No ABS lights

[combatcarry]

Howdy... Just purchased my first BMW... its a 1999 R1100R. Took it for a ride today and everything seems to work well except for the ABS. I braked hard on the rear wheel in some loose sand and it locked up the rear wheel. I've been reading on this forum and the lights are supposed to flash on startup. The lights never light up (and the previous owner says he replaced all of the dash lights). He also told me the ABS worked.

What would cause the ABS lights to never light up? I checked the fuses, and swapped the relays around. The lights still never light up.

Thanks.

[sweatmark]

Hmm - suspicious.

Here's some reference info: http://www.largiader.com/abs/absfault.html

Your bike has the same ABS II system as my former R1200C, which exhibited low battery Vdc fault on occasions the bike was not put on battery tender. As described in the above, both normal operation and faults correspond with warning lamp flashing in one of several modes.

Absolutely no flashing lights?

-both warning lamps broken/burned out;
-warning lamps disconnected from instrument nacelle wiring harness;
-ABS control module fried;
-ABS power supplies disconnected (battery power through IGN, and direct from alternator board);
-ABS module mysteriously missing.

[combatcarry]

Let the buyer beware (me).

I was told the bike had ABS (and the lights worked), but after trouble shooting the system I found the ABS relay missing, and a big hole on the front wheel assembly where the sensor is supposed to be. The seller lied to me. Either my bike has been gutted from ABS, or it never came with ABS.

How important is ABS? One of the reasons I chose this model is I thought it would be awfully nice! I've lived without it on all my bikes before, guess I'll live without it again.

Thanks so much for your time in trying to answer my question!

[sweatmark]

How important is ABS?

Philosophical question that has been pondered here many times in the past. 99.9% of the time, ABS is unimportant, but the question hinges on that unexpected 0.1%.

The brakes are pretty good on non-ABS R850/1100 models. We've owned both R850R and R1100R and were satisfied with braking performance.

FWIW, I removed the Integrated ABS (iABS) from my Rockster and converted to conventional brakes because:
(1) was very pleased with braking performance for our non-ABS R1150R Roadster during 20k miles of use;
(2) I hate the "power brakes" implementation of the iABS system, the servo whine, the loss of braking feel, and the potential for $2500 repair bill should the iABS module fail;
(3) and I accept the consequences of riding a non-ABS motorcycle should the 0.1% occur.

Your R1100R - if it's truly a factory non-ABS bike - remains a good, capable machine.

I'd call a BMW dealer with your VIN and ask for info about your bike's model designation. You can also pull the tank and instantly know if there's an ABS II module or an empty space.

[omg1010]

Well if you bought a bike WITH ABS and in reality the bike has not ABS the seller did not lie to you. Instead the seller cheated you and that is a good reason to void the contract. I would never ride a bike without ABS, no matter how good the brakes work and how good braking power is. Simply because no human being is capable to regulate braking power in difficult conditions (slippery road) to either avoid falling (braking too hard) or crashing into something (braking not hard enough).

Best regards
Oliver

[The Meromorph]

I would never ride a bike without ABS, no matter how good the brakes work and how good braking power is. Simply because no human being is capable to regulate braking power in difficult conditions (slippery road) to either avoid falling (braking too hard) or crashing into something (braking not hard enough).

Best regards
Oliver

With all due respect, Oliver (and you're due a lot, sir ), while I would agree that ABS is a very good option, and I'd like to have it, I ride all year round (except on ice), and you may be overstating your case a little here. I've been riding for 45 years, never had ABS, and have never either run into something or fallen down through braking too hard. I've ridden on a lot of slippery roads...

[monique]

Here's some reference info: http://www.largiader.com/abs/absfault.html

Hello,

I created a user on this forum just to respond to this post. Thanks so much for linking that article. I have a 1996 R1100R and have had problems with the ABS pretty much since I bought it - the lights are always flashing. I brought the bike to the closest (about an hour away) BMW dealership a few times, but they never seemed to do much. They always said they'd fixed it, but by the time I got home, the lights would be flashing again. Very annoying.

Anyway, I've always suspected based on bits here and there that it was a battery problem, but the battery was replaced at one point, so that seemed like a dead end. But then reading that link reminded me that my husband has a voltmeter. We went out and tested the battery, which reads 13.10 with the bike completely off, 12.something with the bike turned on, and dips all the way down to 9.something on startup before coming back to rest at 12.something.

The link recommends sealed batteries, which supposedly don't dip so low. Do you have any recommendations for specific batteries that do well with these bikes?

We live in Colorado, so even in mid-summer, the night time temps can be down to the 50s.

[sweatmark]

The link recommends sealed batteries, which supposedly don't dip so low. Do you have any recommendations for specific batteries that do well with these bikes?

You can find some specific battery references here via the search function.

In general, seems folks have had success with absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries mfd. by Odyssey (formerly Hawker), Panasonic, Yuasa, and newer BMW-branded products.

My personal experience has been good with the Hawker/Odyssey and BMW products.

Suggest you keep bike on appropriate battery charger whenever in storage. Note that match of charger with specific battery type is important. Our 1998 R1200C gave an ABS light shown whenever the battery was low; freshly topped off with charger was always ABS-fault-free. Our 1996 R850R was a non-ABS bike, but I did find the bike benefitted from replacement of OE battery with sealed technology.

[Lowkey]

I too, had the ABS flashing lights that would not go out. The battery started the bike just fine, the problem is a design fault from the factory. As designed, the ABS module has to see nearly 12VDC to activate. When you are starting the bike it is not unusual for the voltage to drop below 11 volts and that causes the ABS to sense a low voltage fault. What I did to fix it was to cut the power feed wire to the ABS module and run it to the charging light wire (the blue wire). Now the ABS doesn't see any power until the bike starts and that is a full 12 volts. I did this modification nearly 6 months ago and the ABS has worked flawlessly ever since.

[Boxer]

No doubt Oliver has ABS on his shoes as well. I'd hate to think what would happen to Oliver if he suddenly walked over some slippery or gravelly surface without ABS shoes on his feet. And it sounds as if he may have his tighty whiteys just a little too tight....or maybe he just wears the ABS labeled underwear.

[omg1010]

No doubt Oliver has ABS on his shoes as well. I'd hate to think what would happen to Oliver if he suddenly walked over some slippery or gravelly surface without ABS shoes on his feet. And it sounds as if he may have his tighty whiteys just a little too tight....or maybe he just wears the ABS labeled underwear.

Boxer, I am happy to have ABS on my bike and those who tell me they have never had any problem without ABS have probably never run into a troubled situation. I am also a bike rider since 1978 and have owned several bikes. It happened to me that I was cruising in extreme rain and a car came my way from a side-road without paying attention. I had two options, braking hard or running into the car or into a wall. With ABS I would not have had a problem. Without the ABS unfortunately my front brake locked and I was sliding on the road underneath the car. That is when I swapped my Harley for brandnew BMW back in 1998.

And certainly I have no ABS shoes or wear ABS underwear.

Many tests show that no human being is capable to use the brakes on a bike similar to an ABS and in difficult situations the ABS could be the decisive element over having an accident or not. I am saying COULD not MUST. At the end of the day it is everybodies own choice. But the discussion pretty much reminds of the days when the seat belts (or headrests) were introduced in cars. There was hefty (not to say violent) discussions about the pros and cons. I am more than certain that the day will come when no motorbike will be available without ABS (just like in Europe you hardly find new cars without ABS for good reason).

Food for thought.

Best regards and have a nice weekend folks
Oliver