Tail Light/Parking Light Question - K1100RS

[BexarWolf]

I'm new to the K1100RS (mine is a '94) so I'm still learning......be gentle.  :embarass:

Should I be able to activate the brake light without the bike running?

Also, my parking light on the front appears to not be working. I've turned the ignition key to all the possible positions but I don't get a light. It'd be easy to assume it's burned out but wanted to throw this out before I start pulling bulbs.

Thanks in advance.

[Inge K.]

The brakelight can be activated when the ignition is on, you don`t need to have the engine running.

The front parklight is in the same circuit as the taillight.....so whenever the the taillight is on,
the front parklight should also be on.

Inge K.

[frankenduck]

FYI: The brake light doesn't work if the kill switch isn't straight up.

[BexarWolf]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I had the kill switch in the other positions last night when I was fiddling with it and didn't realize it. I was looking at the tail light lens to see about mounting some LED brake lights I had left over from a Hyperlite install and wasn't having much success with the brake light.

I did get a bit of a surprise when I found the inside of the tail light lens slightly melted on the back of the lens. Everything is working and the bulb mounts look ok although I'll probably change them soon since the securing tabs on both of them are either brittle or broken.

[frankenduck]

Looks like somebody put too hot of a bulb in there.  It should only be a 10W bulb.

[Inge K.]

FYI: The brake light doesn't work if the kill switch isn't straight up.

Or the sidestand is down.

[BexarWolf]

FYI: The brake light doesn't work if the kill switch isn't straight up.

Or the sidestand is down.

Ok, I think this might have been what happened. When I wheel it into the garage, I put the side stand down so I can get off. Then I put it up on the center stand. I probably still had the side stand down when I was checking the bulbs.

I'll see if it's a 10w bulb later tonight. I have another issue I have to deal with (i.e. removing melted plastic from a muffler Grrrrrrrr).