ABS Brakes on the BMW R1100S
I noticed about two weeks ago that something was misbehaving on my BMW R1100S. When I came to a stop, had the clutch and front brake pulled in, my speedometer would start bouncing around. Big question marks started running through my mind when I saw this. This isn’t supposed to happen.
I disregarded it. Then I noticed that after starting my bike and starting my ride, when I come to my first stop, it feels like I don’t have any brakes. The brakes are very spongy. After coming to a complete stop, my warning light and brake failure light start flashing. But as I pull in the front brake I can hear the ABS and the caliper working. And suddenly the brakes seem to be fine. But I still have the blinking warning lights. I scratch my head.
This needed someone with much more knowledge than me. So off to Velocity Cycle I go to have Master BMW Mechanic Chris look at it. He pulls in the bike and starts taking her apart while I go sit on the BMW R1200R and the R1200GS. Finally he calls me back and asks what I did to it! I told him I just ride it. He looks at me and laughs and makes fun of me because the bike is 8 years old and only has 13,500 miles on it. Anyways, he points out the problem. The ABS pressure modulator was leaking brake fluid. So when I pull on the front brake, brake fluid would slowly leak out the top of the ABS pressure modulator. My bike also has partially linked brakes so when I pull on the front brake, the back brake also engages. And the speedometer is also connected through the ABS system. So since there was a leak and pressure wasn’t constant, this probably caused the speedometer to act up.
So I need to replace the ABS pressure modulator. Cost for new unit? $2,500. Ouch! But there’s alternatives. I could remove the ABS, run new stainless steel braided brake lines like Spiegler and save 14 pounds of weight. But this may hurt the re-sale value of the bike, and may cause issues because the speedometer is linked through the ABS. Or I can find a used ABS pressure modulator and pretty much plug and play. After much discussion I went with finding a used ABS pressure modulator. First place I checked was BeemerBoneyard which did not have any in stock. I also checked a local guy named Curci who buys up tons of wrecked BMW bikes. He didn’t have one. Finally I posted a parts wanted ad on ibmwr.org (same site I sold my BMW F650GS through and found/bought my BMW R1100S). The following day I received a call from Phil Cochran from Phoenix, Arizona. He had the part I needed off of a 2004 model and for $599 (shipped). This is MUCH less than $2,500. It should be shipping out tomorrow. Hopefully the rest of the fix goes smoothly. I’m having withdraw from riding!
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
No comments yet.