Overview of the installation

What & Why?

Simply put, the original brake switch (and ignition switch for that matter) for my little triumph 3TA tends to stop working after about 30 seconds of not being used, and take about 10 minutes before it began to work about 50% of the time, 10% of the time.

Clearly this poses quite the issue considering it only has a rear brake switch (nobody went fast enough in the 60s to use the front).

Allow me to illustrate the source of this issue:

This switch was only a couple months old!!!

THIS SWITCH WAS ONLY A COUPLE MONTHS OLD!!!

And given the issues I’d been having with the leaky barrels, it’s probably only been on there for about 500 miles at most!

This simply comes from Triumph deciding the place to put the switch was directly in the line of fire from crud being flung off not just the front wheel, but the back wheel, and the chain! It’s a hard life for a Lucas switch.

The plan was to change this dodgey switch for a modern pull switch. They’re more sealed and are unlikely to fail. I’ve seen ones that work despite being melted in twain by an exhaust before!

Whilst my dad made a little bracket to hold the new switch to the frame, I cleaned and repacked the brake lever pivot with grease. Works lovely now.

Tidy little bracket The solution

Above is the solution arrived at.

Whilst I’m not 100% happy with having the spring operating the switch coming off of the split pin for the brake rod, realistically it’ll never cause a problem, and I have the thing apart often enough to notice any signs of movement.

I thought I might as well remove the wires from the old switch, but leave it in place for the aesthetics. If only you could let the operating paddle on that Lucas switch overlap like that when it was actually working…

Squeak-Squeak

The only thing left to do now was to refit the bathtub with some shiny new screws that actually had some thread on them!

You'd never know!

You’d never know!

While I’m at it: Brake lever

Notice how the brake lever is now BELOW the foot peg...

While I had the bathtub off I managed to find a bolt that fit the brake lever position adjuster screw hole.

The screw winds though the brake lever and acts as a stop against the frame to change it’s return position.

I also found that a standard brake bleed nipple rubber cover (not that you’d ever find any hydraulics on this bike, RIP BMW) fits nicely on the end of the bolt so it won’t work its way through the frame over the years.

Before I did this the pedal’s natural position was high enough you could almost put your boot under it!

No more riding with my legs splayed outwards like an old man on a bicycle (and a bit safer too).