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Red triangle warning light comes on (BMW 1200 GS) Red triangle warning light comes on (BMW 1200 GS)
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Photo by Sean Howman, The Pamir highway in an unseasonably cold late October, Tajikistan

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Sean Howman,
The Pamir highway in an unseasonably
cold late October, Tajikistan



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  #31  
Old 11 Jan 2014
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Problem solved. It was, indeed, a faulty gear potentiometer (£99) and I also needed a new brake micro switch (£18) which is what was causing the brake warning light to come on.

All fixed and back on the road today.

Happy days...
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  #32  
Old 27 Jul 2014
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Unbelievable - it's happened again. And this time I'm in France on my way to Romania!

I did 200+ miles today from Dunkirk down to Verdun. 30 miles short of Verdun I took a corner to quickly and slammed the brakes on. The Red warning triangle lit up. Nothing else and not flashing, just the red warning light. The brakes felt fine after that but the light stayed on as I rode in to Verdun.

I'm going to assume that when I ride it tomorrow the light will come on when I use the brake and I'm going to have to find a BMW deal with a computer. What a great start to my holiday.
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  #33  
Old 27 Jul 2014
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Having just said that, I just took the bike out for a spin and it was fine. No red triangle, even when I broke hard. Reading the manual it says the red triangle means ' the engine is running in emergency operating mode....the engine electronics control unit has diagnosed a fault. Have the malfunction corrected as soon as possible.'

Of course it doesn't say what the specific fault is but I'm thinking it might just be that a slammed the brakes on too hard and this temporarily affected the ABS???. So the red triangle can on but having turned the engine off an then back on again perhaps it's cleared up???. Just a thought?! I'm open to ideas... But my plan is to research BMW dealers on my route and head off tomorrow as planned trying to avoid using the front break. not idea as I'm heading off on a 4 week trip to Romania and back but not sure what else I can do. if it happens again I'll just have to stop off at one of the BMW shops along the way.
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  #34  
Old 27 Jul 2014
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The abs light will stay on if its an abs problem.. Just stamp on the back brake and see if you can slide it. If it skids, your abs is disabled. If its a newer non servo assisted abs type then your brakes will still work fine.
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  #35  
Old 27 Jul 2014
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Thanks Ted. The ABS hasn't flashed up at all, I was just speculating. Of course, if it was ABS related then I'd expect the ABS to flash. All I have is a Red triangle. Nothing else.
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  #36  
Old 27 Jul 2014
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Does it not bring up any codes on the dash with that red light ??
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  #37  
Old 27 Jul 2014
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No, nothing. Just a solid (ie, not flashing) red triangle.
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  #38  
Old 28 Jul 2014
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Yeah.. You need a dealer..

Bring
Me
Workshop

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  #39  
Old 29 Jul 2014
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Or perhaps not! Looking at my manual I found this on page 30 - 'General warning lamp lights up red = There is a defective brake system. The brake switch is defective, the BMW ABS detects the braking request from the pressure buildup through the brake lever. There may be an unusual response from the brakes. You can continue to ride but the brakes may respond in a Manner to which you are not accustomed.'

of course if the light was still on I'd find a dealer ASAP. But the light has gone out so I assume it came on after I was heavy on the brakes but is now Ok.

I'll continue to monitor it for now it looks like it's alright. thanks for the help, as always.

If you're interested. I'll be putting a trip report on The Dom way round. Soon

cheers. Dom
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  #40  
Old 29 Jul 2014
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But the abs goes out ?? Stamp on the pedal and you will know if the abs is working as it judders through the pedal if it is.
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  #41  
Old 5 Sep 2014
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I just had a similar case fixed at BWM service. The whole ABS unit was changed - fortunately I didn't have to pay for the unit (1100€) just for the labor. In the beginning the warning light came on occasionally after some riding, then it stayed always on and the ABS did not work. The brakes worked otherwise well. The fault codes indicated an ABS problem which was obvious without reading them. My bike is a non-servo model (2007 GSA). There are instructions how to fix the ABS motor yourself but now I didn't need to do it.
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  #42  
Old 18 Sep 2014
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ABS
I have a 2007 model and the symptoms are the same as mine. Intermittent or sometimes constant red triangle.
The problem was the ABS unit. It is well known that there is a problem with the ABS up to 2008.
I was lucky as my service agent got BMW to replace the unit and I only had to pay for the labour to fit it.
see: ABS system showing "brake failure" indication
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