2005 (ABS) Brake Failure warning

Steve E

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Looking for some advice.
Today I put my bike back on the road as I had been unable to ride for 6 month.
I refitted the battery and all was fine and rode to the garage to fill up. On restarting, at the garage I got a flashing "Brake Failure" (flashes about 4 times a second) and a permanent red triangle on the dash. Rode back home but noticed no degradation in braking. when pulling front brake lever in, the servo can be heard to run. When operating the rear brake pedal there is no sound of the servo running. Is this an indication that one side of the servo/ABS pump is failing. Checked the front and rear sensors and both look OK. Any clues as to what to do next before I try and book it into NoG? Any help gratefully received.
 
Steve E said:
Looking for some advice.
Today I put my bike back on the road as I had been unable to ride for 6 month.
I refitted the battery and all was fine and rode to the garage to fill up. On restarting, at the garage I got a flashing "Brake Failure" (flashes about 4 times a second) and a permanent red triangle on the dash. Rode back home but noticed no degradation in braking. when pulling front brake lever in, the servo can be heard to run. When operating the rear brake pedal there is no sound of the servo running. Is this an indication that one side of the servo/ABS pump is failing. Checked the front and rear sensors and both look OK. Any clues as to what to do next before I try and book it into NoG? Any help gratefully received.
Click to expand...

2 possibilities spring to mind, 1) the pressure sensor is not registering that the rear brake is being applied, 2) the rear pump motor is buggered.
First thing I would ask is when was the brake fluid (in all four circuits) changed?
Second question is how much time have you got to take the servo out, strip it down, refit it and bleed it through multiple times?
If you have the time and patience and spare parts, you might fix it, if you haven't, save yourself a lot of grief and bypass the servo.
Smiffy
 
Just search on here there are lots of posts on
how to remove it. I removed mine 2 years ago and I have had no issues with the brakes which includes at least 1 MOT. You will have to inform your insurance company. Motorworks sell a kit to replace the hard brake lines at the front and rear. If you are interested I have a number of saved links that I can post up if you are interested. Best of luck and let us know how you get on
Dave
 
Mine (06) failed last year @ 40k miles, got the kit from motorworks and a local Independent guy did the work, you just need to keep the electrical connector box from the unit and seal it up afterwards and put some tape over the warning lights, my brakes are just as good as before just no ABS.

Al.
 
That is for a 1150 so some bits will be a bit different just so that you are aware
 
Lots of good information there, don't think that I am up to removing the servo at the moment.
Any way, cleaned the rear brake switch and got got the servo running and all normal. Only lasted about 10 minutes though. Lots of functioning of the brake switch and I get intermittent functionality. This leads me to think that the rear brake switch, although giving the brake light, is breaking down inside (had the same sort of thing on my pan European electric windscreen). First plan is to replace the rear brake switch with a new one and see where that takes me. If that doesn't work I am tempted to sell the bike for parts to MotorWorks.
 
Here's a slightly off-beat possibility. Some years ago with the same model I had brake failure warnings which turned out to be where a wiring harness was chafing and one on the cables to the rear brake swith was snapped, which the bike interprets as the brake pedal being permanently pressed. Look at the cabling where it runs against the corner of the battery box before heading for the front nearside of the bike. If the harness is overtight then you might just be in luck and all you need is a repair to a cable.
 
With the intermittent brakes that I got this morning, that is my line of thought. New brake switch and harness ordered from motoworks.
Bear said:
Here's a slightly off-beat possibility. Some years ago with the same model I had brake failure warnings which turned out to be where a wiring harness was chafing and one on the cables to the rear brake swith was snapped, which the bike interprets as the brake pedal being permanently pressed. Look at the cabling where it runs against the corner of the battery box before heading for the front nearside of the bike. If the harness is overtight then you might just be in luck and all you need is a repair to a cable.
Click to expand...
 
When mine was playing up the brake performance was very erratic ranging from next to no braking or locking up as soon as I pulled the lever or used rear brake, be careful if you are still riding it.

Al.
 
Steve E said:
With the intermittent brakes that I got this morning, that is my line of thought. New brake switch and harness ordered from motoworks.
Click to expand...

Do you know anyone local with a GS911 diagnostic unit ? just plug it in and see what fault it's showing, save a lot of wasted time and money buying bits you may not need.
 
Unfortunately not. I'll slave in the replacement switch when it arrives. Very reluctant to ride the bike at the moment. If any body in South Oxfordshire has a GS911 that could help me I would be grateful.
Steptoe said:
Do you know anyone local with a GS911 diagnostic unit ? just plug it in and see what fault it's showing, save a lot of wasted time and money buying bits you may not need.
Click to expand...
 
Well, the plot thickens or at least its confused me. New brake switch arrived. Prior to fitting it, I put a freshly charged battery in and turned ignition on. Waited for the startup/test function to finish. Normal operation seems to have returned. Started bike and rode around the block, all OK. Slaved in new switch to check operation and all OK by holding switch in and then releasing to check servo operation. All OK. Seems that it is an intermittent fault. Will get brake fluid changed and bled at a dealers. (can't do that myself, as I don't have a GS911 and too expensive to buy one).
 
ABS electronics systems are sensitive to under voltage. Nothing new there.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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