Brakes and ABS

Be sure your sind will find you out

forestry said:
I collect my new f800gs from mottorad east next Friday and was told by the salesman that the brakes were linked when i did my test ride. If this is not the case i am a tadd peeed off, not because i particularly wanted them linked just that to have a salesman who doesnt know his stuff or is prepared to lie doesnt sit well with me.
Click to expand...
When you said the brakes were linked I looked straightaway at your profile - -and you stated you are the owner of an 800GS - so I supposed incorrectly that you knew what you were talking about! You will find on this forum that there is always someone who will contradict you - sometimes correctly but not always; I am always very careful if I write something - and I often nip down to the garage to verify my great words of wisdom !!!
 
Linked brakes

I was stating what i was told by a BMW salesman. Who was i expected to check with first is this was true !!
 
We are being a bit unfair

It seems to me to be a bit unreasonable to expect a client to query what he is told by the salesman. We should not HAVE to read the speciication in detail nor read road test reports. I have to admit that it was not until I was in the showrooms to collect my 800GS that the salesman pointed out (in outlining the differences between the 800 and my previous 1200) that the brakes were NOT linked - but of course HE never suggested they were and I had had a road test. If I was you I would express displeasure and considerable disappintment and demand politely some reasonable compensation such as the new high screen which wll come out very soon.
 
I had a terrible idea of ABS due to my old 1100GS and was not going to get it on the F800. The 1100GS would activate the ABS going over smalll bumps and would take forever to recover braking power. Almost crashed twice because I left it late to brake and coming into the roundabout had some small painted white lines that on heavy braking would activate the abs...

That said the abs on the F800 has NOTHING to do with this. I notice it regularly on the rear wheel on slipepry surfaces, but it doesn't hinder brake performance like on the 1100. I decided to get ABS after a test drive. That and having to wait 3 months for a non abs bike also helped... ;-)

One advice though: DO NOT FORGET to turn it off when going off-road!!!!!
 
"That and having to wait 3 months for a non abs bike also helped... ;-)" which means that MOST will have ABS and eventually it will not be too easy to sell a bike not so equipped;
 
ABS has saved my bacon a couple of times without any doubt. You might have noticed a couple of articles in the mags recently about development of ABS for race bikes - plainly it's seen as a "Good Thing"
 
ABS

We talk about ABS as if this is the latest gadget! It has been offered by BMW on various bikes for over 20 years now.
 
chrisjk said:
ABS has saved my bacon a couple of times without any doubt. You might have noticed a couple of articles in the mags recently about development of ABS for race bikes - plainly it's seen as a "Good Thing"
Click to expand...

Yeah, those same articles always say something along the lines of "This isn't BMWs 20 year old ABS technology, this has been in development for the last five years and is a completely new way of doing ABS..."
 
beemerboy9 said:
I have heard that when journos and racers get together on a nice, smooth flat airfield and try to stop as quickly as possible, the non-ABS bikes can be stopped fractionally quicker than ABS bikes BUT...........
I have read that when journos and racers get together on a tyre company test track and try to brake over simulated pedestrian crossings, wet or rutted (e.g. concrete motorways) or badly repaired surfaces, etc. the ABS bikes always stop quicker than the non-ABS bikes.
Take your choice. It's like insurance - you pay and hope never to use it.
Click to expand...

The only problem with tests like this is they don't account for the "grab in panic" factor. That's where ABS saves your bacon over normal brakes.
 
My 2c worth

ABS Every time!!!

Lock the wheels in a car and (if you have your wits about you) you recover and re-apply the brakes. Lock the wheels up on a bike (particularly front) and 99% of us would be on the floor before we knew what had happened!

My 1200 has ABS and I wouldn't be without it - someone pulls out on you and you feel confident that you can 'grab a hand full' - without ABS, how many of us know where the limit of braking grip is?

I don't think I would ever buy another bike without ABS!
 
F650 BRAKES - Important notice

Some days ago there was a thread on another forum I read regarding noisy breaks on the F650GS.

Well, today I took my short ride to the gym without protective gear (7 blocks away), and heard the front end REALLY LOOSE over small bumps, really knocking. After closer inspection, I noticed ALL THE SCREWS THAT HOLD THE DISC TO THE WHEEL WERE LOOSE, and could be removed by hand! Apparently, the threadlock failed, or BMWs shitty quality control did not notice that they were not tight enough from the factory.....similar issue as the front calipers on the F800, which also have a recall for coming loose from the factory!

I removed each of the screws, added some red threadlock and installed them again tight. The knocking noise is gone and the horrible noise while braking is also gone (brake noise is caused by vibration, and having the disc completely loose does not help either!)

It is a really easy fix, I think all F650/800 owners should check this just in case.....brakes are one of the most important parts in a bike in my opinion and if the disc were to come loose, it could bind and cause SERIOUS INJURIES!

There are some pics in another forum I read of an F800 whose caliper got loose and got stuck into the wheels spokes.....luckily the guy did not hurt but the bike was quite messed up!

Hope this helps other forum members!
 
recall F800 front brake callipers

I've just received a safety recall letter today regarding front brakes.quote "some motorcycles might have been handed over without the threaded fasteners of the front brake calipers being checked to ensure that they were tightened to the correct final torque"
It also advises against using bike until treaded fasteners are checked:confused:
how i'm supposed to get it back to the garage !!!:nenau
 
thanks for the info. I have owned a shiny new F800gs now for all of 6 weeks. Tomorow I will get in the shed and wip my torque wrench out!

Corny
 
Oops. Forgot to mention...
I haven't had a recall notice from BMW.. yet!
 
recall only affects certain 800's delivered earlier this year. been in today. there were no loose bolts , but they had to check. ready for rideout on sunday !:thumb2
 
Bleeding brakes..

My bleeding brakes need bleeding, :D I have a 800GS with ABS. I don't have a workshop manual yet and was wondering if anyone knew of any special procedure required when bleeding abs brakes on these? Or can I just go ahead as normal :nenau
 
Sorry I cant offer advice on the ABS side of things, but what is the reason you need to bleed the brakes?.

If it is because of a spongy lever then there is another optiion than to bleed the brake lines manualy.

Get a cable tie and wrap it around your front brake lever and pull the tie up reasonably firm.

Get a weight of some sort (I use a 3 lt drink bottle with a loop os string throught it) and hang it off you rear brake lever.

Leave both overnight.

Next day or whenever, remove the above and you should have nice firm brakes both front and rear.

Try it... I dare you.

If this method does not work, take it to BMW because something is seriously wrong and its not just a case of bleeding the air from the brake lines.

Cheers:beerjug: and merry Xmas frim downunder
Tony
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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