[dohyoh]

I have a monster 620, I noticed that the brake/tail light is always on since I came in from my last ride. Is there a way I can check what's going on? Anything to point me in the right direction will be great. Thanks a lot.

 

[Speeddog]

Not totally sure I understand the problem, but here goes:

Taillight/running light should on anytime the key switch is on.

If it's the brake light that's on all the time, one of your brake switches may have come loose and fallen out of it's mount.

 

[dohyoh]

The brake and tail light are the same thing aren't they?

 

[Guest]

If you mean that they are on after you shut the bike down, make sure you aren't going to the "park" position before removing your key.

 

[Speeddog]

The brake and tail light are the same thing aren't they?

Two different filaments in the same bulb. The dimmer (taillight) filament should be on anytime the key is on, the brighter (brake light) filament should only be on when the rearbrake pedal is pushed or the front brake lever pulled.

 

[dohyoh]

I did take a look at the bulb and there are two filaments, the problem is it doesn't get brighter when I hit the brakes. The filaments are in good shape. I am not too sure where to check about the connection to the brakes, is there a wiring guide somewhere? Thanks for your replies.

 

[Speeddog]

If you turn the key on and both filaments are lit, then you have a stuck, maladjusted or shorted brakelight switch. Rear one is located on the inside of the right footpeg mount. Front one is a small switch on the front brake lever assembly. Unplug each switch to find the bad one. Repair or replace as necessary.

If you just get the dim filament with the key on and brakes applied, the bright filament is likely broken. A fairly common problem on some Monsters. Get another bulb at your local auto parts store. If you put that in, and it still doesn't light up when you step on the brake pedal or pull the brake lever, try disconnecting and then reconnecting the electrical plug on the taillight assembly. It's kind of unlikely that both switches failed.

Your owner's manual has a wiring diagram.

 

[Andrew_Cornett]

Have you done any tail mods to the bike? If you don't have a brake switch activated, and you have recently chopped the tail end, I would say you swapped the plugs on the brake/tail light. I did this myself too.

 

[ScottRNelson]

It is possible to put the rear light bulb in backwards, at least on my bike. When you do that, you get the brighter one on all the time and the dimmer one comes on when you hit the brakes. I've done it at least twice (I always check when replacing a bulb now), and have heard of quite a few others doing the same thing. Whenever installing a new tail light bulb, always check that it works correctly before putting the red lense back on.

 

[dohyoh]

Thanks for all your answers. Both filaments light up so I am thinking it's a stuck or malfunctioning switch, I'll check them out. Thanks a lot.