Brake failure warning and no speedo!

[lorien]

Well even Odyssey batteries let you down! My 06GSA failed to start a couple of days ago after a month or so sat in the garage and even an overnight charge just resulted in a chattering from the start relay, so on with a battery from my other wheels and off we go.
Unfortunately I now have the red warning triangle on constant ,'brake failure' indicated, a non operative speedo and brake light on all the time. The first thing I thought was to free off a stuck stop switch but I see the GSA doesnt appear to have regular stop switches, I'm guessing there's a couple of pressure switches in the line somewhere ??? The really puzzling thing is ,whats the connection between this collection of faults.
Any ideas guys ?

[marc]

Final drive. The ABS sensor on the final drive is the device that drives the speedo. A broken wire or sensor will cause similar symptoms. But that wouldn't, I think, effect the brake light.

You do have stop switches. Two of them, although they do not directly operate the brake light. One switch is on the hand lever. You should be able to hear the "click" of the switch as you just start to pull the lever in with your hand. The other is on the foot lever. Ditto about hearing the switch if you put your rear close and gently depress the brake lever. Either switch will activate the brake servos and indirectly the brake lights.

[jamais]

I have an '07 GS which doesn't have the servo brakes like your bike so my experience may not be same issue with your bike. My bike didn't have a battery issue but while cruising along and not using the brake, the "brake failure" light illuminated with a corresponding failure of the speedo.

At the time the bike was under warranty so I promptly visited the dealership. Their first thought was a failed rear wheel abs sensor or related wiring. A diagnostic check showed that the abs pump had failed and needed replacing. Thankfully the warranty paid the almost $2K tab.

Hopefully your problem is a sensor issue.

[lorien]

Originally Posted by marc

Final drive. The ABS sensor on the final drive is the device that drives the speedo. A broken wire or sensor will cause similar symptoms. But that wouldn't, I think, effect the brake light.

You do have stop switches. Two of them, although they do not directly operate the brake light. One switch is on the hand lever. You should be able to hear the "click" of the switch as you just start to pull the lever in with your hand. The other is on the foot lever. Ditto about hearing the switch if you put your rear close and gently depress the brake lever. Either switch will activate the brake servos and indirectly the brake lights.

Thanks for the comment Marc but I dont have stop switches , believe me I 've looked! Does anyone else have a 1200 ADVENTURE that had a brake light stuck on, because I cant see any stop switch so I can only think the ABS unit has some internal device for triggering the brake light. Any comments anyone???????

[ca1ic0cat]

I think we might have some confusion of terms here. There is an "engine stop" switch on my handlebar under the start button. It rotates either direction to kill the engine.

I do not know if BMW has mounted a fuel pump or engine stop switch in case of a tip over. I rather doubt it though.

The brake light switches are on the front brake lever and above and to the rear the rear brake pedal, on the frame. You can hear those click when actuated if the engine is off and your ear is close to the switch. I believe this is what Marc is referring to.

What is the voltage output of the battery? It's going to have to be above 10 volts if the computer is going to function properly.

Good luck!

[marc]

Originally Posted by lorien

Thanks for the comment Marc but I dont have stop switches , believe me I 've looked!

The left picture shows the location of the front brake switch and what it looks like when removed. The right picture shows the rear brake switch. That view is looking toward the right foot peg from the left side of the bike. It's a somewhat bogus view as the muffler is in the way and the switch is inside a box. It's easier to see from the right side of the bike, just behind the foot pad of the brake lever. My stock black plastic cover has been replace with some Touratech bling. It looks like this.

[lorien]

Thanks again for the comments fellas but just to be as clear as I can, I'm refering to the switches that trigger the brake light,not the engine kill switch and I say again ,there aren't any fitted to my bike and there is no 'click' when you operate either lever. Thanks for the images Marc but I have an Adventure model, I think these images are of a std. GS, my frame is also black . I know this sounds odd but I have really looked and the normal switches are not there. This is beginning to sound like a totally unique problem so I guess I'll have to resort to a trip to a main dealer.

[portablejohn]

Lorien,
Do these wiring diagrams match your bike?
http://www.r1200gs.info/R1200GS-WD2.pdf

John

[ca1ic0cat]

I would love to know what the dealer says. The brake actuators are the same for the GSA and GS on the handlebar and the only difference for the rear brake is the brake pedal itself.

This is getting interesting....

[lorien]

Ok, I can tell some people are puzzled(so am I ! ) ,so here are a few images of where one might expect to find brake switches ,but as you can see ,they dont exist on this machine. Weird huh!