Brake lamp outage switch...

Does this little doo-hickey that plugs in under the tank do anything?

I don't have any indicator light that I can see it operates. My lights work fine without it installed. Can I leave it out?

Here is an example... cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWASAKI-Z1-KZ90...dZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

my 76 kz900 has this also. the idiot light comes on when i hit the brakes. the bulbs are good and all elec. parts and connections ohm out good. i was going to unplug it. lets see what others say..

Mine has been "removed and deleted" for years, No problems...TFH

Yes Roland...You can remove the switch.Usually what happens,is the rubber that holds the switch in place,under the tank,rots and dry-cracks from the heat of the engine,and You get the switch bouncing around on top of the engine area,and getting in Your way.
I believe that this switch will NOT let You know if You have a blown bulb,but rather,it will detect if You have no power going TO the taillight..but I could be wrong.I remember this being brought up a couple years back,but I can't remember all what was said about them.I found one in a box of misc. parts,and installed it...it worked...but eventually it died...so I yanked it out and tossed it.
Oh and...when it DOES light up,it will activate Your "STOP LAMP" indicator(if You have one on the 900)
OR...when the switch IS in fact working...it should light up whenever You apply the brakes,letting You know that Your BRAKELIGHT is receiving power.But like I said...I don't think it will activate if You have a blown bulb.

Post edited by: sandy, at: 2006/01/13 01:09

Ok, thanks. I'm still confused as how it is supposed to work. What is supposed to illuminate?

so it's suppose to light up the indicator light when you apply the brakes? i thought it was an indicator telling you a bulb was bad or high resistance. my 900 lights up every time i hit the brakes.

See I don't have any brake indicator lamp, that's why I'm confused.

ok, i checked my factory manual for a 1976 kz900 and it says that the indicator light should come on steady any time you hit the brakes. when a bulb is out, open wire...etc. is sensed, the brake light indicator will flash 50-170 times a minute when the brakes are applied to let you know of the problem.

Rather than start a new thread, I dug this one up from January. I'm cleaning up an '82 KZ440. The idiot light on the tach stays on all the time, but both brake switches work properly, bulbs are all good. The wiring diagram shows a "brake light failure indicator switch"; on the diagram, it is towards the rear next to the taillight. In reality, it is tucked under the gas tank? I guess it isn't a real big deal, but I don't like idiot lights on all the time so if I can fix it easy, I'll go looking for it. Thanks.

The brake light failure indicator switch is located under the left side cover on my 650, so your 440's could be anywhere. Check your wiring diagram for the color of the wires. This could help you track it down. Or maybe someone with a 400/440 knows where it is located?

I'll look there first, the wiring diagram is black & white, so not much help.

I'm not sure if you're kidding or not.. the wiring diagram should have little letters labeling the color of the wires, and a key somewhere to tell you things like "L/W = Blue w. White" The FSM may also have a component location diagram.