Riding the foot brake.

[Michael Burridge]

On a night ride I noticed the glow of the tail light in my mirrors and that I've been riding the foot brake. I had also noticed that the cruise control wasn't always engaging unless I purposely nudged the foot brake up. What concerns me most is that this is a servo brake system and that the servos may have been operating all the time. Is this just a bad habit on my part? Or can I adjust the foot brake for less sensitivity before the micro switch activates. I welcome any comments. MB

[dirtrider]

Evening Michael

 

What BMW model & year are we working withy here?

[Michael Burridge]

2006 R1200RT

With electric brake servos.

Just got this bike in December —only 7K miles on it. I love this beautiful machine.

[dirtrider]

Evening Michael

 

OK that helps--

 

Not a lot that you can (easily) do to change the pedal to switch relationship but you can modify the brake pedal to lower the little thimble that your foot pushed down.

 

If a person really knows what they are doing they can adjust the master cylinder push rod then re-adjust the brake pedal stop bolt but that is not something to mess with as that effects the switch function point & that switch function point is critical to the servo operation.

[Michael Burridge]

Thanks!

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

Hi Michael

 

I also have a R1200RT 2006. Now 102,000km on it. Bought it new. I've installed Olins

springs/shocks on it. It handles great and go's like stink.

 

Years ago I was finding my cruse control was cutting out on me. WHY? Because I needed to assume the correct riding position and keep the ball of my foot on the pegs (except when braking or shifting) and stop my old lazy habit of hooking my heels on the pegs.

 

When I had my heels hooked on the pegs, the ball of my foot would drop just enough to cause the rear brake to come on and the cruse to cut out.

 

Now, -- An improved ridding position and no problems inadvertently touching the rear brake pedal.

 

I love this bike!

 

Hope this may be of some help to you.

 

Dave

[Michael Burridge]

Thanks Dave,

That's what I assumed I was doing wrong. Thanks for the confirmation.

What most concerned me is that this bike has electric brake servos and if they were running all the time they probably wouldn't last long. I need to keep my foot back.

 

Also, the hand brake activates both front and rear with the ABS. So there is not much need for the brake pedal except for maybe low speed maneuvering. Do you agree?

 

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

 

Also, the hand brake activates both front and rear with the ABS. So there is not much need for the brake pedal except for maybe low speed maneuvering. Do you agree?

 

Hi Michael

 

I pretty much agree with you. Looks to me like you've pretty well got this figured out.

 

I will use rear brake "only" during low speed maneuvering and always during the last few yards when making a stop.

 

Once I became accustom to the power of these servo brakes I've come to love them. They can be a major expense if a servo replacement is required, but they are great brakes.

 

You mentioned that you may have to nudge the foot pedal up sometimes. If this is the case, you may need a bit of lubrication on the linkage.

 

What part of this world do you live in? With a little luck you may find some long time BMW owners that would make you feel welcome and be of a great help with some details. And of course you are always welcome here!

 

Dave

[tallman]

Just a thought.

While this is true, I frequently use both pedals to retain the habit for non-linked and or non ABS bikes I might be riding.

YMMV

[Indy Dave]

Michael - Is the seat working now? Everything is good to go with the CC ? Any follow up impressions from further riding?

 

And welcome to the Brand and the board!

[1two]

thinking the servo brakes were a cost factor so BMW did away with them

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

thinking the servo brakes were a cost factor so BMW did away with them

 

 

 

I'm sure you hit the nail right on the head!

[Guest Kakugo]

thinking the servo brakes were a cost factor so BMW did away with them

 

I'll tell you one thing: had my RT still had servo brakes, I would have never bought it.

Too much of a liability and too little of an improvement.

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

thinking the servo brakes were a cost factor so BMW did away with them

 

I'll tell you one thing: had my RT still had servo brakes, I would have never bought it.

Too much of a liability and too little of an improvement.

 

Hi Kakugo

 

I think that the "cost factor" should include both the manufacturing cost as well as maintenance cost which may well be higher then acceptable.

 

From my point of view, the servo brakes are excellent brakes as long as they are working well. And mine have always worked very well.

 

Well OK, there is one exception I can think of. If I want to go down a steep dirt hill and would deliberately want to lockup and slide my rear wheel from time to time down the hill. (Doesn't work!) But then how often do I want to slide my R1200RT down a steep dirt hill?

 

Dave

[lkchris]

Current BMW simply have the next generation servo brakes. There's no going backwards on safety.

[Michael Burridge]

Hi Dave, and thanks.

I'm in Santa Barbara, CA

This bike is so comfortable for long trips I just may come your way.

 

Regarding the electric brake servos: I do understand that changing the brake fluid annually is a must. I am somewhat concerned about them. I welcome any comments.

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

Hi Dave, and thanks.

I'm in Santa Barbara, CA

This bike is so comfortable for long trips I just may come your way.

 

Regarding the electric brake servos: I do understand that changing the brake fluid annually is a must. I am somewhat concerned about them. I welcome any comments.

 

 

 

Hi Michael, You're welcome

 

 

Should you decide to come up my way I'd be pleased to show you around some beautiful riding country. (If you enjoy curves) We have a long riding season in the area that I live. We can talk more if you are interested.

 

Re: Changing the brake fluid. I'm no expert on this, but I can share my understanding with you. The primary reason to change this brake fluid on a regular basis is that it will absorb water with time. If neglected, I'm sure that can become very problematic. With heavy use of brakes (specially during hot weather) it's possible for accumulated water to come to the boiling point leaving you with little or no brakes. Of course the water doesn't create any happiness with the internal brake parts either. It seems to that BMW originally called for the fluid change every year. However I think that may have been changed to the following. Change the wheel circuits every 2 years and the control circuits every 4 years. I would welcome others more knowledgeable to correct me if I'm in error.

 

I would suggest that your bike is subjected to extreme high or low humidity the recommendations might be changed accordingly.

 

I hope this is helpful and will encourage other members more knowledgeable then me to chime in.

 

Dave

[Indy Dave]

You've kind of left us hanging on the original issues you asked for help on. It's always preferred that OP's (original poster) follow up on their issues for a couple of reasons, but mainly because others may do a search for the same issues you had, and unless you report back, the thread is useless in general and more importantly - towards helping others find resolution.

 

Regarding the servo brakes - I have them and love them. I wouldn't lose sleep over them. Just keep them serviced and enjoy the ride.