Front Brake Light

[Mistertee43]

Hello,

I have the stock '65 Monza drum brakes and would like to get a brake lights to illuminate when I use the front brake. Does anyone know of a replacement brake lever wth a switch or know another way to get the brake light to illuminate when the front brake is applied? Thanks for the help!

Respectfully,
Alfredo

[Jordan]

You could make a special cable that incorporates a Burgess type brake switch.
These were sometimes fitted to widecase singles' and bevel twins' rear brake cable.
They were used also on some BSA front brakes.
ebay 261492997564

Jordan

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= Mistertee43 ...
" I have the stock '65 Monza drum brakes and would like to get a brake lights to illuminate when I use the front brake. Does anyone know of
another way to get the brake light to illuminate when the front brake is applied? "

____ Whenever the front-brake is applied whilst the bike is rolling-forth, the front-forks inevitably compress and cause the angle of the headlamp to drop-down a bit,, thus allowing for another possible alternate brake-circuit activation method. ...
Have you by-chance already noticed and eliminated consideration of the particular means suggested within the following thread-post (posted last month) ? - (Link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2043&p=15491&hilit=mercury-switch#p15491 ) _ (The particular post-section containing the related-matter, is conveniently found also containing a little pink-highlight,, just scroll-down towards the bottom of the linked post.)
__ And another related post... ( viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1873&p=13936&hilit=mercury-switch#p13940 )


Alternative-Cheers,
-Bob

[Mistertee43]

[quote= Mistertee43 ...
" I have the stock '65 Monza drum brakes and would like to get a brake lights to illuminate when I use the front brake. Does anyone know of
another way to get the brake light to illuminate when the front brake is applied? "

____ Whenever the front-brake is applied whilst the bike is rolling-forth, the front-forks inevitably compress and cause the angle of the headlamp to drop-down a bit,, thus allowing for another possible alternate brake-circuit activation method. ...
Have you by-chance already noticed and eliminated consideration of the particular means suggested within the following thread-post (posted last month) ? - (Link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2043&p=15491&hilit=mercury-switch#p15491 ) _ (The particular post-section containing the related-matter, is conveniently found also containing a little pink-highlight,, just scroll-down towards the bottom of the linked post.)
__ And another related post... ( viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1873&p=13936&hilit=mercury-switch#p13940 )


Alternative-Cheers,
-Bob

Thanks Jordan and Bob! Using a mercury switch sounds quite complicated. It may be easy, I just have no experience working with that type of switch. I am going to look into using a BSA front brake switch first. My goal is to have the brake light illuminate everytime I actuate the brake lever. If i cannot locate a suitable brake lever and switch I will try the mercury switch.

[J-Man]

I am also looking for an elegant solution, that won't add mushiness to brake feel.

[JimF]

In my opinion the mercury switch is flawed in that a significant road bump may bring the stop lamp on momentarily, and a steep incline or decline could bring it on for a long period which could mask a true application of the brakes. My opinion anyway.


I think if I were doing it, I would attempt to mount a small micro-switch of sorts to the bottom of the hinge point of the lever.


Really though, I consciously apply a little rear brake pedal every time I climb on the front brakes just to get the brake light on. It's almost motor-function when I ride the single.

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= Mistertee43 ...
" Using a mercury switch sounds quite complicated. It may be easy, "

____ Once all set-up, it's 'use' is no more complicated than any other kind of automatic-switch ! _ However the process of completing the setup, is consequently complicated as getting-at-it inconveniently-inside the headlamp,, but the task of 'adjusting' it's sensitivity-level is actually less complicated than the touchy work of adjusting the activation-point of the standard spring-operated rear-brake switch.
__ For the 'set-up' process, the fore & aft grade-angle of the switch-body can be set in a gob of sticky putty or heavy-set window-calk (placed at the side & bottom within the HL.shell) so that the grade-steepness setting of the switch-body can be adjusted to any angle for variable activation-sensitivity.
A grade-angle of about 25-degrees is a fair compromise to try starting-out with, but if anyone prefers a more sensitive activation-level, then simply lowing the grade-angle (of the switch-body [stuck in the malleable 'gob']) down towards 15-degrees would then allow activation of the brake-circuit with considerably less braking-force/deceleration.
However any angle-grade setting much lower than that degree would be pretty-much useless, since the switch-activation would then be prone to be too active whenever not accelerating,, as the active fork-travel would too easily eat-up & regurgitate a large portion of any such overly-reduced angle-setting, (since 'fork-travel' obviously alters the angle of the headlamp-level).
__ Once a general sensitivity-level has been chosen as acceptable (for switch-activation at whatever desired braking-application/deceleration-rate is deemed suitable to ya),, then the switch-body could-be permanently-set rather in a gob of (more stiffening) silicon-gel, if so desired.
__ I-myself found this switch-setup to "be easy" to get all set-up, since I felt it was a fun project to try-out (in my first '66-Monza [with square-type headlamp]). - (I point-out that my headlamp was the 'square-type' because I never experienced any issue with my gob of window-putty working-loose away-from the bottom-corner of the HL.shell. _ [So I never got-around to using just silicon-gel alone.] )
However I didn't employ it for activating the brake-light,, instead, I had it's sensitivity-level set for 'panic-braking' type hard-deceleration to rather auto.activate my HL.high-beam, (as I had experienced too many car-drivers pulling-out in front of me during daylight-riding [especially after having been compelled to've installed a quiet muffler]).
(The automatic high-beam activation of-course didn't bring an end to drivers pulling-out into my pathway-course,, but still, I believe the flashed-on headlight once helped alert a driver to then give me increased opportunity to avoid having-to brake myself to a near full-stop.)


Enlightening-Cheers,
DCT-Bob

[DewCatTea-Bob]

[quote= JimF ...
" the mercury switch is flawed in that a significant road bump may bring the stop lamp on momentarily, "

____ Yes, that's true,, the brake-light may then possibly dimly-flash, especially more-so if the chosen switch-body length is overly short and it's sensitivity-level is set too-sensitive.
This nuance-concern can be more nearly eliminated with a switch-body that has a rather long containment-tube for it's contact-conductor to transverse and with the sensitivity-level set to compromise that undesired side-effect.
However whilst ever in the process of actually breaking over road-bumps, any such actual side-effect action might offer additional warning to observant drivers on your rear.



" and a steep incline or decline could bring it on for a long period which could mask a true application of the brakes. "

____ While of-course an 'inclined' upward-grade could-not cause such a brake-switch to become falsely activated, a rather steeply declined downward-grade could indeed possibly cause circuit-activation (without actual braking),, but then having your fingers grasped-over the break-lever already poised to possibly become even more-so firmly grasped-in, ought be fairly prudent riding-behavior on any such overly steep downgrade,, and-so any brake-light switch activation setup could then be expected to be so*pre-activated (* already, ahead of any actual braking) anyhow, anyway !
__ Of-course this kind of inertia-based brake-light activation-method would be unsuitable* for any 'hill-climbing' type of motorcycle-riding, (* for properly warning any competing-riders following on your ass-end). _ But for regular street-riding or standard-graded road-riding,, any such temporary resulting sensitivity-variances could be absorbed within the set operating-range of a well-compromised sensitivity-level setting, fairly well enough.
____ This seemingly unique method of brake-light activation is-not my very-own idea ! _ I had adopted it from my 'fully-loaded' 1957 Schwinn-Continental (presented to me new, for my 9th-birthday), which rather employed a roller-ball/teeter-totter circuit-activation setup (for turning-on the brake-light built-into the [rear-fender located] luggage/tote-rack), that became activated by any actively-induced deceleration.
____ And besides, it's not as though the standard-type of brake-light switches are-not totally without their very-own operating 'flaws' ! _ As it's no easy task to adjust their circuit-activation sensitivity so that it only turns-on the brake-light just when significant actual braking-force is really engaged & occurring. _ So normally otherwise,, the regular-standard over-active brake-circuit activation-sensitivity (which lights-up the brake-light before any notable braking-pressure/force actually occurs), indeed does present a tendency to "mask a true application of the brakes" !
__ But in the case of inertia-type circuit-activation, only ACTUAL braking-deceleration 'sensing' can TRUELY provide a 'real-world' warning-alert of actually-true 'braking' !
__ So since both types of brake-circuit activation-methods each have their very-own operating-flaw,, then why remain relegated to being stuck with just the same-one, when ya could rather employ both and benefit from the resulting combination (which can then provide the advantages obtainable with employment of both activation-methods) !?


Dukaddy-DUKEs,
DCT-Bob