[tekgeak]

I just bought a Ducati S2R 800. I swear I tested the rear brake light before I paid the guy but now it doesn't work.
The bike has an integrated LED Tail light. Neither the foot or hand break set off the brake light so I'm thinking it's not the switches that are the problems (two go bad at once?)
Anyway, I didn't install it and don't know that much about the bike yet. I've looked for loose wire and can't find anything.
If anyone has installed one of the integrated LED tailights and has some advice as to where I should look I would be deeply indebted.

I should add that everything else works on the tailight (left/right signal and parking/running light)

 

[tiggerkai]

are you getting good grounds?

 

[tekgeak]

Newbie with tools

I think grounds are good since everything else is working on the taillight. I'll check to make sure though.

But if someone out there has Ducati Monster 2006 could you tell me which wire and color actually sets off the brake light?

BTW, tiggerkai thanks for taking the time to help me out.

 

[tiggerkai]

I have the same bike, but I can't remember the color of brake wire when I did my tail light, maybe yellow. Check your owners manual, if you don't have it you can get it at the ducati site. the entire wiring diagram are in them. Otherwise, I would just grab a mutimeter and test the wires. one set should be hot once you turn on the bike (running light) and the other set should turn hot when you engage the brake. If both sets of wire are good, it might be a tail light problem, but I doubt that since you stated the the running lights work.

hope that helps. my integrated went in with no problem but then again I built my own

 

[tiggerkai]

one other thing, is the tail light wired correctly? leds works on the amount of current through it. if the brake light wire of the tail light is wired to the running light wire of the bike, it would still light up like a running light but most likely would not show much change when the brake is engaged.

 

[tekgeak]

Wiring

Seems like it. The are 5 wires going to the housing one turned off the left sig, one turned off the right signal, one turned off the running light and still no brake light.
The housing does have two yellow wires that actually go into the housing and attach directly to the LED board and I don't know what those 2 do.

 

[tekgeak]

Finally figured it out! It wasn't that the brake light wasn't coming on, it was that it was always on! The rear break switch was stuck in the on position. A little WD-40 did the trick.

 

[Jellonailer]

Also make sure you check the small plunger in the brake lever between the switch and the lever- if that gums up it won't reset the micro switch and brakes stay on. Same symptom different cause. That happened to me last month, worked at the dealer and 4 days later brakes stayed on.

 

[darkmonster620]

From time to time, give it a bit of contact cleaner followed by wd-40... or everytime you wash the bike...

 

[Jellonailer]

Plunger

Also make sure you check the small plunger in the brake lever between the switch and the lever- if that gums up it won't reset the micro switch and brakes stay on. Same symptom different cause. That happened to me last month, worked at the dealer and 4 days later brakes stayed on.

Agree, same problem as mine but an easy fix. I wasn't that it would not come "on" it was that it was always "on". The front brake has a plunger, see above, that operates the the front brake micro switch. Since the front and rear switches are wires in parallel if the front sticks"on" the rear also doesn't work. Remove your brake lever and the micro switch clip, and then clean the plunger and receptical. It's small, about 5/32" in diameter and about 3/8" long. Don't lose it. I don't use wd-40, I think it gums up but use whatever you want. I had the EXACT same thing happen to me. Bought my bike, got it home and the brake lights didn't work.

 

[darkmonster620]

Agree, same problem as mine but an easy fix. I wasn't that it would not come "on" it was that it was always "on". The front brake has a plunger, see above, that operates the the front brake micro switch. Since the front and rear switches are wires in parallel if the front sticks"on" the rear also doesn't work. Remove your brake lever and the micro switch clip, and then clean the plunger and receptical. It's small, about 5/32" in diameter and about 3/8" long. Don't lose it. I don't use wd-40, I think it gums up but use whatever you want. I had the EXACT same thing happen to me. Bought my bike, got it home and the brake lights didn't work.

I use the WD-40 to displace water and the contact cleaner to clean out any excess 'grease', remember that wd-40 is a 'water displacement' lubricant. Where I live, low humidity is 70%.