Does the ABS re-check itself during a ride?

I'm finally getting a chance to put some good miles on my 1997 R1100RT. I've only had this bike a few years but we only have two seasons here, Winter and Construction. The start up cycle of my ABS makes a distinct sound and it works very well. I probably will never put serious miles on a bike without ABS.

Last year I didn't notice it as I was a Sunday "going for a nasty dog" rider. I never had much of a chance to push the bike hard. This year, after about an hour of highway, I come to a stop and when I take off, it sounds like the ABS is doing a re-learn. I've checked for codes, none, and checked the rider's manual, no help.

My buddy with an 1997 R1100R and ABS didn't know about the initial start up noise and thought it was just "noise". My other buddy with a K75S and ABS I, doesn't notice any noise and his ABS works fine.

Do others with ABS II re-learn after a bit of a ride?

Yes, your ABS will run through its check, and make the ching-ching sound when first starting to ride, and then whenever your speed falls below 5kmh/3mph and resumes above it, after at least 12 minutes have passed. It's nothing to be worried about (unless it stops doing it, but then the ABS lights should flash to warn you about it).

BMW - it stands for Bikes Made Weird.

Yep! ABS-2, does perform additional self-checks periodically during a ride. You'll notice the self-check as you pull away from a stop light or stop sign after riding for a while. I never saw the 12 minute spec, but that sounds about right.

It's not a "spec" that's printed anywhere; I was curious and I have over 220,000 miles on my R11RS, so I've timed it more than once. 12 minutes, then it will check again after you get under 3mph and speed up again.

Thank you for the input. I doubt the 12 minute re-learn would be published anywhere as I couldn't find the fact the ABS does re-learn during a ride. I timed it, about 12 minutes.

In this city, there is lots of under 3 mph all year round. Add some construction, when that's over, put some snow and ice on the pavement and the whole city crawls.

Before I asked the question, I asked my dealership if this was normal. The answer, "we charge a minimum of one hour of labor to determine if everything is working correctly."

Thank you again!

If you do get into the situation of the warning lights flashing, it most commonly is caused my bad break bleed, low battery, or misaligned wheel sensor. If you need to reset it (once the problem is fixed), here is a short video I put on my website of the procedure. Hope it helps.
HERE