Intro and Brake question

[nevada72]

Hi all, Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Bob H from Wisconsin and here's today's acquisition -



It's my first BMW motorcycle but not my first BMW. I used to collect 2002s. As you can see, my other rides are vintage Hondas - a world of difference! However, they can't compare and they are more for show than go.

Usually I get to know folks a little better before diving in to the questions but I do have a pressing question I should have answered. How do I tell if I have ABS? Sounds stupid, I know, but remember, I'm used to cables and drum brakes! The reason I ask is that the cluster has two abs lights that blink one after the other. The previous owner told me that the bike does not have ABS brakes and that it simply shares the cluster with bikes that do have ABS and it's blinking for "unkown reasons". I'm skeptical, but not to the extent that I didn't want the bike. It rides out great and stops very well.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any help and it's nice to have found this forum. Cheers!

[taosports]

Welcome to the board Bob. Check out your front wheel...if it has a ring similar to the one pictured below than your bike most likely has ABS - whether it has been disconnected is another story!

[nevada72]

Thanks for the help! Turns out it does have ABS. The brakes seem to work very well, but again, consider what I'm used to. I'll get the bike to the dealership and have it diagnosed.

[Arbee]

Its sounds like the owner was trying to pull the wool over your eyes just to sell it,

Someone can correct me if i am wrong but as i understand it all R1100R's have ABS
but there is options for non ABS bikes but not sure what countries had it as optional though.

Lets hope its not the modulator thats failed as dereliction of servicing (annual fluid changes)
hastens their demise, the cost of the modulator is half the cost of the bike...
if you fit it, if they fit it maybe 2/3 rds the cost of the bike, sorry to alert you like that...

[philbytx]

Howdy Bob and welcome,

You have BMW's ABS II system and they have set flashing code sequences for the ABSII system and you will find them in your owners manual. One common flashing sequence is simply battery voltage related. Don't take it to your dealer UNLESS YOU REALLY HAVE TO !!!!

Here's a handy link to an article on BMW motorcycle ABS, codes and problems.


http://www.largiader.com/abs/absfault.html

If this doesn't help and/or you don't have a manual, I will take pics of the ABS sequences in my manual and send it to you.

Great bike, easy to work on and more fun than a box of frogs

[nevada72]

Phil, Thanks for the link. Very helpful. I did a bunch of internet searches and reading of the Clymer manual I got with the bike. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong for sure, but I think I was interrupting the self test somehow. My neutral indicator is a bit finicky and that may lend to the problem. Correct me f I'm wrong - the bike needs to be started (so I've read) in neutral (no clutch or brake) if you want to have the ABS brakes work. It won't start without the clutch pulled if the green light isn't on even if the transmission really is in neutral. So prior to today, I pulled the clutch to start. Today I made sure the green light was on, let the 2 ABS lights flash, drove off, and Viola' - lights out! A happy day indeed. Between that and finding out I could raise the seat from the basement position, I can say I'm very happy to have found this message board. Next up - Foot peg lowering.

[pinecone]

Next up - Foot peg lowering

Careful with that one. The outside edge of my boot is the first thing to touch down in a hard lean, with balls of feet on pegs in proper position. With those pegs any lower on my bike, I'd feel a little nervous. Perhaps your setup is a little different or you don't ride aggressively, but do watch it. There's not a lot of room for repositioning your feet with the muffler & frame in the way.

Beautiful bike, though. What part of WI are you from?

[nevada72]

Next up - Foot peg lowering

Careful with that one. .....
Beautiful bike, though. What part of WI are you from?

Thanks for the kind words! I live in Cedar Grove - about 30 minutes north of Milwaukee just off the Lake. However, I get to Minnesota often. Where do you live?

On peg lowering, I'm a very laid back rider. I've never scraped a peg in my life so if I have to lower them to have those bragging rights - so be it. Seriously though, I share your concerns. While I don't ride at all aggressively I do wonder how lowering the pegs will affect not only ground clearance but ergonomics, proper rider position, balance etc. My '6-5" frame is scrunched in there pretty tight, though, so I need to do something. I'm also going to get a "tall" seat and maybe lower bars (really long arms). The big drawback there is I'll need to do something with the windshield to keep the air from blasting me in the neck and up region.

[daytonaredeye]

Just to chime in on this topic as well as followup on Arbee's post re: the 1100R and ABS. I have a 2000 R1100R which I bought new from a dealership. It does NOT have ABS but ABS was ofered as an option when I made my purchase which I declined. Having never ridden a bike with ABS I cannot comment, with any level of experience or confidence, on what value ABS would bring, to my overall biking experience anyway. My bike has always handled well and I don't recall any near misses of accidents due to brake related issues. If I were buying today, however, ABS would almost surely be stock as well as heavily recommended and I would likely purchase with no questions asked as the overall literature seems to support a ROI of ABS as far as safety is concerned.

Good luck,

[pinecone]

I live in Cedar Grove - about 30 minutes north of Milwaukee just off the Lake. However, I get to Minnesota often. Where do you live?

Twin Cities - the best place to ride around here is Western WI. Love the Milwaukee area, but have never been there on the bike.

I don't ride that aggressively on the street, but at the "track" I've experienced the boot scrape many times. The soles of my boots are pretty wide (Aerostich CTBs) so I don't know if the pegs themselves would hit or not. The center stand might be the next thing to touch down. I can see why you're looking to stretch your legs out a little but in my situation I would probably end up scraping my boots during normal cornering on the street and would lose some confidence. Don't like to ride "scared".

If the peg lowering doesn't work out, you sound like the perfect candidate for a GS!

[nevada72]

I live in Cedar Grove - about 30 minutes north of Milwaukee just off the Lake. However, I get to Minnesota often. Where do you live?

Twin Cities - the best place to ride around here is Western WI. Love the Milwaukee area, but have never been there on the bike......you sound like the perfect candidate for a GS!

As it turns out, a recent business trip to Vancouver, and subsequent "day-off" solo tour on a rented GS got me into the R1100R I have now.



It was an amazing ride from Vancouver to Whistler and back just a week ago. The scenery was breathtaking! The GS1200 was an awesome bike to cruise around the mountain roads. It had some ergonomic issues as well, but nothing a better seat wouldn't take care of. I was so enamored with the whole adventure (rimshot) that I started scanning the web for GS BMWs. Naturally all things BMW came up and I stumbled across a Craigslist ad in Milwaukee for the R11000R at a "can't say no" price. A little more research indicated that the R was a GS "in a tuxedo" which makes sense for me as I would not likely go off-road. Yes, the riding position is a bit more crunched, but not unacceptable. In fact, my first 100 miles were on the seat at it's lowest position because I had no idea it was adjustable. Raising the seat has helped immensly. The pegs should really help too, but if they scrape I can easily go back to standard arrangement. I will say I feel the R handles better than the GS on the road which is probably no surprise with it's lower center of gravity.

On Wisconsin - I'm in Eau-Claire as I type sorely wishing I had the BMW with me. It is beautiful riding country. Milwaukee is a very accomodating city and fun to ride around with many cafes to stop and stretch while having a good coffee. Next Saturday is a large motorcycle event called the "Rockerbox". It's a mostly vintage show with many interesting bikes including Moto-Guzzis, Vincents, Ducatis, and of course BMWs among others.