Z1OwnersClub GB

My idiot stop light is not working, never has since I got the bike last year. Apart from checking the wiring is it just a replacement outage switch? If so where do you get one? More interestingly how does the switch work, is it a relay, sensor or what, and can it be replaced with an alternative?

Probably more likely to be something else like bulb or loom !

Outage switches are available in the States on ebay at $60

Here is one on e bay usa that posts to the UK

I'll check out the loom before I start spending, and I've saved the link.

muchas gracias

Hi Bigmac been having same probs myself trying to get hold of better circuit diagram.To save taking your clocks off to get at lamp put 12v on to the brown and green/white wire that feeds lamp if it lights you know that parts ok.Does your brake light come on with front brake? if not short out pair of wires that feed hydraulic switch on front brake(mines bust £19 from z power)I am told the outage switch causes the brake idiot light to flash on main brake lamp fail!!In practice i think a lot do away with the outage switch and just link the idiot lamp to the same circuit as the main rear brake lamp.
It will nark me though if i dont get it to work as it should will let you know as i progress......Cheers Pauljac...

The way I see the outage switch as working is this.

A circuit is sensed as being complete when the brake is applied and the relay within the outage switch is switched and sends a signal to the indicator as a continuous feed to the bulb. When no complete circuit is sensed (i.e. when the bulb has failed) then the relay within the switch is unswitched and switches a flashing relay to send a pulse to the indicator.
For this you would have an earth, a feed and an output. Hence the 3 wire configuration of the outage switch. Obviously the output can have two feeds within the sealed unit that is the outage assembly.

Confused ? I was until I read this twice !

The brake light works ok with both front and back brakes applied separately. I'll be interested to see how you get on Pauljac47. I think you description was spot on TLC thats why I think it may just be the 33 year old wiring and connectors that effect the outage switch.

simple test put a stop/tail bulb in that has a blown element and tuern the ignition on the brake light repeater should start to flash ,,,,

Does the Outage relay have the flasher circuit within it? or does it switch a separate flasher unit as i cant see one on my rather poor circuit diagram.

I`ve been trying to draw a circuit diagram within the Outage Switch to demonstrate the workings, but gave up !

Since one wire goes to earth then this will act as earth for all the relays within. I believe there will be 2 ?
One will be a 5 pin switching relay and the other will be a flasher relay.

The second wire takes a live from the rectifier so this will energise all the relays.

The third wire sends a signal to the indicator bulb.

Within the switch there must be a resistance sensor that will tell the switching relay to throw or not. If unthrown then a signal is sent directly to the output and a constant live is sent to the bulb. If thrown then the relay will send its signal to the flasher relay which will send a pulsing live down the output wire and the failure indicator will flash.

Simon Gilling will possibly tell us what device will be necessary to sense the voltage drop due to the energising of the brake light bulb. Could it be a ballast resistor maybe ?

We should remember that although this is a solid state component (the components are all contained within a resin) it is old technology, so there will not be any microprocessors or such like.