front brake light sender/switch

[bigbore2]

Hey fellas-  When I bought my bike [84 1100] I needed to replace my front brake switch.
Then that stopped working and had to be replaced. Now I have to replace it again. This is in a 12,000 mi span I have had the bike.  48,000 mi. now

Am i just getting unlucky in the parts dept. or is this common?

And I did NOT see an option from Randy?   How can THAT be??

[FJmonkey]

Un-lucky, yes. Most micro switches are rated for a million plus cycles before failure. My '86 has over 70K miles on it with zero switch failures.

[bigbore2]

How much for the one off your 86?  Lol.
I will just replace and hope for the best. Its just that I use mainly the front brake but now I am paranoid and always jab on the rear brake to cover myself.    And then the question of having to constantly check for a working light. Oh well.

[FJmonkey]

How much for the one off your 86?  Lol.
I will just replace and hope for the best. Its just that I use mainly the front brake but now I am paranoid and always jab on the rear brake to cover myself.    And then the question of having to constantly check for a working light. Oh well.

You should be fine with a new one, unless you are getting some odd voltage/AMP issues causing the early failure. If you really want my old one we can talk. But it won't be cheap, that switch is now 30 years old and classic. 

[Charlie-brm]

I took mine (1984) apart two years ago and polished up the metal contacts. They need to be removed from the switch to get at the contact surfaces on the bottom of the metal strips. So far, so good.

But you can find what you're looking for here: =electrical&filters[fitting]=custom]http://www.partsnmore.com/parts/yamaha/fj1100/?filters[category]=electrical&filters[fitting]=custom

That's from southern Ontario, Canada. A good experience anytime I've ordered stuff for two wheel relics.

Charlie

[aviationfred]

PM sent


Fred

[ribbert]

I took mine (1984) apart two years ago and polished up the metal contacts. They need to be removed from the switch to get at the contact surfaces on the bottom of the metal strips. So far, so good.

Charlie

Good job. One of the beauties of our FJ's is that you can do just that, pull the switch apart. They are a mechanical switch and 99% of the time cleaning the contacts will do the trick.

Noel

[bigbore2]

I will I can try the contact polish but I am in the high desert. Corrosion would be less likely here, I would assume?  No?

thanx

[bigbore2]

Went out to my "mancave" garage and took off the switch. The pin was fully compressed and stuck in. I dropped it on my garage floor and when I picked it up, it was now fully extended.  installed it and it works perfect.  I guess I will watch it for a while and see how it does.

with the garage door closed [daytime] I was checking how it worked and compared it to my rear brake light.  The front light has a noticeably less bright light than the rear brake light. is that normal, dont they light the same bulb filament?          the difference would be rear at 100% and front at 80%

[FJmonkey]

Went out to my "mancave" garage and took off the switch. The pin was fully compressed and stuck in. I dropped it on my garage floor and when I picked it up, it was now fully extended.  installed it and it works perfect.  I guess I will watch it for a while and see how it does.

with the garage door closed [daytime] I was checking how it worked and compared it to my rear brake light.  The front light has a noticeably less bright light than the rear brake light. is that normal, dont they light the same bulb filament?          the difference would be rear at 100% and front at 80%

I am guessing you mean the rear brake light is brighter when activated by the brake peddle and about 80% less bright when activated by the lever. Both brake switches activate the same filaments in the brake lights. You might be seeing a voltage drop caused by corroded connections between the front brake switch and where it connects to the rest of the electrical system.

[bigbore2]

Yes FJ, what you said.
and then one of the spade female connectors broke off one of the wires.  I will take that as a good thing, huh?       guess I will upgrade to a soldered connection there.  
we have an electrical specialty store here in ABQ.   want to buy new female spade connectors to solder with. they are pretty small in size.   I guess i will check with them on parts.
or maybe Radio Shack?

[Pat Conlon]

Solder is great for electrical conductivity, but a 'quality' mechanical crimp is superior for environments with vibration, like motorcycles.

[fj1289]

Solder is great for electrical conductivity, but a 'quality' mechanical crimp is superior for environments with vibration, like motorcycles.

Through a few painful lessons I've developed a technique that works very well and has been fully reliable for me -- I use the heat shrink crimp connectors whenever possible.   I also coat each wire end with a product called OxGuard -- it's basically dielectric grease for corrosion resistance with finely ground metal added to enhance conductivity.   Crimp with a quality crimp tool, do a "pull test" on the connection, then shrink the heat shrink part of the connector.   I've built two harnesses from scratch for the race bike and three versions of the fuel injection harness -- 100% success with all connections I've done this way. Other connecfions I haven't done this with have given me various issues and caused a lot of grief. 

NOTE - DO NOT use OxGuard on a multi-pin connector - it can cause shorting between pins since it conducts electricity!

[Pat Conlon]

Thank you Chris, what a good tip!

2 birds with one stone, corrosion protection and better conductivity.....

You rock.

[bigbore2]

heat shrink crimp connectors-never heard of them.  Will sort out locally here, I hope.
that site in Canada looks tasty-thanx