Modern Vespa

Hi guys.

My MP3-500 has a weird problem regarding brake lights. Basically, when I apply the brakes, either the front or rear or both, the brake lights don't light up. I can start the bike just fine, no problem. So I remove the 2 red circular lens cover off. Started the bike, and I could see all 4 bulbs working.

Is there a fuse for the brake lights? Or both my brake light switches have gone bad at the same time?

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you. Best régards.

If you have classic bulb (not led) sometimes is hard to see if the wirein the bulb is ok. I suggest you you remove the problematic bulbs and checks them using another el. source.

I have 7.5 A fuse for stop lights on mine.

Have you, are possibly anyone else in the past been messing around with the wiring at all . Have any panels been removed were it was nessisary to disconnect wires ect.

Thanks, Kiki2016 and 3legsofman.

The bulbs are working just fine, as you can see from the pic. I also checked the fuse and it was ok, of course, since the bulbs are lit. I guess the brake light switches are shot then. I can't believe both switches have gone bad at the same time.

Though one question remains - are the brake light bulbs double filament?

The stop light bulbs in the gilera fuoco UK are single filiment and 10w. I can't see any reason for both brake light switches to fail.

I'm still not understanding the original post. The OP states the brake lights don't work, then shows that they are working...

And it's not uncommon that when an owner discovers the brake lights don't work (because the bike won't start with the left-hand brake lever) that they also discover the brake lights won't work with the right-hand lever as well. This is because 50% of the time the RH switch will fail first, but this is unnoticed until the LH one fails as well.

My understanding of the problem is the bike starts ok but when the brakes are operated he cannot see the brake lights light up and that is because they are already lit as he has found out by removing the rear lens . My first post was to ask if anyone had been messing about with the wiring .

That is correct. The stop light bulbs are already lit up even when not applying either brakes. I am positive no one has been fooling around with the wiring as I keep the bike inside my garage all the time.

Ok . So were the brake lights working as they should by operating the brake levers at any point in your ownership.

the brake lights are lit all the time. replace the switches at the levers, they are stuck closed. $12 each

Hi 3legs. Yes, they worked flawlessly until a few days ago (when I had to brake hard when an elderly woman decided to share lanes with me at the last second). Funny thing when it happened, I swore the front brakes pulsated as if the brakes were ABS. Anyways, I am now certain the wiring is still intact. I just need to replace both brake light switches.

Hi OAD.

Yep, I'm going to drop by scooterwest this weekend to purchase a couple of switches.

Why not just unscrew one switch at a time and check if it's working ,i can't see how suddenly both switches would go belly up.Your hard braking incident should not have affected the operation of the switches , but i suppose anything can suddenly stop working.

One could have been out for months, how would he know?

Having a turn signal beeper with its ground going via the brake lights would have spotted it straight away.

Hurrah for the turn signal beeper - when it doesn't beep!

The op stated in reply to my question"Yes they worked flawlessly until a few days ago"
Mark99 You could also just pull the conector to the switch one at a time and that should tell you if a switch is non operative.