I recently pulled my battery out and charged it up and about 60klms after i replaced the battery the Brake indicator and 4ltr warning lights come on whenever I put the headlight on. It's very odd, seems to have no effect on anything but is very annoying, is this just an anomaly or could it be something more sinister.

Krazy_Kev wrote:I recently pulled my battery out and charged it up and about 60klms after i replaced the battery the Brake indicator and 4ltr warning lights come on whenever I put the headlight on. It's very odd, seems to have no effect on anything but is very annoying, is this just an anomaly or could it be something more sinister.

Does your bike has ABS break? When you say 4ltr warning light, which light is the warning one? the ABS?

No ABS my bike is an 83, on my dash there are 2 fuel warning lights a 7ltr and a 4ltr (7 ltr was dropped in later models) these tell you how much fuel you have left. My brake warning light is in between the tacho and speedo and is a red light with a triangle on it it flashes on and off now I am sure it is a short somewhere as there is no issue with brakes at all.

Just an annoying light specially at night.

Krazy_Kev wrote:No ABS my bike is an 83, on my dash there are 2 fuel warning lights a 7ltr and a 4ltr (7 ltr was dropped in later models) these tell you how much fuel you have left. My brake warning light is in between the tacho and speedo and is a red light with a triangle on it it flashes on and off now I am sure it is a short somewhere as there is no issue with brakes at all.

Just an annoying light specially at night.

The red light is not there to fill an empty space on the dash board. The K bikes are equiped with a bulb monitoring unit (#17 on the picture). If one of the light or one of the micro switch activating the stop light fail, the red light will glow.

First check all bulbs on your bike and then be sure that the stop light works when you activate both brakes.
If you have not found any defective bulb or switch, the problem may come from the bulb monitoring unit.

Bert

Thanks Bert

I'll have a look this weekend, I know that the brake switches are a bit dodgy because I when I first start the bike I need to tap the rear brake lever to turn that warning light off.

Next question is where is the assembly you pictured above, sorry to sound dopey but as a mechanic I make a great house painter.

Do you know where I can get new switches from without having to sell one of my children to pay for it

How much do you value your kids?
If your bike is a pre-1986, usually, the plunger gets worn and doesn't move freely. The last time that I had to buy one, I think that I paid around $40.

Check Beemer boneyard (http://www.beemerboneyard.com/)
If your bike is pre-1986, they have one for $8: Switch pre-1986
If your bike was built after 1986 they have one for $14: switch post 1986

Beemerboneyard is a reputable dealer of used K parts and I am always satisfied when ordering parts from him.

My kids are priceless, most of the time

Thanks mate will clean all terminals this weekend and see if that helps, if not I will order gear from the boneyard.

just bought a K today and this light started coming on before I got home. Gave me bit a fright. Turns out it was just the self test system warning that foot brake switch was no right. A quick squirt of cleaner and a fiddle got it fixed.

Thanks for the explaination above. It looked more serious.

i'm a new beemer owner (85 K 100) and it's comforting to know that others are experiencing the same problems..mine is an electrical short some where in the rats nest of wires lurking under the fuel tank..if i wiggle the fuel pump connector (port side front of tank) it will usually get going again but very frustrating rocketing down the freeway and instant off happens...i also have the evil eye red triangle doing it's damndest to drive me crazy...have checked most everything with the bike on the stand but it is perverse enough that it waits for the traffic to build around me before it faults out ! if i get this all straightened away it should be a good ride for the summer...thanks for letting me whine...david

david wrote:i'm a new beemer owner (85 K 100) and it's comforting to know that others are experiencing the same problems..mine is an electrical short some where in the rats nest of wires lurking under the fuel tank..if i wiggle the fuel pump connector (port side front of tank) it will usually get going again but very frustrating rocketing down the freeway and instant off happens...i also have the evil eye red triangle doing it's damndest to drive me crazy...have checked most everything with the bike on the stand but it is perverse enough that it waits for the traffic to build around me before it faults out ! if i get this all straightened away it should be a good ride for the summer...thanks for letting me whine...david

David,

The problem with the connector on the fuel tank is a minor problem. Usually, one of the inside contact in the plug is loose.
The red light with the triangle is the light monitoring system. It won't go off until you use both breaks.
If it comes on, it tells you that you have a problem with your stop light (usually the bulb is burned.
The rear break electrical switch has a bad design. The plunger in the switch wears off and the whole switch has to be replaced.

Like the other "david" in T.O. (howdy!); i have issues with the red triangle of death along with the intermittant instant off conundrum at the fuel pump connector...i have also noticed that i have a pronounced stutter after lengthy rides +/- 100 k...hmmmm...and putting injector cleaner in the fuel seems to negate this "fault". The question is : are these puppies designed to be run on ultra high test or maybe rocket fuel ? Any suggestions or hints greatly appreciated..The other David in T.O..

david wrote:Like the other "david" in T.O. (howdy!); i have issues with the red triangle of death along with the intermittant instant off conundrum at the fuel pump connector...i have also noticed that i have a pronounced stutter after lengthy rides +/- 100 k...hmmmm...and putting injector cleaner in the fuel seems to negate this "fault". The question is : are these puppies designed to be run on ultra high test or maybe rocket fuel ? Any suggestions or hints greatly appreciated..The other David in T.O..

The "red triangle of death" is in fact called bulb monitoring system.
Everytime that you start the bike, you have to activate both brakes. If the stop light glows for the front and rear break, the red triangle will go off. If not, it could be few different problems:
The stop light bulb is burned or one of the switch on the master cylinder is deffective, or the bulb monitoring system is deffective.
The switches are plunger type switches and the plunger tend to wear out. I did try to fix one before without any success. Best thing to do, buy a new one.

The K bike are designed to run on high test gasoline. They work fine with a lower grade, but you take a chance to burn a valve.
Once a year I use fuel injector cleaner mixed with my gas.

Bert

Hi Folks,
The best contact cleaner and preservative comes from Caig Labs - see www.caig.com
Deoxit is the product and it is available in two types Deoxit the cleaner and Gold the preservative. Go through every plug, socket and earth point on the bike with both. They will restore all connections to like new.
Regards,
K-Bike