abs failure

[Norrie123]

I have a 05 12Rt, 22,000 Kms.

I stopped at a new Harley dealership in Dublin this morning, ( 20 Kms from home )as soon as I stopped, the abs warning light and triangle came on. I decided to ride home not wanting to be stuck in Dublin. I had no rear brake and no speedo.

 

At home I killed the engine and started up again and everything seems to be fine although the battery is reading a bit low. I have it on a trickle charge just now.

 

Is the battery at fault or are we not supposed to stop at Harley dealerships? lol. ( I wasn't laughing in Dublin this morning )

 

Taking it into a BMW dealer would be a last resort, any advise would be appreciated.

[Survived-til-now]

Norrie

 

You have got it in one - you are not supposed to go anywhere near a Harley dealership. BMW have implanted a GPS location device in all their new Canbus bikes (updated at every service) and as soon as you go within 100m of a Harley dealer the bike punishes you.

 

 

But to address your problem:

 

A low battery voltage is known to cause problems with the ABS and I have an idea someone reported problems with the servo assist also -- the loss of digital display is also a well known symptom.....

 

So hopefully that is all it is but why would your battery be low?

 

Have you been doing lots of short runs...... Has it been in the garage for weeks without being ridden..... have you had the update that made it more difficult to accidentally trip the parking lights on..... Have you installed extra gizmo's via a direct feed to battery and one of them has drained it...... try a recharge first and see if the battery voltage is good (don't forget to remove the surface charge on the battery plates first - switch on a couple of things first then off again - hazards or the like - before testing the battery voltage) and hopefu;lly all will be as it should.

 

last thought - you are trickle charging direct to the battery aren't you and not via a power outlet - or the canbus shuts it down (unless you have the canbus friendly charger)

 

(Someone is going to believe the GPS c**p just wait and see).

[gettysburg]

It may not apply to the RT, but when my wife and I had F650s, her ABS light came on because there wasn't enough power to run the ABS pump. The problem was just a weak battery. When it happened, she was using her heated grips, heated jacket, and 110w PIAA driving lights.

[Norrie123]

I've been off work for a couple of weeks,( flu ) and haven't been on a decent run for about 6 weeks. Hopefully it's just the battery, if it loses power again I'll replace it.

 

I must go read the threads on batteries now to see what is recomended.

 

ps. I'm going to try parking around the corner from Harley and walking round to the shop next week.

[sebjones906]

On my new r1200rt the brake failure light came on. Determining that it was not a Hydrolic problem I took it to the dealer. On the front end, there is a sensor that "reads" the wheel speed. That sensor has a wire that rubbed on the disc and thru the insalation, grounding the system. There was an "invisible" clip that the wire was not routed thru. It was easily fixed. I checked the bikes on the sales floor. 3 of the 4 rt's also had the wire rubbing on the roter.

It's worth a check.

[Norrie123]

On my new r1200rt the brake failure light came on. Determining that it was not a Hydrolic problem I took it to the dealer. On the front end, there is a sensor that "reads" the wheel speed. That sensor has a wire that rubbed on the disc and thru the insalation, grounding the system. There was an "invisible" clip that the wire was not routed thru. It was easily fixed. I checked the bikes on the sales floor. 3 of the 4 rt's also had the wire rubbing on the roter.

It's worth a check.

 

Interesting, that would explain the speedo not working, I'll check this out in the morning.

[Tony_K]

This guy had a ABS failure once.... all fixed now.

 

 

sorry I couldn't help myself....

[Stan Walker]

This guy had a ABS failure once.... all fixed now.

 

Interesting tread pattern.

 

Stan

[ScottT]

Dude... That is so wrong.

[JohnBeaven]

 

 

 

That sensor has a wire that rubbed on the disc and thru the insalation, grounding the system.

This problem was the subject of a recall.

[Norrie123]

I checked the sensor wire and it is fine. Charged up the battery and all seems to be OK. Thanks for the good advise lads, ride safe.

[KBoxerBoy]

Hi Guys, I always wanted a Boxer. So finally I got my dream machine earlier this week. It's USED cuz that's all I can afford, so I got it and drove 90 miles home on it, no problem at all. Then left it in the garrage for couple of days and weather permited today and I rode it, and even when I got it the "Brake Failure" light was blinking but it would go away as soon as I would go over 1MPH, and it was okay for my whole ride home.

 

Now today as I was riding, gone like 2 miles from home and "Brake Failure" light along with "Warning Light" the one right below "Brake Failure" was blinking like crazy. I got scared and rode slowly back home. Once I got home I swiched it off and turned it back on, and it fixed it.

 

But since then it's been in garage, I have called the guy whome I bought it from, and no answer from him.

 

Meanwhile I went online and found these forums with people talking about this problem....

 

I am scared allot. I hope it's nothing major.

 

Also where is this Sensor wire? and where will I find it? Can some one post a picture?

 

My bike only got like 3k miles on it. But its 3 years old.

 

Please tell me if there is anything serious??? Please write back...

[DonB]

What exact model do you have? It could be as simple as a bad battery or sensor adjustment.

[Pictou]

The warning light coming on until about 1 MPH is normal. They all do that.

 

As to the light coming on while your riding I don't know for sure but I would guess it might be a weak battery. These bikes are sensitive to weak batteries. Given that your bike is 3 years old and only has 3,000 miles I would guess the battery could be going bad from disuse. I bet your battery was not properly maintained during periods of down time and now its starting to go. You could try charging it if you have a trickle charger that is suitable to the task (if its a Gel battery you need one programed to charge gel batteries such as a Deltran Battery Tender Plus). However if the battery is bad then trying to charge it likely won't work (at least not for very long). If you take it to a dealer they will be able tell you in short order what the problem is. If it were me I might take a chance and put a new battery in it but that is your call.

 

Hi Guys, I always wanted a Boxer. So finally I got my dream machine earlier this week. It's USED cuz that's all I can afford, so I got it and drove 90 miles home on it, no problem at all. Then left it in the garrage for couple of days and weather permited today and I rode it, and even when I got it the "Brake Failure" light was blinking but it would go away as soon as I would go over 1MPH, and it was okay for my whole ride home.

 

Now today as I was riding, gone like 2 miles from home and "Brake Failure" light along with "Warning Light" the one right below "Brake Failure" was blinking like crazy. I got scared and rode slowly back home. Once I got home I swiched it off and turned it back on, and it fixed it.

 

But since then it's been in garage, I have called the guy whome I bought it from, and no answer from him.

 

Meanwhile I went online and found these forums with people talking about this problem....

 

I am scared allot. I hope it's nothing major.

 

Also where is this Sensor wire? and where will I find it? Can some one post a picture?

 

My bike only got like 3k miles on it. But its 3 years old.

 

Please tell me if there is anything serious??? Please write back...

[John Bentall]

I had EXACTLY the same problem - and fix - on my 05 1200RT. It was not a chafed sensor wire and it has re-occurred in the last year. It did not store a fault code in the computer of my machine - but let us know in due course if a fault was saved in yours.

[Pictou]

While your problem was not related to the chafing of the sensor wire his might be. With only 3,000 miles on the bike there is a chance the previous owner never bothered to get the recalls done. It would be worth checking out to eliminate that as a potential source of the problem.

 

I had EXACTLY the same problem - and fix - on my 05 1200RT. It was not a chafed sensor wire and it has re-occurred in the last year. It did not store a fault code in the computer of my machine - but let us know in due course if a fault was saved in yours.

[John Bentall]

While your problem was not related to the chafing of the sensor wire his might be. With only 3,000 miles on the bike there is a chance the previous owner never bothered to get the recalls done. It would be worth checking out to eliminate that as a potential source of the problem.

 

I had EXACTLY the same problem - and fix - on my 05 1200RT. It was not a chafed sensor wire and it has re-occurred in the last year. It did not store a fault code in the computer of my machine - but let us know in due course if a fault was saved in yours.

 

Hey Andrew, not so fast.....

I was replying to Norrie123's problem on his R1200RT, not to KBoxerBoy's problem with his R11500RT.

KBoxerBoy's problem could be a flat battery as mentioned by others.

[Pictou]

Oops sorry. I got confused between the different threads.

[Ken H.]

According to your profile you have an R1150RT. This "Hexheads" forum is for discussions regarding the newer R1200xx bikes. You will likely get better feedback if you repost your question in the "Oilheads" forum of this site.

 

But short answer - most likely just a weak battery.

 

Oh, and welcome!

[KBoxerBoy]

Thanks allot guys, it was weak battery I think. I had gotten a trickel charger from the guy whom I purchased the bike. I put the bike on the charger overnight. And then I rode this beauty flawless for 140 miles. I'm loving it...

 

This is probabbly the best bike I have ever purchased.

 

I hope so.

 

Guys, one more thing.. Ohh yes I have R1150RT that's the model of my bike.

 

Do you all hear this noise when you press breaks, I was told by BMW guy that it's ABS pump, it's not very loud, but especially if I am stopped on an uphill or down hill, to stop the bike from moving up/down I have to press the breaks.

 

Is this normal?

 

Thanks again for all of your answers.

[Ken H.]

Do you all hear this noise when you press breaks, I was told by BMW guy that it's ABS pump, it's not very loud, but especially if I am stopped on an uphill or down hill, to stop the bike from moving up/down I have to press the breaks.

 

Is this normal?

Presuming you're describing the infamous BMW Brake Whine, then yes, quite normal.

[velomoto]

You guys are AWESOME!!!

 

Just had the dealer install a new set of tires on the 12RT last week. This past Sunday when I was backing her out of the garage I thot I could hear a faint sound of "something" rubbing on the front rotor. Thinking it was the pads being a bit too close to the rotor I headed off for a short ride to break in the new rubber (Metzlers to be exact). Well about 10 miles into the ride on comes the brake failure light and I limp (crawl?) home on some back roads to avoid traffic. After searching the forum and finding this thread I'm guessing the shop wasn't careful when placing the wheel back onto the bike, or the sensor wire was just barely missing the rotor but not installed when the bike was originally built. Anyone takin' odds???

[texasaggie97]

Low battery will cause the ABS light to come on. If you get you a new battery which should be replaced around the 3 year mark.

Good luck

[velomoto]

... Well about 10 miles into the ride on comes the brake failure light and I limp (crawl?) home on some back roads to avoid traffic. After searching the forum and finding this thread I'm guessing the shop wasn't careful when placing the wheel back onto the bike, or the sensor wire was just barely missing the rotor but not installed when the bike was originally built. Anyone takin' odds???

FYI - the word back from the shop is the ABS sensor cable was rubbing against the disk. New one is on order, but the bike works find (sans ABS of course).

[Sliver]

I recently purchased an '05 ST with 3200 miles. The bike now has 5600 miles on it. On a recent 1000 mile ride I noticed the front brake pulsating under fast to moderate speeds. After reading this thread, I'm sure it's warped rotors. I'll be taking into my local dealer to get it fixed.

I read earlier in this thread about banjo fittings and clips being replaced under a recall. Can someone post the link to that recall for me.

Brake problems aside, I love this bike. It's an amazing ride.