Rear Brake Switch

blipJC · Aug 25, 2014

Can anyone please post a pic of the stock placement of the wires from the harness to the rear brake switch? I forgot the route of the wires when I replaced the wire harness and when I try to guess the wires are either touching the pipes or not long enough to plug into the switch. Any help would be great.

Hobot · Aug 25, 2014

Unless its some strange hybrid 850 there should be a small bracket that attaches to rear bolt of foot stalk that hold two wires off pipe and tends to aim forward at the fragile unstable switch. Reroute or someone else's advice needed if wires not just reaching the terminal with slack enough not to pull right off. Mine got ripped off so scabbed in new wire & terminal till ripped off again so have just forgot about it now as front still works.

MikeM · Aug 25, 2014

there is a crazy little bracket that you need.

If this doesnt give you the view you need, its the Guiness. PM me and I will give you some photos of the bracket that worked for me.
You have to get over the pipe.
MikeM

kerinorton · Aug 25, 2014

the first time my switch got wiped off, I bought a Japanese pull switch which now mounts to the fit peg bracket and acts as a safety spring retainer for the foot brake pedal to stop it dropping down when the cable breaks. [ it never has with me, but I do remember refitting the end on the 850 rear cable one time. ]
Dereck
ps I know its blasphemous but it is just one of those modifications I had to do. Had to be a twit to design that ball zup.

MikeM · Aug 25, 2014

kerinorton said:
the first time my switch got wiped off, I bought a Japanese pull switch which now mounts to the fit peg bracket and acts as a safety spring retainer for the foot brake pedal to stop it dropping down when the cable breaks. [ it never has with me, but I do remember refitting the end on the 850 rear cable one time. ]
Dereck
ps I know its blasphemous but it is just one of those modifications I had to do. Had to be a twit to design that ball zup.

Photos? The factory switch is not the best deal.

blipJC · Aug 25, 2014

Thanks Mike. I guess I will start fabricating that bracket in the morning I think I may make two and mount the other one on the bump stop bolt on the lever.

MikeM · Aug 25, 2014

blipJC said:
Thanks Mike. I guess I will start fabricating that bracket in the morning I think I may make two and mount the other one on the bump stop bolt on the lever.

My local guy went in the back and brought one out for me. I got one he says, Not new but....

http://morriesplacecycle.com/

Ask for Ed. If you need photos I can take some better shots. Ed is the bomb. He is the Norton Master.

MikeM

Hobot · Aug 25, 2014

Do provide a protective gromitt or expect shorts. Hope the length works out. The long spring type switches are known as universal rear brake switches and definitely more robust long term than factory after thought switch and routing. But it obviously a lazy man's with no sense of taste type switch for everyone and yourself to turn their nose up at its wartyness so search up switch alternatives from clothes pins to relayed micro switches with little bearings in their articulated rolling lever.
https://www.google.com/search?q=norton+ ... h&tbm=isch

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=mi ... r+actuator

DogT · Aug 25, 2014

Yeah, those wires are short, but they come down the left side frame behind the battery or oil tank and under the rear brake (on the proper side) and go through a lazy Z shaped bracket off the bottom of the Z plate/peg mount to the strange Lucas switch.

I'd replace it in a heartbeat given a chance, I've just been lazy and I somehow seem to keep it working. If you need a better picture I can supply.

Dave
69S

Hobot · Aug 26, 2014

Hehe David, I appreciate your sense of duty to get down and dirty for a good photo for us and refreshing to see factory wires and switch still looking good. On my 1st Combat the lever knob didn't hit the switch squarely or in line so had to shim by beer can pieces to get some action and still tended to get out of line and either stay on or not turn on.

ashman · Aug 26, 2014

These orginal switchs aren't very good and after sometime will fall apart, the orginal switch lasted for 30 years before it failed, but the new replacement ones are crap, I have gone through 3 new ones in about 2 years, the rubber tears and the guts fall apart I got tied of replacing them and decided to put a early Honda dirt bike brake switch , it has been on for 5 years now without any problems at all and was easy to mount.

Ashley

kerinorton · Aug 26, 2014

ashman said:
These orginal switchs aren't very good and after sometime will fall apart, the orginal switch lasted for 30 years before it failed, but the new replacement ones are crap, I have gone through 3 new ones in about 2 years, the rubber tears and the guts fall apart I got tied of replacing them and decided to put a early Honda dirt bike brake switch , it has been on for 5 years now without any problems at all and was easy to mount.

Ashley

that's what I did 39 years ago. Never been a problem. Looking at your photo though there seems to be an alignment problem between your brake cable and the yoke holding the cable end,. Looks like it is trying to pull sideways or is that just an illusion.

DogT · Aug 26, 2014

I'd replace the original Lucas switch with a micro-switch. It should be easy and attach to the original plate with a few extra holes with some #3 or 4 hardware. But then I don't ride in the rain.

texasSlick · Aug 26, 2014

DogT said:
I'd replace the original Lucas switch with a micro-switch. It should be easy and attach to the original plate with a few extra holes with some #3 or 4 hardware. But then I don't ride in the rain.

I replaced the Lucas crapola on my Atlas with a Micro switch about 49 years ago...since then, I have worn down the plastic actuator button, but otherwise, it has never been a problem...in the rain or dry. I am with DogT...use a Microswitch.

I have just replaced the Micro with a Cherry switch ( because of the worn button)....I'll let everyone know how it compares after another 49 years.

Slick

Hobot · Aug 26, 2014

, I have gone through 3 new ones in about 2 years, the rubber tears and the guts fall apart I got tied of replacing them and decided to put a early Honda dirt bike brake switch , it has been on for 5 years now without any problems at all and was easy to mount.

Ah HA! ashman, finally ya reveal something the rest of us can relate to, something failing repeatedly in your life no fault of your own to annoy the snot out of ya. Very clean and clever off road clearance Honda switch adaptation that looks authentic genuine issue British enough to please anyone. Seeing those rusty nuts made me grin, as only shows how dang oil tight your is. I don't see a safety spring though the switch linkage likely would anyway.

ashman · Aug 27, 2014

You got me Steve, my Norton is no show pony it shows its age, ever nut and bolt was replaced when I first built my 850/Featherbed in 1980 so after 34 years on the road, it only get a good clean and polish once a year on the day I picked it up new, sort of birthday present and in the 39 years of ownership it has never let me down, except for a broken chain.

By the way I have owned the Honda brake switch even longer than my Norton, been sitting in my part box since i was 15 years old when I brought my first dirt bike MT125 Elsinor (1973 Honda).

Ashley

ashman · Aug 27, 2014

kerinorton said:
ashman said:

These orginal switchs aren't very good and after sometime will fall apart, the orginal switch lasted for 30 years before it failed, but the new replacement ones are crap, I have gone through 3 new ones in about 2 years, the rubber tears and the guts fall apart I got tied of replacing them and decided to put a early Honda dirt bike brake switch , it has been on for 5 years now without any problems at all and was easy to mount.

Ashley

Click to expand...

that's what I did 39 years ago. Never been a problem. Looking at your photo though there seems to be an alignment problem between your brake cable and the yoke holding the cable end,. Looks like it is trying to pull sideways or is that just an illusion.

Its not a illusion as the Featherbed frame is shorter in the wheel base and using the orginal cable from the Commando frame is a little bit to long, but its still working after 34 years.

Ashley

acadian · Mar 15, 2016

Reviving this, as I finally got around to ditching the crap lucas copy switch with a honda trail bike universal switch. The rearsets I got from madass are great, and though they have a provision for the lucas switch, I still had some alignment issues with the mounting holes where the plunger was not being hit square...

anyway, problem solved with this switch and a custom bracket I fabbed up to match the rearset bracket...

Nater_Potater · Mar 16, 2016

acadian said:

Did you just run the brake cable inner piece straight back to the brake lever on the rear wheel without the outer sheive?

batrider · Mar 16, 2016

This is what I did and it looks fairly stock and the wires are in the same place. I made an aluminum adapter plate 1/4" thick for the different mounting hole locations.

I went a little overboard on eBay.. but it was a good deal.

Here it is mounted. It isn't a waterproof switch but I have been in some hellacious downpours and it has worked fine. I have poured water out of the stock switch with the rubber boot. I've had it on there for 8 years so far.

Rear Brake Switch

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