ESA Problem after 2 weeks ownership!!

[sk8mutie]

Just had the bike a couple of weeks. 2014 GSA. Got on it to come home and packed panniers with luggage. Went to adjust ESA from pillion to pillion with luggage and the light keeps flashing and suspensions doesn't adjust.

It does this for every settings and is currently on the lowest and won't budge from there.

It feels like I change from soft to normal and hard.

Can anyone shed any light on what it could be as I've a trip back home to Ireland in a week?

Just got rid of re-engined GS as I was fed up running back and forward to dealers...third time on bike and looks like it's stated again...threaders!!!

 

[autogs]

as an interim fix try disconecting the battery for 30 mins then try again,early esa problematic to say the least as some have found others have no probs at all go figure?

 

[Neil W]

Try the battery disconnect if not it is a trip to the dealers and possibly an ECU service update to 'fix' the suspension, there are threads re similar issues

 

[sk8mutie]

Guys, just rode 45 mins north from Glasgow airport, turned it off and on...which I'd done several times up till now, chucked it on the centre stand to observe the suspension and then damned things has started to work!!!!

Perhaps it's a software thing!! I'd had a Nov 2014 GS and just got rid of it for a Sept 2014 Adv..never had any issues.

Anyway, I think I'll pop down for them to have a look anyway, but she seems to sorted herself out!!

Thank you for the advice though.


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[Neil W]

I'll guarantee you that if a dealer plugs in diagnostics it will NOT show any faults , mine never has .

 

[sk8mutie]

Neil, guessing the same.
It showed nothing else on the dash apart fromt he flashing lights to say it was moving from one setting to the next.

When I was off the bike watching the rear shock and listening, I heard a click and looked upi and the light had gone out. Jumped on and changed through the settings as it came to the end of its cycle, heard the click again...there was nonr of that when I was sat at the airport though.

Anyway...appears fine, but will get it looked at regardless.

 

[Ian M]

Mine (2013) did exactly the same for most of its first 2 years, with repeated faults reported to the dealer. Eventually, the shock was changed under warranty and it's been fine since.

 

[Tractors are go]

If possible, email the dealer advising them of the problem. Then if there is a reoccurrence you can make a claim against any warranty. Hopefully it is all sorted now.

 

[sk8mutie]

Mmmmm...just thought I would give it another wee try. Appeared to go to pillion plus luggage, but I pressed it again for twos up and I could feel it sink back to the lowest setting. Bike off and on, no difference...then stuck it on centre stand and tied again and it started to work again....

It's going back unless someone advises that it's operator error...but after 8 yrs of ESA, I think i've got the hang of it!!

 

[ghost-rider]

out of curiosity, is the endure pro plug "plugged in" to the bike, or is it still clipped to the base of the seat, I had this a few weeks ago, smart arse salesman told me I could plug the endure plug in to the bike permanently, so I did, next time I went out on the bike, swmbo happened to come with, so I adjusted the suspension accordingly, or tried should I say, symbol on the dash kept flashing, but no movement, took it for a ride thought maybe itll clear itself, anyway, after much hed scratching, it suddenly dawned on me, the only thing id done difrent was put the plug in, so I unplugged it, and hey presto, all good again, needless to say I cussed the gimp salesman

 

[sk8mutie]

Ghost-rider...I believe it is.

But having described my symptoms in the last couple of paragraphs and then gone and read the handbook, it states on P 75, 'If the temperature is very low, take the weight off the motorcycle before increasing spring preload; if applicable, have your passenger dismount'.

Well, I'm north of Helensburgh and it has been been between zero and 2.5 degs C....so that could be a factor for sure, esp as it's mentioned in the handbook about the low temps!!

 

[harry]

Ghost-rider...I believe it is.

But having described my symptoms in the last couple of paragraphs and then gone and read the handbook, it states on P 75, 'If the temperature is very low, take the weight off the motorcycle before increasing spring preload; if applicable, have your passenger dismount'.

Well, I'm north of Helensburgh and it has been been between zero and 2.5 degs C....so that could be a factor for sure, esp as it's mentioned in the handbook about the low temps!!

I would not adjust the pre-load whilst sat on the bike. I thought The hand book said don't do it. Mine does.

 

[sk8mutie]

Nope...never been told that. It would suggest you can if it says take the weight off if it's cold and have your passenger dismount....'mandraulic' preload maybe...

And there's no mention of it in the 'To adjust spring preload' paragraphs on page 74 of the Adv manual....


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[Neil W]

Enduro pro plug on mine is in the service wallet in my filing cabinet but the suspension drops , it has done it intermittently solo/two up and with luggage and it has had bugger all to do with ambient temperature

 

[sk8mutie]

Morning Neil. I appreciate that this could end up being one of those crap intermittent faults that never shows up on a diagnostic check, but why would it mention the 'low temps' in the handbook and say take the weight off it?

On two occasions yesterday evening, when I got off the bike and had it on the centre stand, the damned thing worked!

When I was sat on it, it 'started' to rise but stopped and returned to solo position. A bit bizarre but highly probable, but again, nothing I've ever been told and only know about it as I my first post was made from the chippy on the way back from the airport and thought I'd better read the handbook before one of our learned friends on here pointed out the blatant obvious....read the instruction manual!!!!! ;-)

 

[sven]

Mine had similar intermittent ESA problems from new which never showed up on diagnostics. It failed completely a fews months back, but luckily as I'd reported problems several times during the warranty period, BMW replaced the shock absorber free of charge.

It may be worthwhile checking the bikes servic history to ascertain whether issues have been reported previously

 

[mcinlb]

Not that I've had any issues with my GS's esa, but an occasional spray with WD40 about the top of the unit just to keep everything nice and free.

 

[karlp]

Take it back to the dealer.

Two weeks ownership is not a lot so any issues should have been sorted at the dealership prior to you collecting the bike.

Cold temperature - I doubt that- unless they do not have ESA bikes in Norway etc

 

[sk8mutie]

Thank you guys. I'm erring on the fact the handbook says the temp could be an issue. Unfortunately, the bike lives outside and it's Baltic up here at the mo!!

 

[batman1]

You're asking a lot for the tiny servo motor in the shocker to lift you and the weight of the bike in really cold weather.

I would have thought that it was engineering common sense to give it a helping hand, all you have to do is straddle the seat, feet on the deck with all your weight on the ground and not on the bike seat until the ESA has finished it cycle and the helmet symbols have stopped flashing.

I always do this and if I have my pillion on the back who cannot reach the ground, I ask her to put both hands on my shoulders and pull downwards. This is just enough to remove enough of her weight to allow the little motor to do its job.

My GSA-LC had more of an issue with this than my GS-LC almost certainly due to the extra weight of the bike...more so with luggage. It's not normally a problem once you do the above procedure.