Traction Control

[Oldted]

Been out for an hour this afternoon and the although it was cold and damp it wasn't freezing or slippy. Anyway... the traction control started to kick in even when the throttle was not under load. Particularly in 4,5 and 6th gears often on a closing throttle and slightly open throttle on steady acceleration. Certainly not conditions I would expect to induce traction control to deploy.
So , anyone experienced this? I've given front and rear a good clean in case it's just a fouled sensor.
It's 2015 and has had the ECU swap. I'll keep an eye on it but if it persists I'll be back to 5ways in Hull while it's still under warranty.

[Hugh Mungus]

I'm sure there was some discussion about the ABS kicking in a little early too, I could be wrong but do the ABS & Traction Control work off the same sensors?
Not sure anything can be done to rectify it though.

[Oldted]

Yes it is the same sensor as abs. There are sensors for throttle position, crank and gear selector too. Once the freezing fog and damp clears up I'll give her a good thrashing and see what I can provoke.

[Oldted]

So maybe no other owners have experienced this.
I took her out yesterday and sure enough the same thing happened. Poor fueling on a semi open throttle at low speed, traction control kicking in and then ABS light came on and stayed on.
Straight to 5Ways in Hull. They've kept the bike and expect to get it on the diagnostic machine tomorrow or Monday.
Could it be another ECU problem....... watch this space.

[Oldted]

Collected the bike this afternoon and have had a good 30 mile ride with varied traffic conditions and speeds etc and all seems to be fine.
So, they put it on the diagnostic machine and it showed an issue with the rear abs sensor, reset - road test- abs light comes on again. went through the same routine again and the same thing happened.
Technician removed rear sensor, thorough clean and brushed up the rotor on the rear wheel, reassemble - road test and all clear.
Whilst they've not experienced this particular problem with the DL4/5, they have had similar issue occasionally on other bikes.
So it seems the rear sensor, which is linked to both abs and TC can cause all sorts of hiccups.
Moral is to clean it frequently. Hmmm, me thinks................ this is an adventure bike and is likely to get filthy from time to time.
Anyway , we'll see how she goes.

[Hugh Mungus]

Good info.
If you go adventuring then make sure the sensor is clean afterwards...?

[greywolf]

I've seen ABS sensors get mud covered and still work fine. All the sensor consists of is an electromagnet. The disk next to it is a series of holes in a steel disk so the holes pass by alternating with the steel between the holes. The steel parts alternating with the holes cause a change in the magnetic field. The greatest problem areas would be a warped disk or the sensor being too close or too far from the disk. The mud would have to have iron filings in it to make a difference. A poor contact on a connector, or some other electrical fault is much more likely to cause a problem in addition to those mentioned.

[Hondaman]

I don't think cleaning is the issue and maybe a fluke fix...

Expect the problem to reappear and get them to swap the sensor, or ate least do a proper test on it.