt dig abou tthe mod though...

1) you had to get into the brake fluid and is messy. some people dont know how to bleed brakes and from what ive read, the switches sometimes bleed air into the system causing the switch to come on.

2) me personally, i dont use the rear brake hardly ever. my front brake is the one i mainly use if i do even use brakes.

i had yet to see someone do a front brake switch and it only made sence to do it that way since all 400ex's have the place for a factory switch stock. dunno why no one had ever tackled it in the first place?? this is like a commonly asked question and am sure more people would do it if they had an easy way to do it.

im thinking i *might* do a rear brake switch also but instead, use a yamaha raptor switch. the switches on the raptors are externally mounted in a similar fashion to the honda front one. i may do it but at the moment i dont see a need for it if your primary brake is the front. it comes on almost immediately after pressing the brake. really cool :macho

[Kaleigh]

I see.. never really thought about the air bleeding into the system.. My buddies got a raptor but i havent taken the time to look at the switch.. I was thinking about rigging up a 450r switch up to it..

like you said.. its really not needed since most people do use their front brake the most but still would be a "nice to have" option :D

that brake light looks sweet on your ride.. :macho

[EX LONERIDER]

thanks. depending on how much the yammy switch costs and how well i can rig it i may do that and add to this article.

i need to go find a raptor and take a look at the switch. then go back and look at the EX and see what i can do before putting money into that.

yea, the 450R would be a nice direct bolt on but like i said, i hear people that have done it having air in the line issues and leakage. would be nicer to have an external mounted one.

[Kaleigh]

i thought the 450r was external.. I swear when I looked at my buddies was.. i could be wrong cause it was a long time ago.. but I really thought it was external..

[Mercedes]

quick question. I got a stock 2006. If I just put in a new tail light R6 and just wire it up to the original tail light wires shoudent the light come on when I brake front or rear???? Since the original light comes on when I hit front or back brakes shouldent the R6 do the same when its wired up. Not sure why I would need to put a switch up front.

[EX LONERIDER]

dont see why not if its already wired for it. just check to see what wire is your brake light lead and wich is your running light lead. should work no problem. :cool:

[morrisbeer]

Where did you get the gray paired wire for the run between the switch and the light / battery? I just dont want to run 2 single wires back. That gray wire seems more resilliant.

[EX LONERIDER]

the loomed wires i actually found on the back of my buddy's alarm company truck. they use stuff like that to run power to cameras and such. you can probably find it at some electrical appliance stores.

[Mercedes]

Well you dont need to rewire to get the front brake to work,all you need to do is to get a hydrolic brake switch. They got them on Ebay for like 19$,or just go to a local shop and pick one up.

[Mercedes]

Forgot to say that I got a ASV front brake lever,so the electric brake switch wont work, that why I got a hydrolic one.
SORRY

[beags86]

bump for Ridin04EX

[swagracin]

I have the same tail light that you do with three wires coming out of it can you tell me what the each wire is for some reason i can not get the light to work when bench testing it with a battery