Gotta ride 40 miles without servo!!

k12pfc

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My 1200 GS's front brake light switch is fucked, brake light is stuck on, so no servo, gotta ride to Bahnstormer Alton on Wednesday to hopefully get it fixed, wish me luck. BMW should be sued for producing such a fucked up braking system. I'm going away Sat 27th for my first foreign trip on the bike for 8 years, why go wrong now :blast
 
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sh...25-BMW-R_1200_GS_04_0307,0317_&diagId=32_1892

Find that part 10 and make sure the little arm is in the right place

These switches are a Normally "made" connection when the lever is at OFF

If the system does not see 2 switches at start up it will disable the Servo assistance and leave you as you well know with Residual braking

HAPPILY Badly adjusted Microswitches are easily fixeed!!!

Hope that Helps
 
DrFarkoff said:
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sh...25-BMW-R_1200_GS_04_0307,0317_&diagId=32_1892

Find that part 10 and make sure the little arm is in the right place

These switches are a Normally "made" connection when the lever is at OFF

If the system does not see 2 switches at start up it will disable the Servo assistance and leave you as you well know with Residual braking

HAPPILY Badly adjusted Microswitches are easily fixeed!!!

Hope that Helps
Click to expand...

I think I pulled this connection out sprayed it with contact cleaner but brake light is still on and I can't get it off, it started a few days ago but the problem would go away, and the servo would kick in with a few pulls at the lever, not now though, so a very careful ride for me coming up.
 
Take it steady and you should be fine.

At least you are expecting crap brakes, IMO much better than expecting good ones and suddenly realising they arent doing the job (the reason why I traded my '04 bike for an '08).
 
People who have removed the servo say the brakes are more than good enough without it.
They ask why the servo was deemed necessary.
 
Are you SURE its the front brake? find the junction where the microswitch loom joins the main loom

If you link across the main loom connection with a small length of wire or a paperclip, this then mimics a permanently made connection

at least then you will know which switch is bad!

Rear switches had a bad habit of getting knocked off there rest position and a CAREFUL tweak allows you to reset it

"BUT" Link them out one at a time first to make sure which one is defective !!!
 
DrFarkoff said:
Are you SURE its the front brake?
Click to expand...

As sure as I can be, when this first happened a few days ago I pumped the rear brake, nothing happened, but when I pumped the front all was well, it just deteriorated quickly to the point of brake light staying on permanently.
 
Any chance that the brake lever is held partially on - by a handguard that has been twisted out of position?

Al
 
Bendy toy said:
They ask why the servo was deemed necessary.
Click to expand...

Because some fuckwit or group of fuckwits that designed it are secretly serial killers!!!!!!

ABS II was Brilliant for its time a software and hardware update would have sufficient

Even when they do managed to get it right cheap costs lead to unreliable units again!
 
k12pfc said:
As sure as I can be, when this first happened a few days ago I pumped the rear brake, nothing happened, but when I pumped the front all was well, it just deteriorated quickly to the point of brake light staying on permanently.
Click to expand...

Okay As Blackal says check the the handguard is not fouling the end of the lever If the switch is stuck open

even only a fraction The ECU self check will not see it and fail the system

Have a really good look at it

It also makes the clutch slip under load (the clutch lever side obviously) if it is only slightly held on by the handgurd
 
k12pfc said:
I'm going away Sat 27th for my first foreign trip on the bike for 8 years, why go wrong now :blast
Click to expand...

It's what servo brakes do... at some point they will fail.

At least they've failed now rather than when you are away.... That's not to say just because they may have been repaired that they won't fail again while you're away. :D
 
Having had this problem myself I'd suggest the first thing to do is to check the adjustment of the switch. Reason is that a tiny amount of wear on the end of the alloy brake lever where it rubs on the steel arm of the microswitch gives the same effect as pulling the lever and confusing the ABS controller. The adjuster is a tiny allen-headed grub screw that is mentioned but not shown on this parts diagram http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...25-BMW-R_1200_GS_04_0307,0317_&diagId=32_1892 . The switch pivots on a little pin:loosen the grub screw to adjust it's position.
 
I got caught with the handguard thing 12 years ago, so that was the first thing I checked, anyway as the front brake light was intermittently on it had to be just that surely..a new switch? Bike into Bahnstormer today and this was confirmed £20 for switch £33 to fit...very pleased with that. All is well for now.
 
I wonder if ya could fit a bigger master cylinder of an R1 or similar improve the brakes once the the servo is ditched.
 
k12pfc said:
I got caught with the handguard thing 12 years ago, so that was the first thing I checked, anyway as the front brake light was intermittently on it had to be just that surely..a new switch? Bike into Bahnstormer today and this was confirmed £20 for switch £33 to fit...very pleased with that. All is well for now.
Click to expand...
The microswitch £20 is :eek

And £33 to fit. how many part hours was that in labour ???


MArt
 
KP100 said:
I wonder if ya could fit a bigger master cylinder of an R1 or similar improve the brakes once the the servo is ditched.
Click to expand...

No need - that's one of the annoying aspects of the whole design. The brakes are fine if you remove the servo...
 
Santa-2512 said:
The microswitch £20 is :eek

And £33 to fit. how many part hours was that in labour ???


MArt
Click to expand...

All I know is they booked it in for an hour but didn't use anywhere near the whole time. I thought it was quite decent of them.
 
k12pfc said:
All I know is they booked it in for an hour but didn't use anywhere near the whole time. I thought it was quite decent of them.
Click to expand...

Well they will bill you either per 1/4 1/2 or hour so at £33 i'm guessing 15mins so an hourly rate of £132 eeek!
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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