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Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  • 1 Post By ta-rider

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  #1  
Old 21 Jan 2017
lozza1986's Avatar
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GS1150R ADVENTURE (2002 ) Serious brake problems.

Guys and girls help needed urgently please.

I picked up a 2002 reg 1150gsa today from a used bike sales place.
The bike has only done 31500 miles and 2 owners.

The day before I was heading down to view/buy the bike the chap who owns the company phones me to say that he has noticed the warning light is on with the brake failure light flashing.
After the call I went over to have a look at the bike and a road test.

It rode fine and the brakes pulled up great. I never got the ABS to kick in but then I don't really care for ABS

I done a little research and found that nearly all the problems with the brake warning lights are usually down to a dodgy battery or a bulb.
They had mentioned that the bike had stood for about a year and that it had previously had all the abs pump replaced a few years ago.

Putting it down to standing around for a year I was hopping it was just the battery so I bought it.

My journey home was around 80 miles. I was almost home and traveling at motorway speeds when the traffic started to back up quite quickly so I went for the brakes.. . . . . .

Nothing happened. No servo at all and by this point I'm almost snapping the levers off the bike and still don't know how I managed to stop..
I bought the bike knowing the servo was working and that the brakes where sharp.

Once the servo stops working it doesn't come back. Turn the bike on and off and you hear a little test sequence but both warning light and failure are on.
If you leave the bike for a while then it returns but for how long????

It has a mind of its own. I managed to get home and phoned a dealer to see if they had a battery for it.

I have since then fitted a new yuasa battery but the thing is still lethal.
Any ideas?

should I call the company where I bought it from and ask for my money back? Try fix it ?
I'm totally lost.

Can anyone help please?
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  #2  
Old 23 Jan 2017
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I suggest you join a GS forum where you will get all your answers
Could be the brake fluid level. Could be a bad sensor. Etc. Hopefully it is not a bad servo.

BTW Depending on which light is on, and its frequency, you can get more details about the source of the problem.
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  #3  
Old 24 Jan 2017
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i can recommend gs-forum.eu these people for sure can help you.
It´s in german, but even you write in english there will be somebody understanding it.

To get help you need to describe your problem better.

What is doing the brake lamp? It´s on the entire time, blinking, blinking fast?
Which ABS do you have?

If there is a serious problem it will be expensive, sometimes it helps changing the fluid to bring out the dirt of the system.
But i´m not a mechanic and not specialist...so ask these guys.

There are some people with abs problems on gs1150, but if the breaks are working they are awesome!

hope everything works well
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  #4  
Old 24 Jan 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lozza1986 View Post
should I call the company where I bought it from and ask for my money back?
Yes BMW bikes are known for that. Many reports about this in German BMW Forums. Get rid of it before you kill your selfe and better buy a Japanese bike. Save travels
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  #5  
Old 1 May 2017
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsrrpbb4kJc
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  #6  
Old 1 May 2017
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"I done a little research and found that nearly all the problems with the brake warning lights are usually down to a dodgy battery or a bulb"


I agree with this statement that you did a little research. Very little....


You don't need to clear the fault before it starts working again...

My guess is you have faulty speed sensors or a dead ABS pump.


Unlucky....
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Did some trips.
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Can't say anymore.
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  #7  
Old 17 May 2017
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The abs module can be bypassed. Have a look at the ukgs forum. There's plenty of advice and help.
Bf


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  #8  
Old 18 May 2017
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Didn't Ewan and Charley have the same problem after welding the frame on one bike with the electrics connected? It fried the ABS unit and left the bike completely without brakes. Doesn't strike me as a very fail safe design.
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