2016 R1200RS, The curse continues? Turn Signal and Horn switch no longer work? (Fixed?)

[vwsandman]

So you may have seen my No Spark Thread. When I picked the bike up and rode it home all was well for the most part. A few niggles and parts not put back on right from the dealer. No biggie. I noticed the left front turn signal was acting up. After I got home I started to address the niggles and finish up some farkles. All went well until the Wunderlich bar conversion. After getting it all back together I noticed the turn signal switch felt "Off" to me. I noticed that the turn signals and the horn did not work. After taking the left multifunction switch back off and peering around inside and much head scratching, I got the GS 911 out and went to the real time input for the Kombi (instrument cluster) which takes these inputs in from the left Multifunction control (and the right) over LIN bus I believe. There you can push each button and see if the Kombi recognizes the input. Lo and behold, the turn signal buttons for left and right and cancel as well as the horn were not recognized! All of the other switches from the same LIN module were working! Dang it! What to do now? It is a CPU and Ribbon cables and little switch buttons! I'm not going to ride to Arizona with no turn signals and no Horn! It's Sunday too and the dealer is closed on Monday! ARGGHHHH??

But wait, don't I have a 2022 BMW S1000RR sitting right over there? Hmm, how much you want to bet BMW makes a single left multifunction switch and changes the buttons for what bike they go on? I bet the internals are all the same and that the Kombi takes whatever switch input is on and then performs the function based on it's bike specific coding? Yep!
After a quick switch a roo this morning I am pleased to say it all works again! Now to either fix or source a new Left multifunction switch for my beloved cursed R1200RS!

You can't make this stuff up!

I guess I must have messed something up during the handlebar installation?

 

[oldcamper]

Unfortunately, a new left multifunction switch is over $400.
Sometimes I wonder if the real purpose of the proprietary “technology” on our BMWs is just there to lock us in to OEM replacement parts. Sure, BMW saves a dollar per bike on wire which adds up over 100,000 units, but is that the real reason for designs like this? Call me skeptical but I prefer simpler things that are repairable.

 

[omega man]

Did the turn signals and horn work before you started the major project?
OM

 

[88bmwjeff]

I'm beginning to wonder if you pissed of the motorcycle Gods.

Anyway, I would reach out to the dealer who did the work and perhaps have them take a look. They may have come across this before and know of a way to get them working without a new multiswitch.

 

[pauls1150]

Weren't there a bunch of switch recalls on certain models not so long ago? If there was a recall, it shouldn't matter whether you're still under warranty or not. If was a "service campaign", it might not be covered.

 

[vwsandman]

Did the turn signals and horn work before you started the major project?
OM

Yes they did. I suspect in my hurry to do the bar swap I may have inadvertently did something to the switch "forcing" something....

 

[vwsandman]

I'm beginning to wonder if you pissed of the motorcycle Gods.

Anyway, I would reach out to the dealer who did the work and perhaps have them take a look. They may have come across this before and know of a way to get them working without a new multiswitch.

Probably..... seems about right! At some point I should be "Paid in full" I hope! I'll ask the dealer. Maybe I will get lucky!

 

[vwsandman]

So I finally figured out the reason why the left and right Weiser LED turn signals would cause a "bulb out" Short to ground fault. Many moons ago, I installed LED rondel lights behind the BMW emblems on the side fairings. All was good as they had load resistors and some relays installed to go from Blue/White to Amber when the turn signal was on. Before my BAD DME fiasco, I had noticed in ISTA+ that there was an option to code for LED Turn signals. Hey! I thought, I have LED Turn Signals! Let's enable that feature! As the bike was not running, I never really rode it with that feature enabled. After getting the new DME and Kombi and then actually riding it, I noticed that the turn signals in the front would "fail" after a few uses and then as that circuit is monitored by the Modules, it is kept off until you restart the motorcycle. Annoying to say the least, Dangerous for sure!. Well, trying multiple things and then going to bed at 9:30 last night soundly defeated, fearing the prospect of a seriously long road trip with non working front turn signals, I was gutted. As I went through my mental checklist of what it could be, I remembered the damn LED rondel thing-a-ma-gigs and those combined with the software change, Great Scott!, it has to be it! I sprung from the bed like it was Christmas morning and hurried out to the garage to start the process of stripping the front off the motorcycle to access the wires and to undo all of that LED Rondel Relay Garp. Then I went back in to the house and put some clothes on.....

So, long story short, after "de-restricting" the Front turn signal harness, all is well now! Worked perfect this morning with no troubles or error lights. The GS-911 activated "comfort" turn signal cancelation works well too as an added bonus.

So why would I not just change the software back? Since the recent trip to the dealer and a new DME and Kombi, the ISTA+ software used at the dealer supersedes my "version" at home which now negates my ability to code the LED turn signal option in ISTA+ and that is currently not an option supported in GS-911 so I was stuck. Even good old fashioned incandescent turn signal bulbs no longer work with the LED Turn Signal coding activated..... So no going back it seems. I was able to get the darn thing all put back together and finally go to bed at 11:30. I slept like a rock.

Yes, I am my own worst enemy! To die on the Farkle sword is my destiny.....

As my wife always says, "Just leave it alone Dummy!" " I knew you screwed it up!"

I hate it when she is right....

 

[omega man]

So I finally figured out the reason why the left and right Weiser LED turn signals would cause a "bulb out" Short to ground fault. Many moons ago, I installed LED rondel lights behind the BMW emblems on the side fairings. All was good as they had load resistors and some relays installed to go from Blue/White to Amber when the turn signal was on. Before my BAD DME fiasco, I had noticed in ISTA+ that there was an option to code for LED Turn signals. Hey! I thought, I have LED Turn Signals! Let's enable that feature! As the bike was not running, I never really rode it with that feature enabled. After getting the new DME and Kombi and then actually riding it, I noticed that the turn signals in the front would "fail" after a few uses and then as that circuit is monitored by the Modules, it is kept off until you restart the motorcycle. Annoying to say the least, Dangerous for sure!. Well, trying multiple things and then going to bed at 9:30 last night soundly defeated, fearing the prospect of a seriously long road trip with non working front turn signals, I was gutted. As I went through my mental checklist of what it could be, I remembered the damn LED rondel thing-a-ma-gigs and those combined with the software change, Great Scott!, it has to be it! I sprung from the bed like it was Christmas morning and hurried out to the garage to start the process of stripping the front off the motorcycle to access the wires and to undo all of that LED Rondel Relay Garp. Then I went back in to the house and put some clothes on.....

So, long story short, after "de-restricting" the Front turn signal harness, all is well now! Worked perfect this morning with no troubles or error lights. The GS-911 activated "comfort" turn signal cancelation works well too as an added bonus.

So why would I not just change the software back? Since the recent trip to the dealer and a new DME and Kombi, the ISTA+ software used at the dealer supersedes my "version" at home which now negates my ability to code the LED turn signal option in ISTA+ and that is currently not an option supported in GS-911 so I was stuck. Even good old fashioned incandescent turn signal bulbs no longer work with the LED Turn Signal coding activated..... So no going back it seems. I was able to get the darn thing all put back together and finally go to bed at 11:30. I slept like a rock.

Yes, I am my own worst enemy! To die on the Farkle sword is my destiny.....

As my wife always says, "Just leave it alone Dummy!" " I knew you screwed it up!"

I hate it when she is right....

OM