My 'New' Mount!

[Xdot]

Picked it up yesterday :-)



2002 Model, 21K miles, good service records. Comes with ABS, saddlebags, rear rack, signal minder, and an extra Corbin Seat if anybody wants it - doesn't fit me at all. This bike purrs like a kitten. Runs so smooth. I keep finding myself smiling when I'm riding. If I didn't have a helmet on I'd be picking bugs out of my teeth!

I did the bike checkout I'd posted and didn't find any problems so laid down the cash and took it home. When I got the bike home, however, I noticed in the shade that there was a little red light blinking at me from the clutch mount. I simply didn't notice it in the bright sunlight where I checked it out. I don't think it is the ABS light which functions exactly as it is supposed to. I've found a reference it is a burnt bulb indicator, or a general get-bike-serviced light. Have I screwed up royally or is it no big deal?

I do want to flush the brake system though, so if anyone can point me to a good write-up I'd appreciate it. Any other pointers or tips for conditioning a new used-bike would be most helpful. And again, thanks for the help in getting me up to speed on these beautiful machines. I hope to soon be contributing to the forum instead of just asking questions all the time.

Thanks,
John

[banjo picker]

John;

She sure is pretty. I have a Red, 2004, R1150R I bought new. Only have just under 21K (s)miles on it. Love it dearly, my third BMW bike.

Do check out the Quick Disconnect posts asap.

Enjoy,

don

[Dr. Strangelove]

If the ABS light is flashing, your ABS is not functioning. Best to have the shop do a computer readout of the cause, unless you see a bulb not working or something OBVIOUSLY simple and the light goes away when addressed.

As for the flush, can be done, but best by the shop also. Sort of tedious. Also, when starting, let the light to the left of the ABS light extinguish before you start, otherwise it may stay on.

Sure is pretty; good luck with it

John

[harveyrawn]

I used the following resources posted by others for flushing the ABS system.

http://users.rcn.com/dehager/service/service_abs3.pdf
http://www.beachbus.net/BMW/diy/Bleed_W ... rcuits.htm
http://www.beachbus.net/BMW/diy/Bleed_C ... ircuit.htm

It went fine, just take it slow the first time and give yourself plenty of time to complete the job.

[Xdot]

If the ABS light is flashing, your ABS is not functioning. Best to have the shop do a computer readout of the cause, unless you see a bulb not working or something OBVIOUSLY simple and the light goes away when addressed.

It is not the ABS light on the 'dash'. The ABS light, to my understanding, is a triangle with a "!" in it. The light that is flashing is on the top of the clutch mount. It is red and has one triangle inside another, not an "!". Looks more like a 'flasher' light in a car. I don't know what it is but I know for a fact that the ABS light on the instrument cluster is behaving normally and the brakes are functioning properly, and no other lights are lit. Just that one.

-jb

[NoRRmad]

The light on the left handlebar is the "Hazard Flasher" button. It should make all your turn signals flash simultaneously. If you press it again, it should turn off. Is that what's happening?

[Xdot]

The light on the left handlebar is the "Hazard Flasher" button. It should make all your turn signals flash simultaneously. If you press it again, it should turn off. Is that what's happening?

Okay, I just went outside. It WAS the flashers. Pushing the hazard button didn't turn them off though. I had to push the signal-cancel button on the right grip. It is probably the SignalMinder. I have the SignalMinder manual. Maybe I should read it. Thanks.

My wife made a big mistake encouraging me to get this bike. This is the first competition she's ever had and we're 23 years today!

John

[Dr. Strangelove]

that is WAY better--all you said

That is normal behavior for the flasher afaik.

[Oilhead]

The light on the left handlebar is the "Hazard Flasher" button. It should make all your turn signals flash simultaneously. If you press it again, it should turn off. Is that what's happening?

Okay, I just went outside. It WAS the flashers. Pushing the hazard button didn't turn them off though. I had to push the signal-cancel button on the right grip. It is probably the SignalMinder. I have the SignalMinder manual. Maybe I should read it. Thanks.

My wife made a big mistake encouraging me to get this bike. This is the first competition she's ever had and we're 23 years today!

John

Yep the signalminder disables the flasher switch. You enable the flashers by simultaneously pushing in both turnsignal button and disable(as you discovered) by pushing the cancel button.

Congratz on the bike. Love the color scheme.

[iowabeakster]

Congrats on the beautiful new bike...

I'm not sure if this is a good instruction. Here's what I wrote up.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18725&hilit=abs+ser ... d6f13fd517

[Xdot]

What a fantastic writeup! Thanks for the time and effort you spent putting it together. I plan on doing the brakes when we get a few rainy days. I'm going to ride until then.

I can't believe how enjoyable tooling around on back roads is. Hotel Sierra! Like riding dirt bikes without all the bumps and mud. And with the lack of cars on Sunday afternoon, far safer than driving to work in my car during the week. I thought I would enjoy it but I didn't expect to like it this much.

Glad I took the plunge.

[AndyRR]

Congratulations! Nice to meet a fellow Yellowjacket owner.
I think I remember reading somewhere that all yellowjackets have ABS, but I can't make out the ABS "ring" on your left front caliper. It's probably just the angle of the pic.
Also, is the blue and white BMW roundel on your alternator belt cover integral to the cover or is it stuck on?
How many miles on it?

[Gordium7]

You may want to download the manual on the SignalMinder. Doesn't hurt to fully grok its operations, modes, and various options. And where the control module resides in the electronics box under the seat.

While you are playing with it, make sure you do a full functional checkout as well.

I had one go bad on me -- generally quit working properly, and ultimately if you hit the flasher button, they simply would not turn off. This scenario is why knowing where it lives comes in handy.

You don't want to find out you have signal lights giving out the wrong information the hard way.

2 cents worth...

[DMM]

Xdot,
The signal minder adds a few nice touches to the turn signals, but it also complicates things a bit. As to the hazard light button (you should have brought it back to the previous owner and complained about the light, that would have been hilarious. less so for you, but still funny), the button does not activate the hazard flashers on its own. You will now have to press either both turn signal buttons (left and right) or press one turn signal button and the hazard button to the the hazard lights activated. Then hit the cancel button to deactivate them.
If you didn't receive any paperwork on the signal minder, then go to the Kisan web site https://www.kisantech.com/view_product.php?product=SM-5 and look up the information on this model. There is a link on the lower right-hand side of the page; it will bring you to a pdf with installation and operation information (https://www.kisantech.com/brochures/SM-inst-manual.pdf). See page 23; it will explain what series of buttons to push to choose your turn signal number of flashes per activation (8, 30, or 45 seconds of flashing). It also has information on how to adjust the "running light" intensity.
Cheers and happy riding.

Edit: Oh, yeah. What Gordium7 said.

[Xdot]

Ordered a front Metzler Roadtec Z6 from BikeBandit today to match the rear tire. Got it for $109. Seemed like a good price. Threw in filters for oil, air, and fuel as well as a new ribbed V-belt. Plan on getting all the maintenance up to date before I ride it too much. But it's been 95 degrees with 95% humidity so I don't feel I'm missing much! I guess any kind of quality DOT-4 brake fluid will get the job done, huh?