Gs 911 or manual brake flush ? Extra nipple ?

[joeb]

Hi all. Fairly new to my 09r1200gs and loving it. Previous 03 r1150rt with wheezy brakes.

Couple questions. 

1. Bleed nipple on front brake handle bar reservoir  . What is that for ?

2. Familiar with brake flush on 03 rt.

Can the 09 Gs be flushed without using

GS 911 in a similar way to the 03 ?  ( using the 6 nipples on the brake module )

3. If using GS 911, can the brakes be flushed without accessing the under tank module ?

As always,  thanks for all your knowledgeable input. 

[dirtrider]

33 minutes ago, joeb said:

Hi all. Fairly new to my 09r1200gs and loving it. Previous 03 r1150rt with wheezy brakes.

Couple questions. 

1. Bleed nipple on front brake handle bar reservoir  . What is that for ?

2. Familiar with brake flush on 03 rt.

Can the 09 Gs be flushed without using

GS 911 in a similar way to the 03 ?  ( using the 6 nipples on the brake module )

3. If using GS 911, can the brakes be flushed without accessing the under tank module ?

As always,  thanks for all your knowledgeable input. 

Morning joeb

 

1. Bleed nipple on front brake handle bar reservoir  . What is that for ?--- That is to allow the master cylinder to be bled of air before that air can enter & go through the entire system (it's not used for regular brake bleeding service)

 

2. Familiar with brake flush on 03 rt.--- Your 2009 has the I-ABS gen 2 system & that is different that the old I-ABS (wizzy) system. 

 

Can the 09 Gs be flushed without using GS 911 in a similar way to the 03 ?  ( using the 6 nipples on the brake module )-- No, there are not 6 nipples on the 2009 I-ABS gen 2 system. You don't bleed anything on the ABS module on your 2009 I-ABS gen 2 system. You can also do it without using a GS-911.  

 

3. If using GS 911, can the brakes be flushed without accessing the under tank module ?--- YES.

 

If you service it every year then all you really need to do flush new fluid through the system using the caliper bleed screws to bleed from.

 

If it hasn't been serviced in a long time then you should probably shim the front caliper pistons (brake pads) back into the caliper bores during the bleed process. 

 

If the brake service hasn't been done in a long time then it's a good idea to ride the motorcycle a little after the brake service then do a quick re-bleed on the just the rear. 

 

[joeb]

As always, thanks. Just so I understand , Are you saying that the brakes can be bled like the old non ABS brakes from the caliper bleeds ?

[dirtrider]

11 hours ago, joeb said:

As always, thanks. Just so I understand , Are you saying that the brakes can be bled like the old non ABS brakes from the caliper bleeds ?

Morning  joeb

 

Basically YES. At least for regular interval service bleeding.

 

If the service hasn't been done in a while then push the front pads back (pistons back into caliper bore) then shim or hold them there.

 

If your motorcycle has well used (worn) front bake pads then either refill the front master cylinder reservoir with the pads still shimmed back, OR, don't fill it to the full mark.   

 

You will need to push the front brake pads back to remove your front wheel at tire change so if you fill the brake fluid to the full mark with worn front brake pads (not pushed back) then at front wheel removal you will force the excess fluid way up past the full level when you push the pads back. 

 

On the rear, just normal bleeding (like old non ABS brakes) will leave a very small amount of old brake fluid remaining in the rear servo circuits, this is not a big deal if you service the brake fluid regularly (like yearly or at least every other year). If your brake service is unknown then you might service the rear, then ride the motorcycle a little then do another quick partial rear bleed. 

 

Or, after initial rear bleeding, you can spin the rear wheel with the key turned on (engine NOT running) then with the rear wheel spinning, operate the front brake lever (this will cycle the rear servo pump). Then do a quick partial rear re-bleed. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

[joeb]

Thank you. Really appreciate your willingness  to share your expertise . The internet and  Utube can be a great resource, but there is no substitute for a properly trained expert. Utube confused me because I saw many videos where the procedure indicated the very fiddly process similar to the " wheezy " brake system.

Like Abraham Lincoln said regarding the internet

" the trouble is , it's almost impossible to tell what is fact when viewing internet posts "

A wise man.

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, joeb said:

Thank you. Really appreciate your willingness  to share your expertise . The internet and  Utube can be a great resource, but there is no substitute for a properly trained expert. Utube confused me because I saw many videos where the procedure indicated the very fiddly process similar to the " wheezy " brake system.

Like Abraham Lincoln said regarding the internet

" the trouble is , it's almost impossible to tell what is fact when viewing internet posts "

A wise man.

Morning joeb

 

You need to keep in mind that the BMW 1200 hexhead had 2 different braking systems, the early 1200 (pre 2007) hexhead used the I-ABS (wizzy) dual servo system. The later 1200 hexhead (2007 up) like your 2009 used the later  I-ABS gen2 braking system. The I-ABS gen2 is a more conventional ABS system using only a rear linking servo. 

 

You need to keep that in mind when researching things about your 2009 as there are other important differences between the early 1200 & the later 1200.   

[joeb]

Good to know. Thanks again.