Got the Dreaded ABS Red Brake Failure Light 2007 R1200RT

[wrenchbender]

I too would like to applaud Don. Your help here in finding past posts, even from another web group was great. I'm constantly interested and completely intrigued by this group. Even if my red light isn't on right now I have the knowledge of this post to rely on.
Thanks again.

[JSTANCAMPIANO]

Just took my "failed" unit apart and one of the brushes was stuck.. It looks like the solider for the wire was rubbing on the brush holder. I cleaned this up and it's working fine. This motor is not made very well (low bidder??), but if it lasts another 60k miles, I'll be ok with that.

Joe

[WestHautianPlen]

Jstancampiano

Were you able to remove the motor stator from the ABS housing without removing the ABS unit from the bike?

[jeepinbanditrider]

Try bleeding the ABS unit itself.

[155767]

Hi everyone, Add me to the list of po'd BMW owners, having gone through months of electrical grief and an ABS failure, only resolved by Module Master in Idaho. The overall quality of BMW wiring on the bikes is pure trash...... Stupid part is the wiring haness and parts off the cars is substantially better/ heavier and if they only used the cars sized wire and fittings, it would eleviate a number of the problems causd by wafer thin wires that fret and break if subjected to any degree of corrosion and handling.....
BE WARNED...if you live near the ocean pull your tanks and spray all your wiring harness and plugs with WD40 or similar at least annually, and while you are at it, check the fuel pump on the left hand side of the tank for corrosion under the electrical plug.
Al

[deilenberger]

Hi everyone, Add me to the list of po'd BMW owners, having gone through months of electrical grief and an ABS failure, only resolved by Module Master in Idaho. The overall quality of BMW wiring on the bikes is pure trash...... Stupid part is the wiring haness and parts off the cars is substantially better/ heavier and if they only used the cars sized wire and fittings, it would eleviate a number of the problems causd by wafer thin wires that fret and break if subjected to any degree of corrosion and handling.....
BE WARNED...if you live near the ocean pull your tanks and spray all your wiring harness and plugs with WD40 or similar at least annually, and while you are at it, check the fuel pump on the left hand side of the tank for corrosion under the electrical plug.
Al

Does 10 blocks from the ocean count? Never observed any corrosion on the connectors on my bike, they seem quite well sealed actually. The fuel-pump-controller issue is well known on the GS, not so much on the Roadster due to where the pump is mounted (water can't accumulate around the FPC.)

Wire size - while bigger might seem better, and at times BMW has used what would be thought of as marginal sizes for a task, anything larger then the size required to power some circuit without excessive voltage drop is the "correct" size. BMW uses what appears to be a teflon insulation on the bike wiring, allowing for thinner insulation then is used on the car wiring (which uses a standard plastic insulation.) I expect the reason the wiring appears more robust on the cars is - the longer distances and higher current draws require a larger wire size be used, and the insulation has to be thicker since it isn't as rugged as the insulation used for wiring on the bike. Shorter electrical paths allow for a smaller sized wire to be used (without excessive heating or voltage loss) as will a lower current draw (one brake light vs ?? One parking light vs ?? CanBus single ended power circuits - no relays, etc.)

I haven't found the hexhead electrical system to be particularly troublesome - it's certainly much less troublesome for me then the K75 electrical system was.

YMMV, what problems are you experiencing (aside from the ABS modulator failure)?

[WestHautianPlen]

As soon as it is to cold to ride, I want to address my ABS problem as well. I too would appreaciate any simplification of removal proceedure.

Thanks

Removed the ABS last weekend, Packaged it and sent it to Tyler at Module Masters in Moscow ID. I will update you on the progress.

[12886]

Does 10 blocks from the ocean count? Never observed any corrosion on the connectors on my bike, they seem quite well sealed actually. The fuel-pump-controller issue is well known on the GS, not so much on the Roadster due to where the pump is mounted (water can't accumulate around the FPC.)

Wire size - while bigger might seem better, and at times BMW has used what would be thought of as marginal sizes for a task, anything larger then the size required to power some circuit without excessive voltage drop is the "correct" size. BMW uses what appears to be a teflon insulation on the bike wiring, allowing for thinner insulation then is used on the car wiring (which uses a standard plastic insulation.) I expect the reason the wiring appears more robust on the cars is - the longer distances and higher current draws require a larger wire size be used, and the insulation has to be thicker since it isn't as rugged as the insulation used for wiring on the bike. Shorter electrical paths allow for a smaller sized wire to be used (without excessive heating or voltage loss) as will a lower current draw (one brake light vs ?? One parking light vs ?? CanBus single ended power circuits - no relays, etc.)

I haven't found the hexhead electrical system to be particularly troublesome - it's certainly much less troublesome for me then the K75 electrical system was.

YMMV, what problems are you experiencing (aside from the ABS modulator failure)?

Gee ain't a $2,300 part enough!!!

[deilenberger]

Gee ain't a $2,300 part enough!!!

It might well be - but that wasn't the point of Al's posting was it..? I'm curious what other failures he attributes to the flaws in BMW wiring that he's found.

[155767]

I have to say in fairness to BMW that I have owned a number of the classics going back to a R69S way back in Australia in 1972 or thereabouts, and have mostly been extremely happy with the bikes overall, while also owning an extensive collection of Briddish and Jipponese bikes for comparison......
My bike was bought used from Florida and I bought it knowing the ABS was faulty, but with an engineer son who is quite gifted at electronics/electricals/sparklets I thought I could fix anything...more correctly, HE could fix anything...
So I bought the bike and on opening up the underside I was appalled at the rust and corrosion on all the fittings and the wiring in particular had suffered terribly from the ravages of salt air. I at first thought the bike was a flood/tornado/hurricane bike meaning it may have been under water but the were too many other positive signs to suggest that that was not the case....rather it had just simply been neglected and as corrosion took over it wasn't effectively addressed as it should have been.

Worse was that the miniscule clips that are part of the abs plug have a weak point where the wiring is crimped into the flat part of the pin and right where the pin goes from circular shape to flat to be available to push onto the corresponding pin in the other side of the plug there is a terribly weak point that just simply causes the pin to shear off if subjected to any minimal degree of contact.....did I describe that correctly or reasonably?

So I went and bought a bunch of parts off a wrecked 2003 Z3 which were identical in every respect except they were at least 100 percent heavier and therefore in my simple mind, better built for the ravages of under the tank on a bike that may see water and dirt on a regular basis. Even more frustrating was that the parts simply were not available from BMW bikes, but were listed in the car parts catalogue for anyone to see and buy. The parts guy at Bavaria BMW Edmonton (cars) couldn't have been more helpful whereas the dicks at Argyll BMW (bikes) just didn't have a freaking clue, which made my odyssey even more mind-numbing in its degree of frustration........but Im over it now..........really I am.....

I KNOW that none of this is relevant if the bike doesn't have electrical problems, BUT the bigger issue is IF the bike needs any work done on it, then God help you. I had the advantage of a very knowledgeable sidekick who can fix anything electrical so I wasn't subjected to the $100 plus per hour workshop fees that some poor souls have no choice to pay.

Bottom line is I am just appalled at BMW's weak wiring and pathetic ABS quality, and while it wont stop me riding my R1200GS lots of miles over the next few years, I am most certainly jaded and disappointed........
I am also very fortunate (or not perhaps???) that I have other bikes to compare my BMW to, but at the same time the weaknesses are just terrible and appear to be more of a systemic issue driven by spending too much time on gimmicks and ignoring the basics such as fundamental quality underneath the hype.......
BMW and Benz have got it all wrong, but for my money Audi and VW have mostly got it right........
Yeah I know that will open another can of worms but whatever......

Does that give an explanation of my issue and simple unhappiness with my bike? Im NOT saying Im going to sell everything and take up lawn bowls or watching TV, Im just saying that the classic BMW quality has disappeared somewhat and may never return......... And just to keep it all in perspective, in spite of my hassles, Im still looking for farkles and other meaningless junk to personalize my GS....
Al

[155767]

God and I forgot to mention the fuel control module failure in front of a semi at 70 mph that saw me get within inches of my maker when the module quit due to water ingress and corrosion...
Or my son's rear drive failure on his showroom condition 04 R100S at only 12,000 miles....but Im all good...kinda........