1150 brake conversion

[Mr D]

HELP.

I have a 2003 1150 GS and the inevitable has happened, the ABS has failed a pressure test at service , forewarning an imminent servo/abs pump failure, hence expensive replacement. I have time to plan as I have no warning lights yet, but am exploring options.
a) £1700 for full replacement with 2yr warranty at BMW or
b)£400 for removal of pump/modulator and revert to normal non ABS brakes. or
c) sell the bike? Nah

BUT.

does anyone know if the £400 option will mean an eventual MOT failure if they change the MOT rules for bikes as they have just done for cars, to fail any modification/removal of any original brake equipment. IE equiping bikes with non ABS brakes when the VIN shows that it was originally an ABS braked bike?

VOSA and BMW are both non committed to a definitive answer.

 

[Steptoe]

HELP.

b)£400 for removal of pump/modulator and revert to normal non ABS brakes. or


BUT.

does anyone know if the £400 option will mean an eventual MOT failure if they change the MOT rules for bikes as they have just done for cars, to fail any modification/removal of any original brake equipment. IE equiping bikes with non ABS brakes when the VIN shows that it was originally an ABS braked bike?

VOSA and BMW are both non committed to a definitive answer.

Who quoted you £400 to remove the servo and revert to normal brakes ? That's an outrageous price.

I've removed plenty of servos ( in fact i removed a unit from an R1100S yesterday) and not one bike has been refused an mot or had any grief.

 

[Mutley]

VOSA and BMW are both non committed to a definitive answer.

it would be very unusual for any legislation to be brought in with retrospective action as it would be quite easy to challenge in the courts. It's currently entirely legal to perform this action so they can hardly then enforce something that retrospectively makes an action illegal

 

[argos]

HI,type "servo removal" into the search feature above and do it yourself,sorry computer ignoramus and dont know how to attach the appropriate link!.Its bloody dangerous nonsense,bin it! Cheers

 

[Mr D]

thanks

Who quoted you £400 to remove the servo and revert to normal brakes ? That's an outrageous price.

I've removed plenty of servos ( in fact i removed a unit from an R1100S yesterday) and not one bike has been refused an mot or had any grief.

CW Motorcycles at Dorchester Quoted £300 for the kit and £100 to fit.

You obviously know a cheaper place to get the kit. I am quite happy to do the work.

Mr D

 

[Mr D]

CW Motorcycles at Dorchester Quoted £300 for the kit and £100 to fit.

You obviously know a cheaper place to get the kit. I am quite happy to do the work.

Mr D

Sorry forgot to add that current MOT rules its fine, its just if the rules change. I know it will apply to new, but could also catch retrospective changes.

 

[Fanum]

CW Motorcycles at Dorchester Quoted £300 for the kit and £100 to fit.

You obviously know a cheaper place to get the kit. I am quite happy to do the work.

Mr D

300 for the kit?


Have a read OF THIS THREAD

 

[PW Cymru]

Cost me a £1 For washers and some DOT4.

 

[flatdog]

CW Motorcycles at Dorchester Quoted £300 for the kit and £100 to fit.

You obviously know a cheaper place to get the kit. I am quite happy to do the work.

Mr D

Mr Steptoe is our BMW guru, I reckon you have a chat with him about removing it, he is in the trade.

 

[Steptoe]

You obviously know a cheaper place to get the kit. I am quite happy to do the work.

Mr D

No "kit" is required.

 

[roadrubber]

Could actually improve the braking performance

Can't comment on the how's and legals tho these have been covered already by other posters but on the fit and feel side you might actually like the results of the conversion.

FWIW I just went from a somewhat high mileage servo/ABS equipped 1150 to a somewhat low mileage non servo/ABS of the same year (I mention the mileage diff as it might be a consideration) in doing so I've found the brakes on the non-ABS bike perform soooh much better it's not even funny. As I say it could be a mileage thing and I wasn't keen on loosing ABS but now I'm there I feel more confident of keeping the somewhat simpler system in top condition as the miles go by.

I wonder if people who have made the conversion rather than swapped bikes actually noticed any such difference.

 

[Hubs]

I did the conversion last summer, using the guidance notes on this site, reusing the relay to ensure the brake lights work ok. Steptoe did a service afterwards, and got the foot brake adjusted perfectly for me. I had an MOT done last week, no problem identified at all.

In short, if you have a knackered servo, throw it away, use the flexi hoses connected to the callipers as per threads, do the electrics as per the threads and have a no cost improvement to the brakes with no issues after. Except the brakes work as you always thought they should...

 

[Hubs]

And... Answering the previous post, I now have brakes with feel, that work from a standstill, that have no residual braking issue, and the battery is no longer stressed. Great result..!

 

[argos]

servo assisted ABS is okay until it goes wrong,it is the work of Satan

 

[romek]

400 ?????
Sorry, dont be stupid. I removed servo in Morocco last outumn. 2 hours. As Neil said: no kit is needed! Few drops dot4. BTW Im happy without
cheers from Warsaw - Romek