ABS Removal

[mrduck]

'01 GS, the ABS has gone south...owner stated he'd rather remove it as he's a very experenced rider and could do without it. He also plans on riding this bike forever so no problem with selling it later on.

Did a search and found the instructions for pulling it apart and checking the pistons and seals internally, gonna try that first. If no luck there, can we just bypass the ABS unit and how's that done?

 

 

Thanks

Don J

[CoarsegoldKid]

Franz did not option his '08 GS with ABS and he loves it that way. Maybe the '01 model had an option as well. I think Cornelius should just bypass the system like any other non-abs bike. If the master cylinder doesn't have enough grunt to pinch the calipers then there may be a BMW part number for '01 model master that is used for non-abs or maybe the '08 non-abs components will fit right in. And then again maybe there is no difference. Check part numbers.

[Ken H.]

The braking can indeed be re-plumbed (at your own risk) to just go direct. Both the front and rear master cylinders are up to most braking tasks as is.

 

The other issue you have to solve is the brake and tail light as the ABS unit controls them and with it gone… It’s not rocket science, but does take some basic knowledge of relays and such to get the lights back operational.

 

At your own risk.

 

 

[AndyS]

'01 GS, the ABS has gone south...owner stated he'd rather remove it

 

I have done a picture walkthrough for the R1150RT (for removing the Servo system), if you want it I'll send it. PM me (big file).

 

Andy

[mrduck]

PM sent....thanks

 

 

 

Don J

[dirtrider]

Hi Don

 

Does your 01 GS have the non servo or non power brakes on it? I think the changeover to power assist came somewhere in the 01 time frame.

 

If you have ABS-2 non servo brakes it is a simple matter to just remove the ABS controller and plumb around it. The brake light switches go directly to the rear light so no switch or wiring changes involved.

 

If your 01 GS has the later I-ABS power assist brakes then it will be more complicated but still doable with a little re-wiring and switch work.

 

[mrduck]

OK here's the plan....I found a really good thread here using the search about going inside the ABS unit and how to check if the pistons are sticking, gonna do that first then flush the system. Andy sent me a great file on how to remove and rewire the ABS system, thanks, gonna save that for last.

 

Pretty sharp there Joe...wasn't gonna mention any names...

 

 

Thanks all, let ya know how this one turns out

 

 

 

Don J

 

 

 

[dirtrider]

Hi Don

 

Are you sure you have a viable plan?

 

You talk about checking the ABS pistons? Those are on the earlier ABS-2 system “non power brakes”.

 

But you also talk about Andy’s ABS removal and rewire. According to his post above that is for the 1150 I-ABS powered system.

 

If you have the early ABS-2 system then no re-wire is required, if you have the later I-ABS “power brake” system then the internal parts are different and no motor driven internal pistons.

 

What system does your bike have?

 

[mrduck]

Hi Don

 

Are you sure you have a viable plan?

 

You talk about checking the ABS pistons? Those are on the earlier ABS-2 system “non power brakes”.

 

But you also talk about Andy’s ABS removal and rewire. According to his post above that is for the 1150 I-ABS powered system.

 

If you have the early ABS-2 system then no re-wire is required, if you have the later I-ABS “power brake” system then the internal parts are different and no motor driven internal pistons.

 

What system does your bike have?

 

 

Well, my fellow Buckeye, here's the big picture....

01 GS,not my bike,asked the owner if they were the whizzy brakes, got "I think so, never paid much attention to 'em".

This all started when the warning lights started flashing. Still have full brakes, can't reset the flashing lights. There is a way to turn off the rear ABS, tried all the rituals we know of to reset the warning lights.

So, the next logical step is "there must be sumthin' wrong in there"

This is the point where I came seeking advice, as I've never been given bad or wrong advice here.

We're not master techs or engineers, just a couple of "hicks from the sticks" that have had a lot of great success over the years with fixin' stuff.

So, to answer your question, don't know which one we got, but gonna go in and have a look at things, and let ya know what we find. Removing the ABS entirerly is a last resort kinda thing!

And any one else have any ideas please lemme know, I'll try most anything once!

 

 

Thanks

Don J

 

 

 

 

[Woodie]

What does the blinking error code tell you is wrong? How about replacing the "bad" part? (Sensor maybe? That's what's triggering mine)

[AndyS]

What does the blinking error code tell you is wrong? How about replacing the "bad" part? (Sensor maybe? That's what's triggering mine)

 

Hi Woodie, If he has iABS then it's very different to yours and to be honest on the iABS, if the fault light is not caused by a broken tail light or the micro switches being triggered on by crud or corrosion, then it's generally a knackered Servo unit.

 

Andy