The Grey One
Registered user
PS. Maybe we ought to have a Citroen anorak section!
John
John
Can the EVO brake servo be modified?
- Thread starter Nick V
- Start date
I'm not worried in the least.
It makes sense that the servo system was quietly dropped for the reasons it was. The fact that the brakes are miles better on my '09 than on my '06 is proof of that, if proof were needed.
However, since I'm of the opinion that the brakes on my '06 aren't satisfactory, I remain in the hunt for a way to tweak the status quo...
To me, not having to mentally re-adjust my braking technique every time I climb from the '06 to the '09 or vice versa isn't a luxury - it's a safety issue.
IJGser
Registered user
Really? So what about someone who drives different cars/trucks/bikes all the time, for safety should they all have the same handling characteristics?
Shhhh! Don't ask questions like that where the authorities can hear you... next thing you know, a stipulation to that effect becomes law.
Bendy toy
Registered user
Thankfully government is too clumsy and collectively stupid to get a working system, but for sure they would if they could.
The Grey One
Registered user
but they are prone to introducing unworkable systems anyway. Being stupid is not problem in politics but also needs to be combined with arrogance and a total disconnection from the lives of the majority the population.
John
Yep, just listen for how frequently the accumalator sphere pressure "clicked" while the engine ticked over.
IJGser
Registered user
Shhhh! Don't ask questions like that where the authorities can hear you... next thing you know, a stipulation to that effect becomes law.
The Grey One
Registered user
Yep, just listen for how frequently the accumalator sphere pressure "clicked" while the engine ticked over.
If it clicked regularly at tickover it is knackered and should be replaced straight away. On GS and GSA models a nackered accumulator could cause a failure of the low pressure return pipe. As this pipe was routed over the inboard brake calipers this resulted in no brakes at all. When I first opened my garage in Warwick a local Citroen dealer was telling people that this part (the accumulator) did not do anything and they could ignore the clicking. I told them I expected my customers to live long enough to come back when the car need a service etc.
It is the regulator slide valve that clicks. A basic test ( on vehicles with one accumulator) is to let the system stabilise, that is rise to normal height, warning lights gone out. Then with the engine ticking over press the brake pedal and release, you should be able to do this at least 3 times before the regulator slide valve clicks. If more than 3 presses are required then there is enough pressure held to stop the vehicle safely in the event of a system failure.
As I have said most problems with the system were caused by people who did not understand it tinkering or, as often happened if the car was serviced in a non specialised garage, just ignoring the routine maintenance required.
John
"Laws designed to prohibit have a tendency to reinforce the activity they would prohibit. This is the fine point on which all legal professions in history have based their job security."
- Frank Herbert, in 'Chapterhouse: Dune'
robvanelst
Registered user
We run our 2009-2011 bloodbike RTs (police version) without the servos and curiously they seem to be more- rather than less powerful - a bit too powerful for my taste, especially at lower speeds. The Pan Europeans we use as well have easier- yet even more powerful brakes when you need them. I wouldn't mind living with those - that is about the only thing the Pan does better (ok, it's better built and more reliable too but let's not go off topic ).
My own earlier RT has the infamous servo system. This is easier to dose at lower speeds but under very heavy braking has all the power you will ever need; the semi-integral system makes heavy braking noticeably more stable too, any idiot (even me
) can safely brake very heavily. That is worth a lot on a bike 
despite me normally being a fan of simplicity.
One thing I find nerve-wrecking though is the servo's high-pitch noise, esp. when you need to engage the brake while standing still (like on a sloping road waiting for the traffic light).
).My own earlier RT has the infamous servo system. This is easier to dose at lower speeds but under very heavy braking has all the power you will ever need; the semi-integral system makes heavy braking noticeably more stable too, any idiot (even me
) can safely brake very heavily. That is worth a lot on a bike despite me normally being a fan of simplicity.One thing I find nerve-wrecking though is the servo's high-pitch noise, esp. when you need to engage the brake while standing still (like on a sloping road waiting for the traffic light).
...Police, or medical rapid-response?
Your post brings up much Deja Vu for me... I did exactly the same thing on a 2005 K1200S I streetfightered.
In my case, I had a choice of either replacing the entire (badly damaged) wiring harness at $$$, or plumbing out the ZFE-high (and along with it, the standard instruments and ABS regulator, which were now dead weight).
It was actually an easy job - all I had to do was install two bridge pipes.
Yup.
Smooth, powerful, progressive brakes, whether feathering the lever or having an "OmigahdI'mgonnadiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!!!!" moment. 
The Pan Europeans we use as well have easier- yet even more powerful brakes when you need them. I wouldn't mind living with those - that is about the only thing the Pan does better (ok, it's better built and more reliable too but let's not go off topic
It's really funny, but the ST1100 never made it to our shores except as a grey import. I had a (very brief) chance to ride the only one I've ever seen, and I was quite impressed.
We did get the later ST1300 as an official Honda SA import, though.
Getting to know my '06 GS, this has really annoyed me.
My garage opens onto a driveway with a 10-degree upward slope. Starting my '09, you can hold it still with the brakes, no problem. But the '06 refuses to initiate the ABS self-check unless your extremities are well away from both levers. This means I have to hold the bike still by digging into the seat and pushing forward with both feet until the engine's ticking over.
Solutions that come to us from techno-weenies who have seemingly never owned or ridden motorcycles in the real world...
Bendy toy
Registered user
Maybe for starting at home on an upward slope the best option is a brick under the back wheel. Makes a mockery of the high tech brakes though.
You are making life hard for your self !!
put the bike in gear clutch out and allow the ecu to do it's self check
then pull brake lever in Pull clutch in start bike and drive off at your leisure
put the bike in gear clutch out and allow the ecu to do it's self check
then pull brake lever in Pull clutch in start bike and drive off at your leisure
Getting to know my '06 GS, this has really annoyed me.
My garage opens onto a driveway with a 10-degree upward slope. Starting my '09, you can hold it still with the brakes, no problem. But the '06 refuses to initiate the ABS self-check unless your extremities are well away from both levers. This means I have to hold the bike still by digging into the seat and pushing forward with both feet until the engine's ticking over.
