Brake Lights Stayed On

[classicvw]

Hi all. 2013 ST. Rode to work this morning and went inside. About 3 1/2 hours later I went outside and noticed the brake lights were on. Jiggled the brake pedal and they went right off. I looked underneath and saw no mud, dirt, nothing. Everything is as clean as can be but I guess I'll squirt some WD-40 or some lubricant down there when I get home.

Just wondering if this has happened to you and/or is it something common?

 

[ARtraveler]

Hi all. 2013 ST. Rode to work this morning and went inside. About 3 1/2 hours later I went outside and noticed the brake lights were on. Jiggled the brake pedal and they went right off. I looked underneath and saw no mud, dirt, nothing. Everything is as clean as can be but I guess I'll squirt some WD-40 or some lubricant down there when I get home.

Just wondering if this has happened to you and/or is it something common?

The usual culprit is crud on the return mechanism. Sounds like you have already been there. Perhaps a small adjustment on the mechanism. :thumbup:

 

[billybovine]

A common problem with 2013 ST's. There may be dirt in the switch and just needs to be cleaned out. More likely the switch has gone bad and needs to be replaced.

May be confusing for some that you post your ST issue on the RT forum.

 

[stevencovert]

Quick fix works well

Hi all. 2013 ST. Rode to work this morning and went inside. About 3 1/2 hours later I went outside and noticed the brake lights were on. Jiggled the brake pedal and they went right off. I looked underneath and saw no mud, dirt, nothing. Everything is as clean as can be but I guess I'll squirt some WD-40 or some lubricant down there when I get home.

Just wondering if this has happened to you and/or is it something common?

I wrote up a piece about this - do a search for 2013 ST brake light. Basically, if you get under the bike and locate the switch, it is 1/2" away from the cat, and it gets stupid hot and sticks. There was a "fix" with a relocation, not sure if BRP or home grown. What I did fixed it:

Go to an auto parts store and buy a "catalytic converter repair kit" with the white high temp fabric. Take the fabric and keep folding it until it is wider than the gap, then use a screwdriver and shove it in between the bracket the switch is mounted to and the cat. Problem solved (but smells funny for a few days). Very common problem, lot of people had the switch replaced, only to fail again in a couple months from overheating.

I found I had to tap the brake pedal a LOT to get the stupid light off before. With the insulation never happened again!

Hope this helps!
Steve

 

[classicvw]

A common problem with 2013 ST's. There may be dirt in the switch and just needs to be cleaned out. More likely the switch has gone bad and needs to be replaced.

May be confusing for some that you post your ST issue on the RT forum.

Sorry billy. I swear I clicked on "ST"!

A big thanks to all who responded. Steve, your fix is worth a try, thank you.

BTW, After work had to jump the bike from a co-worker's battery. Had good lights and dash, but barely clicked when I hit the start button.

 

[Chupaca]

It is....

One of the items on the check list for "Brake failure". Yeah it dosen't take much to zap your battery (31/2 hrs) will do it. If led's maybe not...:gaah: