Help needed: GSer in Togo with failed servo on 1150

simondippenhall

simondippenhall

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Hi all

This morning on my road south from Burkina Faso to Togo I suddenly lost braking power on my 2003 r1150gs.

Judging by the absence of the usual noise, the servo is no longer operating. ehere is no evident physical damage.

I have been through my Haynes manual which says coyly that all that is ‘outside the scope of this manual’🔥😳

So very grateful for any suggestions of what I might do to analyse and even better solve the problem

Cheers

Simon
 
Back brake: fix hose direct to the top of master cylinder

Front brake: Find someone to make you a short U shaped brake pipe to bypass the servo, you may even have enough now surplus pipe to make your own ( RH side on the headstock)
 
Your best bet is to bypass it. Search for abs + Steptoe on here and you’ll see what’s needed - all can be done fairly easily by a bush mechanic.


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Thanks Timolgra. And does that (presumably bypassing if 9th servo) result in adequate brake power?


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Bypass the unit.servoectomy.
In the short term if you cannot get it working you could bypass the hydraulics .
At the front of the tank RH side is a manifold where the flexi pipes join the metal pipes,
Get a car repair garage to fabricate a pipe to fit in the rear of the manifold,bypassing the servo unit.
In the case of the rear simply remove the flexi union above the front of the swingarm and take it straight to the rear master cylinder.
Pull the relays for the abs ,you may also need to disconnect the electrics from the unit.
Stick some tape over the warning lights and away you go with brakes
 
Thanks all. Will get onto this when I get to Lome tomorrow night!


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ABS has been non functional for some years despite Steptoe's best efforts...But servo was operating and is nO longer.

That's all I know


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It is possible to bypass the front brakes without getting a short section made up. Using the splitter on the front hose, connect from master cylinder on bars direct to the line down to the brakes.

715bcb6aee9ea2cf360e0c0370910db0.jpg


Rear brake:

b6b0119651b146b04574f6c10f90c75e.jpg



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Going one step back:

Is it possible this is due to a faulty electric connection?

If so, is there an easy way to diagnose this?

Thanks

Simon


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Possibly - what I’ve shown is the roadside fix. If you have time to investigate I would start with the micro switches on the levers. Once you’ve done the fix, brakes without Servo are good, some would say better. And unexpected failure is much less likely.


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And I see my brake light does not work off either lever!

So what next, o wise advisers?

And thank you...


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simondippenhall said:
And I see my brake light does not work off either lever!

So what next, o wise advisers?

And thank you...


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Click to expand...

Check if boith elements inside the bulb are intact. The thicker one being the brake element.
If it looks ok then check the terminals are clean both on socket and bulb.

If its blown or has a bad contact, the braking system may not complete its self check at start up hence no brakes.
 
Btw I should have said it's an led brake and tail light..Does that change the answer?


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simondippenhall said:
Btw I should have said it's an led brake and tail light..Does that change the answer?


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Click to expand...

Do you have a front park light.........Yes/No
If not check fuse 2 (4amp) which also powers the tail light.

If all is good there, then it points to your ABS electrical module. Both the Brake and Tail lights are monitored by the ABS electronics so that in the event of one or other failing, the ABS will route power to the light that remains.

However it could also be a wiring fault somewhere in the loom. Broken Earth at the light unit. Check for power at the input to the LED light unit.

It's a faff, (means lifting the tank) but you could try unplugging and Re plugging the connector to the ABS control unit. Unlikely, but you never know. Dirty or poor connection, by unplugging and replugging it might clear.

Good luck
Ian
 
simondippenhall said:
Btw I should have said it's an led brake and tail light..Does that change the answer?


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Click to expand...

LEd tend to be quite reliable so potentially it does.
I've also had brake failure due to the microswitch wiper blade on the foot brake getting damaged and not releasing the switch. Once the blade was straightened, my brakes worked perfectly. You can check this by putting your ear next to the micro switch and listening for a click as you depress the footbrake.
Need to ask if the front brake isnt fouling on your hand guard same check as the foot brake, ear next to switch and listen for the click as you activate the lever.
All these are no cost checks and help pinpoint where the fault is.
TBH once youve ruled out these then it points more towards confirming your suspicions.
 
Good news - issue fixes at Togo Toni KTM...More details on last page of my ride report'Gael warnings in West Africa'


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So just a couple of follow up questions:

1. How do I get the brake light to function (it’s always on at present)

2. Is there any of the limit of abs/servo unit I can now remove to reduce weight?

Thanks guys!


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Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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