Servo/ABS problems

[Gordon]

The acid test .......

took the bike for a early MOT - really wanted Andy at the MOT station to give brakes a good check and put the bike on the rolling road.

'Bl***y impressive' was the conclusion from the readings. That will do me. Now done about 70 miles and happy with result.

Money saved has allowed me to buy a half price Autocom 300, a new Kenwood TK 3201 radio for bike to bike comms, all the cables to connect up my GPS and I still have £1100 left!!

The stand goes to a maximum of 17 inches in height and makes working on the bike much easier. I positioned it under the sump (left the guard on), with the main stand up, sliding the jack in from the RHS. I used a wooden board to spread the load and it worked fine. Once the jack takes the weight I straighted the bike off the side stand and it balanced neatly on the board. I then attached the 4 ratchet straps (supplied with the jack) to secure the bike to the jack and rasied the bike to maximum height.

Cheers

 

[hank]

Thanks for the pics and info Gordon.

The cost of repair or replacement of the servo / A.B.S unit on my R1150r has been one of my worries, but not any more.

Cheers, Hank.

 

[nesbocaj]

Excellent write up Gordon, thank you!

Couple of questions if you don't mind....
What did you end up doing with the gigantic ABS/Servo unit plug?

Did you wire the new switches to relays in the fuse box, or go directly to the brake light from each switch?

Any error lights or the like while running?

How do you like the feel and power of the brakes without the servos?

Bob J

 

[matdave]

Has this been achieved for the 1200GS ?

 

[Steptoe]

Has this been achieved for the 1200GS ?

This thread should be "unstickied" as it's a crock of shite.

[URL="http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232002"]HERE'S[/URL] the thread you need.

And yes, you can remove the servo from a 1200. But not by using the 1150 information.

 

[Steptoe]

This thread should be "unstickied" as it's a crock of shite.

[URL="http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232002"]HERE'S[/URL] the thread you need.

And yes, you can remove the servo from a 1200 (bare in mind the electronic speedo also runs through the servo unit on a 1200). But not by using the 1150 information.

.....

 

[RWG]

Cheers Gordon,

This helps a lot, I now know what a servo unit looks like and would not be put off buying bike with one now that I understand removal.
Regards
RWG

 

[scrumager]

Did the servoectomy as in the "simple no cost servo removal" a few weeks ago and the bike just flew through mot this morning , I didn't mention the servo/abs removal and he didn't ask ,brakes plenty strong........happy days !!

 

[adiem48]

Additional findings

My r1150gs was registered in 2003 but had only done 17K. Did all servicing myself to make sure it was done according to service schedule. Passed MOT in March 2016 no problems then ABS began turning itself on and off whilst riding so braking was 'poor' one moment then ABS would kick-in with clattering traction control next. Dangerous. GS911 scan showed high pressure in front brake circuit. Oddly fiddling about with rear brake lowered the pressure enough in the front brake circuit to get the ABS working again until the front brake was applied hard to increase the pressure again.. Local BMW motorcycle told me that it would cost just short of £2000 to fix! Said I would think about it and found this excellent post. Bought front and rear brake switches (non-abs open) and small loop (no BMW - no bleed needed) from Motorworks.co.uk. I wanted to do a 'reversible' servoectomy intending to taking pressure unit apart, fix it and put it back on later. So I removed everything carefully to avoid any damage.

The trick with the rewiring was to cut the plugs off the newly purchased brake switches leaving all the original ABS wiring and sockets in place. I bought a 'used' blue ABS relay from Motorworks (£8), gutted it and soldered a wire to pin 3 which was then passed through a hole drilled in the plastic casing. Reinserted this gave me the 12v for the brake lights. I bought a standard fuse with a spur wire from ebay (£1.50) and replaced fuse 2 so that I had access to 12v for the tail light with no damage to any of the wiring.

I had the security tri star bits but had to buy a set of 5-star security bits from ebay (£8). I took the ABS pressure unit apart carefully and found crystals of corrosion (like when a battery leaks) around the bottom of the ECU board but the board seemed undamaged by this. The 2 sets of pressure sensors looked OK but there was also corrosion on the ends of the two shafts which transmit pressure from the front to the back of the unit. Leaking seals! there were lots of tiny seals in the unit as well as a number of larger specialised seals. If I could get a replacement set of seals I would most likely be able to fix the unit. I guess they would cost about £20 - bit less than £2000! But I can't and therefore can't fix the unit - yet. My conclusion to all this is that it is really easy to remove the ABS without causing any irreversible damage, the brakes now work brilliantly with a progressive feel that allows a controlled emergency stop, the ABS unit seals will eventually fail on all units even if something else doesn't pack up first.

 

[Steptoe]

The trick with the rewiring was to cut the plugs off the newly purchased brake switches leaving all the original ABS wiring and sockets in place. I bought a 'used' blue ABS relay from Motorworks (£8), gutted it and soldered a wire to pin 3 which was then passed through a hole drilled in the plastic casing. Reinserted this gave me the 12v for the brake lights. I bought a standard fuse with a spur wire from ebay (£1.50) and replaced fuse 2 so that I had access to 12v for the tail light with no damage to any of the wiring.

The trick is you don't need to cut any wiring or buy any parts to remove the servo/abs modulator.

Unfortunately you read a thread that's some 8 years old. There's now a much simpler method that requires spending no money or cutting any wire.

 

[The Grey One]

Didn't Steptoe post a simple no cost method?

John

 

[adiem48]

Dear Grey One and Steptoe. Have looked at your 'no cost' method and it wouldn't have worked for me. Notice you 'grind off a tag', 'strip back sheathing on ABS connector', 'cut lots of wires' and to tidy up 'cut off plug'. As I plan to fix my ABS unit and put it back on I would consider this almost 'irreversible'. When and if I sell my bike I will be able to reassure the buyer that the ABS unit has been removed without any 'damage' to the bike and can if needed be put back on. Think a careful buyer would find this reassuring and would give me top money when given all the ABS parts that have been removed undamaged. This is when the 'no cost' method could prove costly. Tony

 

[Slipperyeel]

Dear Grey One and Steptoe. Have looked at your 'no cost' method and it wouldn't have worked for me. Notice you 'grind off a tag', 'strip back sheathing on ABS connector', 'cut lots of wires' and to tidy up 'cut off plug'. As I plan to fix my ABS unit and put it back on I would consider this almost 'irreversible'. When and if I sell my bike I will be able to reassure the buyer that the ABS unit has been removed without any 'damage' to the bike and can if needed be put back on. Think a careful buyer would find this reassuring and would give me top money when given all the ABS parts that have been removed undamaged. This is when the 'no cost' method could prove costly. Tony

Not sure that's accurate. Since I have the servo fitted and while so far so good, I read these stories with interest in the fear I'll have to do a servoectomy myself one day. I understood as per steptoe's post, that there is no wire cutting at all, only the plumbing adjustments, that can be easily reversed...

Or have I misunderstood?

 

[The Grey One]

Sounds like a bit more research might have been in order!

John

 

[Steptoe]

Dear Grey One and Steptoe. Have looked at your 'no cost' method and it wouldn't have worked for me. Notice you 'grind off a tag', 'strip back sheathing on ABS connector', 'cut lots of wires' and to tidy up 'cut off plug'. As I plan to fix my ABS unit and put it back on I would consider this almost 'irreversible'.

I don't know what you're talking about ?.

I'll repeat what i posted earlier today about wiring etc.. No cutting is required. No new parts are needed. And no wiring needs to be touched.

You remove the servo/abs unit. Unscrew the ECU on the end of the module and plug it back in place. Remove the small blue abs/servo relay and the lower abs warning bulb in the instrument console (the top warning bulb won't be working so don't worry about that one). No cutting of any wires and no need for new brake switches.

And to refit a another abs/servo unit is as simple as plugging it back in place, refiting the relay and the instrument warning bulb.

 

[adiem48]

Thanks Steptoe for your feedback. I typed 'r1150gs abs no cost steptoe' into safari and it came back with the grinding/wire-cutting method again. As a novice myself I think other 'novices' might benefit from this thread and would need to be able to locate the other 'no cost non wire cutting' procedure more easily. I think you've given me enough info above to work out the procedure. I am worried about this procedure both on reliability and legal grounds. From a reliability point of view a complex (possibly faulty) ECU is being used simply to convert the logic of a normally closed abs switch to normally open. The non abs switch is ultra reliable and avoids using this complex potentially unreliable circuitry. in the event of accident a prosecuting attorney might describe the procedure somewhat differently in court. He might say that the bike had been rendered non-standard by an unqualified person who had tampered with a tamper protected non-serviceable unit. The unit was possibly faulty at the outset and an untested circuit was being used. In addition a warning bulb had been removed. The bike was neither a standard non-abs bike nor a standard abs bike and the insurance company had been advised wrongly that the bike was non-abs when in fact it was still using some abs components. From an insurance perspective I've informed my insurance company that my bike has been returned to a standard non-abs bike using original BMW components on that version of the bike.

Having got involved (forcibly) in this ABS stuff I am now curious as to how the units work but can't find technical information. I don't want to be digging out patents and would be most grateful for any pointers to technical information. Is there any chance that replacement seals will become available as these would be critical for any type of service. Thanks in anticipation for your help. Tony

 

[Flipfly]

Thanks Steptoe for your feedback. I typed 'r1150gs abs no cost steptoe' into safari and it came back with the grinding/wire-cutting method again. As a novice myself I think other 'novices' might benefit from this thread and would need to be able to locate the other 'no cost non wire cutting' procedure more easily. I think you've given me enough info above to work out the procedure. I am worried about this procedure both on reliability and legal grounds. From a reliability point of view a complex (possibly faulty) ECU is being used simply to convert the logic of a normally closed abs switch to normally open. The non abs switch is ultra reliable and avoids using this complex potentially unreliable circuitry. in the event of accident a prosecuting attorney might describe the procedure somewhat differently in court. He might say that the bike had been rendered non-standard by an unqualified person who had tampered with a tamper protected non-serviceable unit. The unit was possibly faulty at the outset and an untested circuit was being used. In addition a warning bulb had been removed. The bike was neither a standard non-abs bike nor a standard abs bike and the insurance company had been advised wrongly that the bike was non-abs when in fact it was still using some abs components. From an insurance perspective I've informed my insurance company that my bike has been returned to a standard non-abs bike using original BMW components on that version of the bike.

Having got involved (forcibly) in this ABS stuff I am now curious as to how the units work but can't find technical information. I don't want to be digging out patents and would be most grateful for any pointers to technical information. Is there any chance that replacement seals will become available as these would be critical for any type of service. Thanks in anticipation for your help. Tony

Tony, you are over thinking it.

You are returning the bike to a standard braking system and using the ECU purely to activate the brake lights, it effectively becomes your brake light switch (albeit a rather bit and expensive one).

A small loop pipe can be used to remove the ABS lines from the front brake circuit and and the rear brake links directly to the rear master cylinder.

I'm only in Stoke on Trent, if you need any help please let me know. It was the best thing I did on my bike and the brakes are much nicer now. My ABS pump was fully working when I removed mine.

No issue from the insurance point of view because the brakes are effectively the same as the non ABS bike except for the switch.

 

[Steptoe]

Thanks Steptoe for your feedback. I typed 'r1150gs abs no cost steptoe' into safari and it came back with the grinding/wire-cutting method again. As a novice myself I think other 'novices' might benefit from this thread and would need to be able to locate the other 'no cost non wire cutting' procedure more easily. I think you've given me enough info above to work out the procedure. I am worried about this procedure both on reliability and legal grounds. From a reliability point of view a complex (possibly faulty) ECU is being used simply to convert the logic of a normally closed abs switch to normally open. The non abs switch is ultra reliable and avoids using this complex potentially unreliable circuitry. in the event of accident a prosecuting attorney might describe the procedure somewhat differently in court. He might say that the bike had been rendered non-standard by an unqualified person who had tampered with a tamper protected non-serviceable unit. The unit was possibly faulty at the outset and an untested circuit was being used. In addition a warning bulb had been removed. The bike was neither a standard non-abs bike nor a standard abs bike and the insurance company had been advised wrongly that the bike was non-abs when in fact it was still using some abs components. From an insurance perspective I've informed my insurance company that my bike has been returned to a standard non-abs bike using original BMW components on that version of the bike.

Having got involved (forcibly) in this ABS stuff I am now curious as to how the units work but can't find technical information. I don't want to be digging out patents and would be most grateful for any pointers to technical information. Is there any chance that replacement seals will become available as these would be critical for any type of service. Thanks in anticipation for your help. Tony

Are you American ? If so I apologise for my answers only containing a few brief words. With your level of concerns and predilection for doom and disaster what are you doing even considering riding a motorcycle bro.

 

[adiem48]

Thanks Steptoe for confirming that the most reliable and legally defensible method of ABS removal is as outlined at the beginning of this thread. The bike is returned without damage to its Non abs version using original BMW parts and the insurance company is advised accordingly. For the benefit of other novices could you possibly shed some light on the possible availability of seals for the unit in the future. Oh by the way not american, definitely a careful rider, you have to be crossing the Sahara and getting to the Everest base camp on the Tibetan side. Oh one unplanned spill in 51 years but I do seem to be getting more careful as I get older.

 

[The Grey One]

Thanks Steptoe for your feedback. I typed 'r1150gs abs no cost steptoe' into safari and it came back with the grinding/wire-cutting method again. As a novice myself I think other 'novices' might benefit from this thread and would need to be able to locate the other 'no cost non wire cutting' procedure more easily.

Maybe if you took the time to read the entire thread you would have saved yourself a good deal of anxiety.


John