Oilhead ABS advice

[the civil one]

Ok , Johnny , i know this is breaking both your and Flippers heart , but i see great
value at the minute in the 1150 Bikes .
I have had a few , but they were relatively new , to that end i didnt have any
problems with them . I dont have a current bike at the minute ,having sold my
Stelvio due to no use .
I dont want a Newish Machine , cos i doubt it will get much use , but i would happily
spend a coupla K to have a bike sitting .
So , Whats the Story on the ABS on these bikes ? ,i have read about ABS failures on
these bikes ,which ones are the least problems with .
On any bike i own , ABS is a Must .


PS. I am in the market for a Value for money GSA

 

[King Rat]

You need a single spark, 2002, version then, with simple ABS.
2003 and on, they fitted a stupid electric motor thing to pull the brakes on - wonderful when it works. Almost killed many of us when it failed - which is why they get thrown away and ABS is done without. Can't you do like millions of motorcyclists have done before and look further down the road, then you really do not need ABS - that is for idiots only. That's my take and I have two 1150 Advs, both have had the ABS stupid killer device removed and the brakes work perfectly and will bring the bike up smartly. After all, they are the same brakes, and have a computer controlling them, just not a german computer, in my case a Cornish one.

 

[Flipfly]

If you really want ABS the pre 2003 bikes are by far the best. Post 2003.....rip it out, ride on with better feeling brakes and no worries.

That's all there is to know. Servo brakes can fail and leave you with next to no brakes, that's not a risk worth taking imho.

 

[cherokee]

My GSA has no ABS and brakes on a sixpence the brakes are strong and i find with the front suspension setup on these bikes the bike just sits down when you hard brake.At the end of the day i spent years from my youth riding bikes and we'd never heard of ABS so it wouldnt ever stop me buying a bike...

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

My GSA has no ABS and brakes on a sixpence the brakes are strong and i find with the front suspension setup on these bikes the bike just sits down when you hard brake.At the end of the day i spent years from my youth riding bikes and we'd never heard of ABS so it wouldnt ever stop me buying a bike...

Me neither

None of my bikes have ABS, so what?

 

[Deleted account 200123001]

To be honest, even the pre-03 bikes and even the 1100's ABS system is "fragile" it doesnt take much to throw up the warning lights....whence it doesnt work.
On my 02GS with simple ABS still removed it because it was just dead weight.
Locked up the front once having to brake on a roundabout when a disco went to pull out on me.
Could have been avoided by going a bit slower as I was going a bit fast for the conditions. Slide easily corrected by releasing and reapplying.

Avoid, avoid, avoid is my advice.

 

[oldnfat]

DO NOT RIDE ONE WITH THE SERVO!!! I do not hold with the view that ABS on bikes is for pussy's as the stats on reducing fatalities/serious injury are pretty emphatic.

However, the stats on the impact on ones sphincter are even more pronounced when the fecking servo gives out on the fast approach to a round-a-bout at the end of a dual carriage! There was no warning, pulled on the brakes, initial bight as the servo kicked in. It then failed, no brakes to speak of....by the grace of the Almighty I manage to keep control and in one piece.

Bike was recovered, got the thing home, junked the servo.

Hope this helps.

 

[Steptoe]

To be honest, even the pre-03 bikes and even the 1100's ABS system is "fragile" it doesnt take much to throw up the warning lights....whence it doesnt work.
On my 02GS with simple ABS still removed it because it was just dead weight.
Locked up the front once having to brake on a roundabout when a disco went to pull out on me.
Could have been avoided by going a bit slower as I was going a bit fast for the conditions. Slide easily corrected by releasing and reapplying.

Avoid, avoid, avoid is my advice.

Pre 2002 ABS very very rarely gives any problems. If it does it's usually a sensor which is very easily and cheaply fixed or a low battery.
Even if you're very unlucky and the modulator fails (think i've had three fail in the 30 years i've been working on BMW's) it's easy to pick up a cheap used example and fit. Unlike the later servo/abs units.

 

[Deleted account 200123001]

Pre 2002 ABS very very rarely gives any problems. If it does it's usually a sensor which is very easily and cheaply fixed or a low battery.
Even if you're very unlucky and the modulator fails (think i've had three fail in the 30 years i've been working on BMW's) it's easy to pick up a cheap used example and fit. Unlike the later servo/abs units.

That is certainly true, the sensors are cheap and are simple to remove (even if it involves drilling the front one out due to seizing in) and are usually to blame as is the low battery...I just found it an irritation.

 

[Flipfly]

DO NOT RIDE ONE WITH THE SERVO!!! I do not hold with the view that ABS on bikes is for pussy's as the stats on reducing fatalities/serious injury are pretty emphatic.

However, the stats on the impact on ones sphincter are even more pronounced when the fecking servo gives out on the fast approach to a round-a-bout at the end of a dual carriage! There was no warning, pulled on the brakes, initial bight as the servo kicked in. It then failed, no brakes to speak of....by the grace of the Almighty I manage to keep control and in one piece.

Bike was recovered, got the thing home, junked the servo.

Hope this helps.

Exactly why I removed mine.

I've never needed ABS in 25 years of riding, but I always need brakes..............simple solution to correct.

Early ABS is crude and is no guarantee of not falling off as it locks and then releases (I know this from off roading 2 pre 2003 models). It could easily catch you out on a slippy surface or you'll carry on and hit whatever is in front of you anyway, both results are a fail. I'd rather use precaution in my riding than rely on the ABS as a safety measure.
Modern ABS like that on the XR demo was more like a standard non ABS bike in feel and would allow you to stamp hard on the brakes and not lock. Very impressive and it owes a lot to the development bikes such as the early GS's with their crude systems that were a bit crap tbh

 

[dabbers]

Exactly why I removed mine.

I've never needed ABS in 25 years of riding, but I always need brakes..............simple solution to correct.

Early ABS is crude and is no guarantee of not falling off as it locks and then releases (I know this from off roading 2 pre 2003 models). It could easily catch you out on a slippy surface or you'll carry on and hit whatever is in front of you anyway, both results are a fail. I'd rather use precaution in my riding than rely on the ABS as a safety measure.
Modern ABS like that on the XR demo was more like a standard non ABS bike in feel and would allow you to stamp hard on the brakes and not lock. Very impressive and it owes a lot to the development bikes such as the early GS's with their crude systems that were a bit crap tbh

Not yet owning one of these bikes, but looking, researching and learning ABS is the one issue on older bikes which is giving me doubts, i think you make a very valid point re using precaution while riding, however after recently writing off my last bike i am in no doubt that ABS would of made a positive difference to the outcome and i would still be riding it.
Never had ABS before and while i have a huge interest in owning a BMW (earlier years) it may be the deciding factor in the end.

Good to read steptoe's post as well, it's a little reassuring..

 

[Steptoe]

Not yet owning one of these bikes, but looking, researching and learning ABS is the one issue on older bikes which is giving me doubts, i think you make a very valid point re using precaution while riding, however after recently writing off my last bike i am in no doubt that ABS would of made a positive difference to the outcome and i would still be riding it.
Never had ABS before and while i have a huge interest in owning a BMW (earlier years) it may be the deciding factor in the end.

Good to read steptoe's post as well, it's a little reassuring..

ABS isn't the problem - it's the brake servos which are the problem fitted to 2003-2007 (1150 &1200). If they fail the brakes aren't adequate. If the pre 2003 abs has problems the brakes aren't affected, same goes for the post 2007 1200 models, no brake problems if abs faults appear.

 

[Flipfly]

Not yet owning one of these bikes, but looking, researching and learning ABS is the one issue on older bikes which is giving me doubts, i think you make a very valid point re using precaution while riding, however after recently writing off my last bike i am in no doubt that ABS would of made a positive difference to the outcome and i would still be riding it.
Never had ABS before and while i have a huge interest in owning a BMW (earlier years) it may be the deciding factor in the end.

Good to read steptoe's post as well, it's a little reassuring..

Never needed it in 25 years of riding. There are always going to be cases for ABS saving a particular situation, but I have a much better bike for removing the servo brakes. 1200GS post servo ABS is very good and I wouldn't consider a 1200..........

sorry, I was going to leave it there for comic effect but I mean a servo ABS 1200

Servo brakes on BMW's are shit...........end of. Unsafe, unreliable and devoid of feel

 

[dabbers]

ABS isn't the problem - it's the brake servos which are the problem fitted to 2003-2007 (1150 &1200). If they fail the brakes aren't adequate. If the pre 2003 abs has problems the brakes aren't affected, same goes for the post 2007 1200 models, no brake problems if abs faults appear.

Cheers Steptoe, that's good to know and helps when looking, not sure it WILL be a deciding factor but at least i have the knowledge now to make a choice.