B9 (and other errors)

[FreepZ]

I just got a B9 error this morning. It's the first time that I got an error that didn't just go away after restarting a few times. I sent an email with logs to Brammo. Let's see what they say.

In the mean time, I'm curious to learn about what errors people have seen on their bikes and how (if) they were able to resolve them.

E.g.
I very frequently get an S54 (High battery) error after turning on the bike when it's just been charging.
Once I got an S100 (undocumented) error when I tried to change from regular to sport mode and then quickly accelerate.  (That's what I get for trying to show off, eh?) My guess is that the computer was still trying to switch modes when I hit the throttle.
For both of those errors, restarting the bike resolved the issue.

[00049 (AKA SopFu)]

I've gotten B6 quite often when turning on too quickly after charging. Unfortunately it would always happen as I'm accelerating out of my driveway. It seems like giving the bike more time after unplugging solves that issue, though.

[skuzzle]

I found that I will sometimes get an error code if the bike rolls slightly during start-up.  Now I just hold the brake lever during start up.  Only other issue was something along the line of "COLD TEMP  REGEN OFF".  The strange thing is that the outside temperature was around 85 degrees (97 on display).  A cycle of the power fixed the regen issue.

[Jeff]

I had a variety of errors during the first few months of ownership, but the software update (v. 2.05 on the dash) made the majority of them go away.  The only ones that still remain (I can't remember the codes) for me are these:

• If you get the rear wheel off the ground under hard acceleration, the bike will think something is clearly wrong with your wheelspeed and throw an error and kill the motor.  A full reboot is not required; you can simply killswitch off and on and hit the starter -- which I've definitely done a couple times at speed!
• At very, very low speeds (I'm talking like inching forward in a parking lot), occasionally an error will occur.  This has happened maybe like 5 times over 7k miles, and I can't figure out rhyme or reason.
• If you begin the startup sequence with the throttle turned at ALL to any position other than totally off, the bike will error and not start.  I am pretty sure this is purely operator error (PEBTAS?) but I still manage to do it every once in a while when I'm jumping on in a hurry to get going and hear more of that sweet, sweet whine.

Brammo knows about all of these and last I heard they were working on fixes/updates/etc.  I have definitely not, however, seen any error code that starts with a B.  Those B9s and B6s are news to me.

[7racer]

I just got a "battery hot regen off" today after charging outside during a 100 degree day here in Dallas!
though it really was hot so not an error per se.

[Jeff]

I just got a "battery hot regen off" today after charging outside during a 100 degree day here in Dallas!
though it really was hot so not an error per se.

Yeah that happened to me after enough laps during each session at Thunderhill.  Usually 5 laps or so would do it.

[Gavin]

In winter you will get, battery cold, regen off.

Good for coasting.

G

[Shinysideup]

I just got my official Owner's Manual in the mail and there's no B9 listed. All the B-series seem to pertain to the battery.
 
The only one I get after the firmware update is noted above: S65 when I touch the throttle before the start switch sequence has completed. My routine to prevent that, since I'm on and off the bike all day long on my job, is to:

1) Insert ignition key, turn on.
2) Put on my helmet while bike is booting up.
3) Put on one glove to use up more time for the boot sequence to complete.
4) Reach over with my bare hand and push the starter button.
5) Put on the other glove while the throttle/motor circuit becomes live.
6) Mount the  bike by holding my right hand around the right switch gear, not the grip.
7) Having fully seated myself and checked traffic, ride away, enjoying the sweet howl and no error codes.

When you think about it, it's a really very very good idea not to allow the throttle to be open as the motor becomes energized!

[FreepZ]

I have a very similar routine as Shinysideup. Basically, I interrupt the starting sequence with putting on gear, so the bike has time to do what it needs to do without interruption.

@Jeff: Thanks for the tip about the kill switch. I had the bike shutdown while on the highway, and had to pull over to restart the bike. Lucky for me I was on the rightmost lane, and didn't have to cross lanes of traffic. If I can simply cycle the kill switch and then press the starter, that would be much  safer (although I suppose you would need to keep off the throttle while doing so to avoid the S65 error).

A follow up on the B9 error.

I just got the official Empulse Manual (it has the torque values for the oil drain plug! Yay!). Like the provisional manual, it does not list the B9 error.

After letting the bike sit in my garage over the weekend, the B9 error miraculously went away. And after pressing the start button for long enough, the bike started up as well. (Not sure why but sometimes it take more than the prescribed "3 seconds" to start up the bike. This time it took about 10 to 15 seconds.)

The bike appears to be working normally again, but I would rather not have to rely on prayer to get started, so I sent more logs over to Brammo. I hope that they can figure out what happened. For the moment, I haven't heard back from them, so either they're stumped, or very busy.

My guess is that the heavy Florida rain is taking it's toll on the poor bike, since I've had a few things go wrong during, or soon after, an hour of tropical downpour.

[Shinysideup]

After having issues in a rainstorm, I recommend taping the 6-pin white connector behind the headlight.

There's a thread called "Water Issues" with much useful details.

[7racer]

oh ya!  I forgot about that.  Was this addressed during service or is this a case by case incident?

[00049 (AKA SopFu)]

It was my bike that had the water issues, and I had more than just the initial issue with the six-pin. My horn also stopped working, and we discovered it was the horn button. You might have a similar issue with the starter button if it takes so long to get going. Jenny (the Brammo dealer rep) stopped by and put a dab of dielectric grease into the horn button switch (after disassembling the module) and it's worked fine ever since.

What is ironic is the left hand controls are the EXACT same that my 50k mile SV has, and I've never had any issues with them.

Good Luck!

[FrankH]

@Jeff: Thanks for the tip about the kill switch. I had the bike shutdown while on the highway, and had to pull over to restart the bike. Lucky for me I was on the rightmost lane, and didn't have to cross lanes of traffic. If I can simply cycle the kill switch and then press the starter, that would be much  safer (although I suppose you would need to keep off the throttle while doing so to avoid the S65 error).

When my Enertia Plus threw an S83 or S85 error while I was speeding through a tunnel at around 90 km/h, I turned the key in the ignition off and on again, then restarted the bike while it was rolling out. Luckily that worked too. The kill switch might have been even easier (and safer - you can keep your hands on the handlebar that way). I guess the Enertia Plus and Empulse are pretty similar here.

[Jeff]

@Jeff: Thanks for the tip about the kill switch. I had the bike shutdown while on the highway, and had to pull over to restart the bike. Lucky for me I was on the rightmost lane, and didn't have to cross lanes of traffic. If I can simply cycle the kill switch and then press the starter, that would be much  safer (although I suppose you would need to keep off the throttle while doing so to avoid the S65 error).

When my Enertia Plus threw an S83 or S85 error while I was speeding through a tunnel at around 90 km/h, I turned the key in the ignition off and on again, then restarted the bike while it was rolling out. Luckily that worked too. The kill switch might have been even easier (and safer - you can keep your hands on the handlebar that way). I guess the Enertia Plus and Empulse are pretty similar here.

I'm not sure which errors require a full key-off/key-on reboot and which don't.  Some of the errors I encountered when I first had the bike did indeed require the full reboot -- I remember trying the killswitch flip and it not working for a couple of them. 

But yeah for sure, the killswitch toggle is vastly preferable (and a lot faster, too).  Come to think of it, I haven't had any errors that have required a full reboot cycle in ages, so either a.) I've stopped encountering those errors, or b.) the firmware update made the killswitch toggle possible in more scenarios. 

The error caused by the rear wheel leaving the ground on heavy throttle is the one I encounter by far the most now (i.e. occasionally I forget to stop accelerating like a jackass when crossing some particularly bumpy SF roads), and that one definitely can be solved with the killswitch.

[flar]

I got a few S85 errors back in January that turned out to be due to a very small batch of motors that they sent out a service bulletin for and the motor was replaced.

Last night, though, I got another S85 error.  Unfortunately, unlike when I was getting them before when starting up at a stop light where all that was harmed was my ego when I didn't go when the light turned green, this time it happened while feathering the throttle while turning into a parking lot, causing me to fall over in front of a crowd of pedestrians - lean, twist, fall over.  (Not much ego left now.)

The good news is that I now know how to find S## error codes in the logs... (half-smiley, half-smirkey)