July 11th, 2020, 10:55 AM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Arthur
Location: Sammamish , WA
Join Date: Jun 2020 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja EX250J; 2005 CBR1000RR Posts: 108
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Front Brake Light Switch: 250R 2008-2011
I googled this and it looks like a weak link in the Ninja 250R makeup. Quite a lot of people have replaced this part to get their brake light to work again from the front brake lever.
Did you guys encounter this issue in your years of ownership? |
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July 11th, 2020, 12:17 PM | #2 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Arthur
Location: Sammamish , WA
Join Date: Jun 2020 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja EX250J; 2005 CBR1000RR Posts: 108
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Just went to the nearby Kawa dealer and they are closed for Racing Day.
Urgh ... |
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July 11th, 2020, 01:17 PM | #3 |
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MOTY - 2018, MOTM - Nov '17
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Nope, never had problem with brake-lever switch. In fact opposite. Using new-gen brake-lever on pre-gen bike caused loose/wobbly lever that turned ON brake-lights randomly all the time.
Replacing perfectly good working parts with brand-new perfectly good working parts changes nothing and symptoms will persist. Don't replace perfectly good working parts until you've tested and confirmed it's bad. Otherwise you end up accumulating so many perfectly good working spares that you can build 2nd complete bike after a while. 1. I assume your brake-lights turns ON with rear-brake switch? 2. Pull out meter and test if there's power going INTO brake-lever switch first (red/blue). 3. IF you have power going INTO brake light switch, squeeze lever and test for power going OUT of lever, blue/red wire. 4. Another test is unplug connector to front brake-lever. Use jumper to bridge red/blue to blue/red on harness-side connector. Does brake-light turn on? |
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July 11th, 2020, 01:30 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Arthur
Location: Sammamish , WA
Join Date: Jun 2020 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja EX250J; 2005 CBR1000RR Posts: 108
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Yes, brake light works with Rear Brake.
Thanks, Danno, I'll checked out these diagnostic steps. |
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July 11th, 2020, 02:08 PM | #5 |
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MOTY - 2018, MOTM - Nov '17
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If #2 doesn't test for power. You've got wiring problem upstream of switch that's not sending power.
Another thing to check is mis-alignment of switch-to-lever button. If #4 above checks out, then switch really is not working, but it may not be broken. 5. with harness-plug re-connected, manually push button on brake-lever switch. If it turns on brake-light when pushed by hand, then lever is not pushing on lever-switch button for some reason. Could be switch not screwed in proper location. Or might be wrong-lever installed where little pad is not contacting switch button. |
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July 11th, 2020, 02:18 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Arthur
Location: Sammamish , WA
Join Date: Jun 2020 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja EX250J; 2005 CBR1000RR Posts: 108
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Step#2: I am assuming input power is the wired connector that plugs into the switch?
I just tested that and it’s around 12.4V and it drops to 3.5V when I depress rear brake. Step #3: Not sure where is the output of the switch? |
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July 11th, 2020, 02:57 PM | #7 | |
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Quote:
#2. yes red/blue input-wire to switch gets power from#4 tail-light fuse. So this test seems to indicate you have power going into brake-lever switch. Also seems to show something's working due to voltage-drop. If bulb doesn't light, voltage-drop is due to short somewhere between switch and brake-light bulb. Do test#4 with manually connecting input & output of brake-lever switch at harness-connector. Does voltage drop there also? Does bulb light? |
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July 11th, 2020, 03:45 PM | #8 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Arthur
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I think the switch is busted.
Essentially, the internal of the switch is quite simple: when you depress it, it breaks the circuit (open circuit). I'm assuming that somehow bumps up the voltage to the bulb a little to increase the light intensity? I have actually unscrewed the switch and disengaged it from the handle-bar and did some experimentation with me manually depressing the switch to see how it behaved. It was erratic. Some times it works and more often than not it did not. I have also popped open the switch to see the internals of the switch and it is a crude little thing. It's all mechanical tiny levers held back by springs and small (magnetic electrical contact points). A 13 year old spring is old. I looked at the switch and it was factory dated at 2008 Mar. If I dig this far, for a 12 year vehicle, I usually replace parts along the way so as not waste future time. It's time for that switch to go and besides, it's cheap. So, I'll replace it and see what happens. If it does not solve the problem, I will continue to go down the rabbit hole. Thanks, Danno, for the kind help. |
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July 11th, 2020, 07:45 PM | #9 |
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MOTY - 2018, MOTM - Nov '17
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Ok, certainly doesn't behave as it should.
Circuit is normally open. Pushing button closes switch and sends power from red/blue wire (power) to blue/red wire which is connected to brake-light bulb. Last futzed with by DannoXYZ; July 12th, 2020 at 10:22 AM. |
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July 17th, 2020, 11:02 AM | #10 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Arthur
Location: Sammamish , WA
Join Date: Jun 2020 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja EX250J; 2005 CBR1000RR Posts: 108
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I said in my other thread that the switch "self-healed" while I was replacing brake line and fluid.
It's not working again after 2 days. Good thing the new switch is arriving in a couple of days. Will update after it is installed. |
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July 18th, 2020, 03:09 PM | #11 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Arthur
Location: Sammamish , WA
Join Date: Jun 2020 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja EX250J; 2005 CBR1000RR Posts: 108
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Light Switch arrived and I installed it. Brake Light turned ON immediately when I depressed Lever.
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July 18th, 2020, 03:15 PM | #12 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
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MOTY - 2018, MOTM - Nov '17
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Awesome!
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