BRAKES AGAIN IM AFRAID!!!

[Steve101]

Help required from level headed people! The bike is an 05 1150 GSA!

This morning I turned the ignition on and the Brake Warning Light kept flashing fast. I found I had no servo power!

I had to ride the bike carefully for a distance of 12 miles bearing in mind I only had residual breaking.

Strangely after 10 miles the light went off and the servo power had returned??

The only thing that is different is that the bike was kept out in the open last night... so not in the usual snug garage on the optimate.

My question is what causes this to happen?

I have searched the forum but could not find my answers. I am aware that there will be many reasons for it.

There was mention that the battery could be low / nackered? Hence the 10 miles to top it back up again.

Any help will be gratefully received!

 

[roddy]

on the servo 1150GSA when you turn on the ignition make sure none of the brake levers are pressed till the system has done it's self check otherwise you'll not get servo power.

I forgot to mention I believe battery voltage instrumental on some machines for the system to intiallise properly so maybe if it was a cold night the battery voltage maybe a bit lower than usual, if once started and reved a wee bit the battery light goes out, try starting the bike from fully off to on again bearing in mind what I mentioned above

HTH

 

[Steve101]

on the servo 1150GSA when you turn on the ignition make sure none of the brake levers are pressed till the system has done it's self check otherwise you'll not get servo power.

I forgot to mention I believe battery voltage instrumental on some machines for the system to intiallise properly so maybe if it was a cold night the battery voltage maybe a bit lower than usual, if once started and reved a wee bit the battery light goes out, try starting the bike from fully off to on again bearing in mind what I mentioned above

HTH

Hi Roddy thanks for that. I am carefull when starting it to make sure all levers are free from catching and always wait for the light to go out prior to blast off.

I did think it could be the battery. I rode about 6 miles then switched everything off and back on again to see if it would reset, but sadly no change!

I'm hoping it is not an intermittant fault that will occur every now an again, knowing my luck if I take it to the dealer the bike wil be on it's best beahviour.

 

[Warthog]

Any chance some moisture from being out-doors settled on a frayed Servo wire, to cause a short, until said mooisture evaporated through riding the bike?

 

[Steve101]

Good point well presented. I would ceretainly hope that there isnt a fraied wire anywhere but its always possible! I have ridden a further 30 odd miles and not a whisper out of it... strange.

Tonight I have checked the battery which is in good condition but was also makeing sure the auxillary lights and GPS didnt drain too much juice!

 

[John Armstrong]

Not certain this is correct, but when the tail light failed prior to starting the engine I'm sure that the warning flashed quickly, but I can't remember if there was no servo assistance

Might be worthwhile checking the tail light, just in case

 

[Jimb]

Battery is crucial to abs bikes, if you have a wet cel bat replace it with a Westco Gel AGM battery if you have a BMW gel type replace it with a Westco Gel AGM one.

 

[roddy]

Steve

it's worth checking the ABS rings and the gap to the sensor, to make sure all is well, see the following thread

link

cheers

 

[Steve101]

Jimb...

Thanks for the info re that battery not sure which battery it has. I can only assume at this time that it still has the original from BMW as only one year old. At work at the mo so will check when I get home.

Do different batteries make that much difference then? Excuse my ignorance but why is the type of battery crucial for ABS bikes?

 

[John Armstrong]

Do different batteries make that much difference then? Excuse my ignorance but why is the type of battery crucial for ABS bikes?

IMHO it's not the battery but it's state that's crucial all things being equal eg capacity. A brand new cheapie will be just as good as one costing twice as much as long as it's charged up properly. And, you get the engine going quickly. However once it starts to get older, then certain battery types will let you use the battery longer, if you see what I mean.

 

[Jimb]

Steve 101

Yes, its the ability of the battery to deliver high cold cranking power, the abs requires the battery to be in top condition, the lesser quality ones sulphite on charging impeding the current capacity, a high quality gel AGM ( absorbed glass matt ) will not suffer from sulphiting.
Temperature is a big consideration the colder the ambient temperature the more load is on the battery and the battery will not perform to the same degree in cold temperatures, a high quality gel AGM will resist low temps and deliver maximum current at startup and hold it for much longer when stood.
The BMW gel ones are low quality, get a Westco or a Hawker both are high quality items and that will be the end of the problem, keep the OEM for when you sell the bike.