Rear Brake on fire

[mavicone]

Hi, I had my first ride on my 2004 R1200GS yesterday. Approximately 15 kilometres from home the "Brake Failure" indicator lit up. I live in the countryside and did not brake until i arrived home. When I rode into my driveway and selected 1st gear the bike would not move forward. I looked around to find the rear brake caliper was on fire and then heard a loud bang. I immediately turned the ignition off and dismounted and blew out the flames.
What have I done? Please be kind I'm an accountant.

[Schtum]

Originally Posted by mavicone

Please be kind I'm an accountant.

That's the most entertaining line I've seen on the Internet in......ohh....that past 5 minutes. Although why you think being a bean-counter should influence how we respond to your predicament is a mystery to me.


Moving on....which your bike isn't going to do again until its had some TLC....it sounds as if you were riding with the rear brake applied and it overheated, resulting in the pads going on fire. The bang which you heard is a bit of a concern. Brake fluid is combustible so perhaps the caliper go so hot that the brake fluid combusted and blew out the brake piston seal(s). In any event, you're going to have to remove the rear caliper and do some investigation. You don't indicate if the bike has ABS and a servo...?

As to the cause - were you inadvertently riding with your foot on the brake pedal, thereby dragging the rear brake all the time you were riding?

[mavicone]

Sorry about the accountant thing. I was alluding to my lack of mechanical skills.
I think you may be spot on. Prior to the ride I had adjusted the position of the brake lever to enable ease of braking. The bike has Switchable ABS.
Today i am off to my local bikeshop to have the bike picked up and given the TLC it deserves.
Once again thank you for your input.

[Schtum]

Originally Posted by mavicone

Sorry about the accountant thing. I was alluding to my lack of mechanical skills.

No need to apologise, I was teasing....

However, I have to tell you that there is no equivalence between being an accountant and having no mechanical skills. An old friend of mine who was an accountant, here in Scotland, used to be heavily into classic Jaguars and had a disassembled MkV in his garage, a MkVIIM which he sometimes used to race in classic saloon (sedan) car races and a SWB, manual transmission, 4.2L SeriesI XJ6. When he wasn't counting beans for a living, he could mostly be found in the garage, under the bonnet (hood) of one or other of them.

The good news is that mechanical understanding and skills can be learned.