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My '70 CL175 was originally equipped with a front brake switch incorporated into the brake cable. As it would appear that these units are made from unobtanium these days, I'm going to try and adapt to the later style switch that looks to have become standard in '72 or so.
Thees juan:
Currently having a spot of difficulty visualizing how this will all come together with the right-side control. Can somebody with this setup snap a couple quick pics showing how it all works?
I don't have a pic right now, as I'm at work, so I tried to draw it on a pic I had (see attached). But there is basically a hole in the perch (side to side) in front of the pivot that this thing slides into. The hole is just behind where the cable and cable adjuster go through. When you let go of the brake lever, the flat part of the lever goes back against the stop and presses on the switch.
Sweet; thanks man. It looks like I got lucky with the replacement switch that I have as it has what looks to be the hole that you're referring to, just behind the adjuster.
Is there a set screw that holds it in? There's a boss on the underside of the housing that looks like it might be for a set screw, but it's neither drilled nor threaded.
No, mine has no screw holding it in. So far, I haven't seen it move. you may actually have to remove the lever to get it in. I can't remember as I had mine totally apart when I reassembled it.
Sorry I didn't get any other pics last night. Too busy packing for vacation. Hopefully that pic was enough.
Yep - you thread those in from the lever side of the perch. The hole for it is just small enough for the wires to pass through on one end, keeping it in place. The same sort of switch is used on clutch perches for bikes with the safety circuit that makes you pull the clutch to re-start the bike while in gear (like if you stall while riding).
On my XS650 project I considered using one of these brake switches, but my Tomaselli style levers don't have holes in them for it and I thought drilling into the cast aluminum perch would likely weaken it too much or break it altogether.
I ended up buying a brake cable with the integrated light switch - got it off eBay - they seem common enough, but maybe not for your particular bike? I'm likely going to have to customize mine to make it the right length for my bike. I'd prefer the small switch in the perch setup though.
BTW - just be sure the switch you get is the right type - you want it to close the circuit when you pull the lever so it completes the brake light circuit.
Thanks Tim; I got that exact switch so hopefully it's correct for the application. The hole in my perch is the same diameter all the way through, so maybe I will need to drill/tap that boss in order to keep the thing stationary.
I've looked on ebay for the cable/switch assemblies and found a couple here and there, but I hate to pay a premium for worn-out shit if I can avoid it. If this new switch works, I think it'll be a much cleaner solution overall.
If you notice on the switch in your picture, there is a key at the end of the houseing near the switch plunger. I think there are actually two, the other would be behind the plunger in the pic. On my bike, those keys slide into corresponding notches in the hole on my perch. Then there are four little ridges around the housing. These make it a tight fit in the hole. Mine doesn't screw in anywhere, it just sits in there and doesn't move.
Ostensibly, you could just glue yours in if it doesn't fit quite right. You could figure out some glue to use that you could get out later if you needed to.
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