Brake Failure.

[Schtum]

Less than 800 miles on my GS and as of today's 100 mile ride, it's now showing a Brake Failure warning. The ABS self tests and the lamp goes off when I ride off but comes back on shortly thereafter.

There's nothing fouling the brake lever or pedal. Anyone had similar...?

It's my fourth 1200 and I've never had any kind of failure at such a low mileage. At least the brake discs on my '04 bike had the good grace to wait to 3K miles before they warped.

 

[Giles]

is it a brand new bike?? (not that I have any answers .. does it actually brake ok ... any hint of brake fade??)

 

[Fanum]

If it was an 11xx, it would be a blown filament on the brake bulb. (and it was such a good idea, I don't imagine they will have changed it)

The bike compensates for this by using two voltages on the remaining single filament, so it still LOOKS like it's working (and indeed, for all intents and purposes, IS still working)

Change the bulb.......two filaments back in action, brake failure light goes off.

Or wait for someone who knows what the heck they're talking about to come along

 

[Buz]

The bike compensates for this by using two voltages on the remaining single filament, so it still LOOKS like it's working (and indeed, for all intents and purposes, IS still working)

Change the bulb.......two filaments back in action, brake failure light goes off.

Or wait for someone who knows what the heck they're talking about to come along

I didn't know that, do now, this site is a hive of information....oh, and bollocks

 

[Schtum]

is it a brand new bike?? (not that I have any answers .. does it actually brake ok ... any hint of brake fade??)

I got it new at the end of September and didn't use it through the winter. So it's 7 months old. It's obvious that the linked brakes aren't working because it doesn't pull up quite so sharpish when just using the front brake lever. No sign of brake fade though.

It's not a lamp failure, Bill. It's showing a Brake Failure warning on the clock display. Besides which, it doesn't have brake light bulbs anyway, it's got LEDs.

 

[Buz]

Back to the dealers i reckon (thats about my technical limit )

 

[Fanum]

I got it new at the end of September and didn't use it through the winter. So it's 7 months old. It's obvious that the linked brakes aren't working because it doesn't pull up quite so sharpish when just using the front brake lever. No sign of brake fade though.

It's not a lamp failure, Bill. It's showing a Brake Failure warning on the clock display. Besides which, it doesn't have brake light bulbs anyway, it's got LEDs.

The 'brake failure' warning isn't a warning that the brakes have failed, it's just a warning that there's something wrong in the system......on the 11xx's, that definitely includes bulbs (or incorrect resistance in the circuit if LED's are fitted with no ballast resistors, or one of them fails/gets shorted)


You have LEDs though, so in that case (assuming a ballast resistor hasn't failed), check the foot brake lever microswitch

They get clagged up very easily but with the engine off and in a quiet place, you should be able to hear a tiny but distinct click when you dip the lever a little......there's an adjuster there but chances are it's just got a bit of shit lodged in the mechanism.

 

[Schtum]

In that case, check the foot brake lever microswitch

They get clagged up very easily but with the engine off and in a quiet place, you should be able to hear a tiny but distinct click when you dip the lever a little......there's an adjuster there but chances are it's just got a bit of shit lodged in the mechanism.

The handbook says when the Brake Failure lamp comes on, the ABS and the linked brakes aren't operational.

I thought about the microswtitch and checked it but there's nothing obvious. Also, I don't think the ABS would successfully self-test and initialise when I first ride off, if there was a fault with the switch, would it...?

 

[Sooty09]

It's obvious that the linked brakes aren't working because it doesn't pull up quite so sharpish when just using the front brake lever. No sign of brake fade though.

New to the 1200s but I thought the linked brakes went out with the old servo assisted 1150s. Cannot say I have noticed it on mine.

 

[Schtum]

It's obvious that the linked brakes aren't working because it doesn't pull up quite so sharpish when just using the front brake lever. No sign of brake fade though.

New to the 1200s but I thought the linked brakes went out with the old servo assisted 1150s. Cannot say I have noticed it on mine.

You thought wrong, old chap. The brakes are semi-linked. The front brake lever operates front and rear but the foot pedal only operates the rear. Also, servo ABS was still in production up to the end of 2006 model-year R1200GS.

 

[ghiribizzo]

My GSA lit up that warning once half way through Germany last year. Stopped, turned it off and restarted. Never seen it again since then.

 

[Schtum]

My GSA lit up that warning once half way through Germany last year. Stopped, turned it off and restarted. Never seen it again since then.

I was hoping for that result. So far, I've restarted it three times since I first saw the light.

 

[Fanum]

The handbook says when the Brake Failure lamp comes on, the ABS and the linked brakes aren't operational.

I thought about the microswtitch and checked it but there's nothing obvious. Also, I don't think the ABS would successfully self-test and initialise when I first ride off, if there was a fault with the switch, would it...?

Yes. it's exactly what it does, on both points

A) If one circuit isn't working, the LINK bit doesn't operate, but you still have ABS (and in my case on my lebbenfiddy, servo assistance) it's just not linking the two so the front is only operating the front and rear the rear......no splitting of circuit from front control to back as well (therefore, although misleading, the system is in a 'fail' state, although its only a partial fail)

B) The self test doesn't activate the switches, it only tests the static state on start up, with no levers activated, then the first time you activate the faulty switch, it reports a failure.

As I said, that's how it happens on the 1150...it may be different on the 12, but it's a logical system that works, so I would imagine they've used the same logic in setup for a 12

When you checked the rear switch, could you hear it click?

It's quiet, but distinct from close up.

My money is still on the rear microswitch not being operational.

 

[Schtum]

My money is still on the rear microswitch not being operational.

Ok - thanks. I'll have another look at it in the morning. The brake light is still working though, does that tell us anything about the state of the switch...?

 

[Schtum]

Well the bike sat and sulked until lunchtime today.

On reflection, enough of this anthropomorphic nonsense - the bike sat and I sulked.

Motorrad Central agreed to look at it on Wednesday 9 th May. However, as I'm impatient, I asked that nice Mr Ghiribizzo to connect up his GS911 and check for any fault codes.

No Brake Failure light appeared on the 27 mile trip from my house to his and consistent with this, the GS911 said "The fault is no longer present".

 

[Giles]

User error then .......

 

[Schtum]

User error then .......

Yeah, it probably doesn't like me resting my two fingers on the brake lever, ehh....?