Just wheeled my '06 1200gsa out the garage after sitting idle for a month or so(no, the bike not me) and find I have the cursed red triangle on constant and 'brake failure' AND lo and behold an inoperative speedo. I'm guessing these two faults have to be connected.I'm thinking its the front wheel speed sensor or is there another speed sensor that just drives the speedo.It seems too much of a coincidence to think that I've two faults to appear at the same time. Any ideas fellas?
BRAKE FAILURE AND NO SPEEDO!
- Thread starter lorien
- Start date
Sprocket
Registered user
Yep, my 2005 model did that. Turned out that the whole wiring loom need to be replaced 
.
More likely that the speed sensor on the rear hub is faulty though. Try some WD40 on the outside. If that doesn't work it's easy to undo, remove and clean.
. More likely that the speed sensor on the rear hub is faulty though. Try some WD40 on the outside. If that doesn't work it's easy to undo, remove and clean.
Reckless
Registered user
See the thread ABS further down the page below - more likely to be your battery is shot after the long lay off and the CANBUS has shut down certain things to protect the voltage.
Either recharge the battery or get a new one!
Either recharge the battery or get a new one!
alex_rsa
Registered user
(Make sure your brakes are actually working)
Drive it for a mile or 2. Turn the bike off, wait 10 seconds and start it again. This has cleared the error on lots of occasions as it seems to "find" the sensor again. Mine normally happens if I park it up overnight after it has been raining.
Failing that have a look at the sensor to see if it is clean and cler of any rust and debris.
Drive it for a mile or 2. Turn the bike off, wait 10 seconds and start it again. This has cleared the error on lots of occasions as it seems to "find" the sensor again. Mine normally happens if I park it up overnight after it has been raining.
Failing that have a look at the sensor to see if it is clean and cler of any rust and debris.
Bones
Registered user
The obvious thing to check is that the handguards are not fouling the brake leaver. I had this same problem, it was caused by a knackered brake lever sensor, is the brake light constantly on?
Reckless
Registered user
The big clue is the speedo switching off - the chances of the speed sensor AND the ABS failing at the same time are very small. The connection is the battery voltage.
In Alex RS case - the short trip down the road provides enough of a kick into the battery to allow the shut-down systems to be put back on line after the reset provided by the ignition switch off and on. Again, probably a battery on the way out which is shown up when the damp weather puts pressure on the electrical system.
If your battery is the original then 5 years is not a bad lifetime and the month or two sitting idle will not have helped matters unless it was on a charger the whole time.
In Alex RS case - the short trip down the road provides enough of a kick into the battery to allow the shut-down systems to be put back on line after the reset provided by the ignition switch off and on. Again, probably a battery on the way out which is shown up when the damp weather puts pressure on the electrical system.
If your battery is the original then 5 years is not a bad lifetime and the month or two sitting idle will not have helped matters unless it was on a charger the whole time.
Thanks for the suggestions guys, it wouldnt start on the old battery so I took a good one from my other wheels to start it so I'm not sure if batt. voltage is really an issue, I will double check though. I have noticed that the brake light is constantly on ( yes Bones,mine as well) but I notice the GSA doesnt have regular stop switches so I guess theres a pressure switch in the brake line somewhere thats stuck ? Anyone had this problem and where are the switches mounted I'm wondering?
ianm00
Registered user
The speed sensor on the rear wheel is used for both ABS and the speedo. Its probably the sensor at fault. I had the same problem on a 2005 GS a few years ago.
ian
ian
The rear wheel ABS/speedo sensor is located on the rear face of the final drive housing. It is secured in place by a tiny Torx screw. Simply undo the screw, pull out the sensor and wipe it clean of any metal filings, then refit (being sure the o ring seal is intact).
If that doesn't fix it, fully charge the battery as the ABS unit is very sensitive to low battery voltages.
If that still doesn't fix it, check the rear lamp and lamp holder aren't badly corroded or a filament has blown.
Check the handguard isn't operating the brake lever, and that the rear footbrake switch isn't gummed up with dirt and stuck on.
If it still isn't sorted after all that, check the wiring loom for snagged or broken wiring, especially around the front subframe beneath the fuel tank.
If that doesn't fix it, fully charge the battery as the ABS unit is very sensitive to low battery voltages.
If that still doesn't fix it, check the rear lamp and lamp holder aren't badly corroded or a filament has blown.
Check the handguard isn't operating the brake lever, and that the rear footbrake switch isn't gummed up with dirt and stuck on.
If it still isn't sorted after all that, check the wiring loom for snagged or broken wiring, especially around the front subframe beneath the fuel tank.
Bones
Registered user
The brake switch is a flimsy micro swtch that is just waiting to fail IMHO. It sits just in front of the brake lever and can be located by following the thinner cable. The switch can get dislodged and appear as if it has failed so sometimes it it worth having a 'fiddle'. While I was waiting for my replacement switch I 'shorted' (bridged with a piece of metal) the faulty switch which gave me brakes and speedo back but meant I had no front brake light. Use the rear brake to get the brake light if someone is up your chuff.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2010
- Messages
- 10,556
- Reaction score
- 4,013
i disagree,the speedo works off the signal from the rear wheel sensor so the two are very likely to be linked!.i had exactly the same fault on my o4 gs so i bought a gs911 checked the fault codes most of them were can bus related,so i very carefully checked the wiring harness for chaffing etc,turns out it had rubbed through on the frame on the left side as it passes up to the head stock,quick repair to the wiring,clear the fault codes,job done
.prior to getting the diagnostic kit id already replaced the rear abs sensor and the battery
you cant really do effective diagnostics on these bikes without the correct equipment,as with any modern vehicle you can soon blow a lot of money with bad diagnostics,if you do not have access to diagnostic equipment ,take it to some one who has!,even if you fix the fault you may have to clear the fault codes before the system will operate.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2010
- Messages
- 10,556
- Reaction score
- 4,013
when you remove the sensor if there is a lot of metal swarf on it you may have problems with the final drive,this would also stop the speedo and abs operating, the gs 911 it would throw up a code relating to a cohearance problem,or a poor signal from the rear sensor.mike
tommygun
Registered user
Had this earlier in the year. Same bike, same symptoms. 911 did squat as the fault clears itself. Ended up replacing the rear speed sensor as mine was fubar'd. All good now.
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2010
- Messages
- 10,556
- Reaction score
- 4,013
just a thought, i have the sensor i removed from my bike if you need one to try out.pt no 34 51 7 666 436. mines a 04 ,not sure if there the same though
jim123
Registered user
I had exactly the same with my 06 GS. It was the battery getting old. The battery would start the bike OK but the available current told the Canbus Controller there was a fault which caused it to shut down the ABS and switch off the speedo.
The substitute battery you have used might not be the same rating as the original spec.
The substitute battery you have used might not be the same rating as the original spec.
just a thought, i have the sensor i removed from my bike if you need one to try out.pt no 34 51 7 666 436. mines a 04 ,not sure if there the same though
Thanks for the offer of a loan of your sensor mikeyboy ,it might be worth a try, let me know how you'd like to arrange it.
I'm struggling at the moment to work out why my brake light is stuck on as it does not have ANY mechanical stop switch that I can see and I've had a good look believe me! Even though the online parts fiche shows switches I CANT SEE ANY!!!!!!!!!!! This is a 1200 Adventure of 08/06 vintage ,does anyone else have one of these and can you see any switches, HELP!!!
I can only think it all must be done by the ABS unit internally??????????
alex_rsa
Registered user
Have you checked your rear brake "lever", that can also get stuck
Humbug
Registered user
I had a similar thing happen with mine. I had a brake failure warning, the brake light was stuck on and it was the front brake switch which had failed. I managed to bend the tag so it worked but fitted a new one to be on the safe side. It's behind the brake lever. Take the lever off and you'll see it. The rear one is behind the heel plate (I think). When applying either lever with ignition off you should be able to hear a faint click. If you don't the corresponding switch will likely be at fault. I don't know if my speedo failed when this happened as I didn't ride the bike with just residual braking.
HTH.
HTH.
Blobby
Registered user
Got the same fault today on 2011 GSA. Brake failure red warning light, yellow triangle, speedo sometimes works, power off/on did not resolve, ABS deffo not working as experimented with that so will call dealer in the morning. Curious to see what fault is as bike used most days so unlikely to be battery issue.
Ribcracker
Registered user
How easy is it to change the rear brake/speed sensor? I'm having similar problems brake failure light no speedo brakes clearly working. I've removed the sensor it looks ok and the oil doesn't look contaminated.
Similar threads
