Voge dashboard warning lights and their meaning
Which warning lights are part of the start-up self test on a Voge, when each should go out, the three that indicate a fault, and the indicator behaviour that signals a failed bulb.
Almost every warning light on a Voge instrument panel illuminates when the ignition is switched on. This is the start-up self test and not an indication of a fault. What matters is which lights should have gone out by the time the motorcycle is moving, and how long each is permitted to take.
The start-up self test
When the ignition is switched on the instrument powers up and runs a self inspection. During it the coolant temperature warning, the engine malfunction light, the ABS light and the oil pressure light all illuminate. The panel is demonstrating that the lamps and their circuits are intact.
When each light should go out
| Warning light | Should go out |
|---|---|
| Engine malfunction | Immediately once the engine starts |
| Coolant temperature | As soon as the self test completes |
| ABS | Once the motorcycle is rolling, by about 10 km/h |
| Traction control (TCS) | As soon as the self test completes |
The ABS light is the exception that requires explanation. Its test cannot be completed at a standstill because it depends on wheel speed. The 650DSX manual is specific: the light goes out once road speed reaches 10 km/h. An ABS light still lit in a car park is therefore not yet a fault, whereas the same light at 40 km/h is.
The three indications of a fault
Engine malfunction light remaining on after starting. The engine management system has recorded a fault. The motorcycle will usually continue to run, frequently in a reduced state, and the stored code needs to be read.
ABS light lit above 10 km/h, or flashing when nothing has been switched off. The ABS unit is not operating. Braking continues to function entirely normally but without anti-lock, and the motorcycle should be presented for inspection. A slow, regular flash is a different matter: that is the indication given when ABS has been disabled deliberately.
Traction control light flashing slowly. The DS900X manual describes a slow flash of the TCS indicator accompanying an ABS fault, so a flashing TCS light is a fault report rather than the system in operation. A brief flicker during hard acceleration on a wet surface is the opposite indication: there the system is intervening as designed.
The indicator that reports a failed bulb
If a turn signal bulb fails, or the circuit develops a fault, the flashing frequency increases. This behaviour is intentional and documented in the manual, and it is the earliest available warning that an indicator has stopped working. Indicators that suddenly appear hurried warrant a walk around the motorcycle.
Cleaning the instrument panel
Two instructions appear in each of these manuals and both concern the display:
- No high pressure water is to be directed at the instrument cluster.
- No petrol, alcohol or other organic solvent is to be used on the display. Both crack the plastic and fade the printing.
A damp microfibre cloth constitutes the entire method.
Related pages
The distinction between a disabled ABS and a failed one is covered in turning ABS off. The coolant and engine lights have pages of their own: coolant temperature warning and engine warning light. Source documents: DS900X owner manual and 650DSX owner manual.
Source
- Instrument and indicator chapters of the DS900X, 650DSX and DS625X owner manuals
Information only, not official Voge documentation. Verify every figure in the official manual for your exact model and model year before you work on the bike.
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