1200GSA Servo Failure (My Fault) not the Bikes

[EasySushi]

Hi Guys,

On a recent journey to Europe, infact it was the last day. Having stayed in a hotel the night before leaving the bike parked out side. The morning came I kitted the bike up, started the engine and notice the brake warning light was rapidly flashing I tested the brakes and no servos. After trying a few things my friends suggested, disconnecting the battery etc. the only thing for it was call BMW assist; very helpful guys though non-technical, they where going to arrange for the bike to be recovered.

Having remembered that I dropped the bike the previous day I wondered if there was any damage to the break lever or micro switches; but thought no because I had fully functional breaks after I dropped the bike and had covered a further 100 miles with out problem. Still I decided to look, no damage to the break lever and then I notice that the lever was not returning to its home position fully because the hand guard was preventing it. The hand guard had been shifted downward when I dropped the bike this was causing the brake lever not to return to its home position. I moved the hand guard back to its correct position and HEY Presto brakes working fine.

So the moral of the story is if you ever have brake failure, first check you hand guards are out the way


Safe riding All



Tyrone

 

[Shep]

Its become a riding habit of mine now to flick both levers whilst riding along, just to check for free play

It effects the clutch as well

Shep

 

[wilbjr21]

Err No....... This is not a servo Failure - the braking system behaved in the manner in which it was designed - so why describe it as such?

 

[grendal]

Hi Guys,


I had fully functional breaks after I dropped the bike and had covered a further 100 miles with out problem. Still I decided to look, no damage to the break lever and then I notice that the lever was not returning to its home position fully because the hand guard was preventing it. The hand guard had been shifted downward when I dropped the bike this was causing the brake lever not to return to its home position. I moved the hand guard back to its correct position and HEY Presto brakes working fine.

So the moral of the story is if you ever have brake failure, first check you hand guards are out the way



Tyrone

wilbjr21 ... Err No....... This is not a servo Failure - the braking system behaved in the manner in which it was designed - so why describe it as such?




Why did it take 100 more miles and an overnight rest before the bike registered a problem?

 

[wilbjr21]

Don't you agree that this is supposed to happen? The brake switch continuity is checked and if the circuit is broken then you won't get servos. You may, for example, have moved the hand guard that little bit extra when you parked up for the last time. I'm not going to get into a big debate over this. A movement of the hand guard doesn't constitute brake failure IMHO.

 

[Fanum]

It took a hundred miles 'cos it only 'fails' at POST (power on, self test)......if done while riding or when ignition on, it just thinks the brakes are permanently being held on.

No, it's not a 'failure' as such, it's a 'failsafe' , 'user induced fault' or whatever you want to call it, but that's irrelevant.....the point is it's useful for people to be reminded of it again so that when they're sitting at the side of the road in the rain, they can exclude this very common cause of 'ABS being prevented from working' and hopefully ride on....there's no point in arguing semantics

 

[minkyhead]

Don't you agree that this is supposed to happen? The brake switch continuity is checked and if the circuit is broken then you won't get servos. You may, for example, have moved the hand guard that little bit extra when you parked up for the last time. I'm not going to get into a big debate over this. A movement of the hand guard doesn't constitute brake failure IMHO.

hey give the guy a break wont you

its not his fault that this rufty toughty round world machine shows a little flaw now and again after all its not designed to take the odd knock here and there ..i mean the ends of the handlebars are the last place you would think that would touch down in the event of a tumble
forward planning always good

??????

 

[minkyhead]

ive tried it and my handle bars have never come in to touch with ground

in all my years of off roading ....as you can see ihave perfected the teqnique of holdin the motorcycle up using only my nads in order to prevent damage to the outer bars ..as you do
its plain to see this is going to be a one off..it would take someone far more far sighted than me to envisige this bieng a problem

other people of course would knowa lot more than a new owner
so it wouldnt be a problem
as he says its his own fault

so it follows that there is no problem with the design concept ...is there just one more thing to go wrong really

pot noodle fuel of britain ...innit ..sadly yes probably

 

[EasySushi]

It took a hundred miles 'cos it only 'fails' at POST (power on, self test)......if done while riding or when ignition on, it just thinks the brakes are permanently being held on.:

Fanum you on the money there, only used the engine kill switch so no post was rerun which is why fault did not show up till next day.


Cheers


Tyrone

 

[EasySushi]

Why do people make mountains out of mole hills ?

 

[Ian916]

very useful thread tyronem, - makes me realise that perhaps I am not the only daft one in this world Went to start the GS yesterday, - flashing red BF light, - looked at everything, even got the book out and read that, - brake fluid on fingers, - lovely. Phoned the dealer who told me straight away what it was, - friggin hand guards had moved onto the lever. All that technolgy eh???