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Got the Dreaded ABS Red Brake Failure Light 2007 R1200RT

I don't know about you guys but my reaction to this is when that sort of extremely simple repair is all that is needed to address a large part of the ABS failures that have plagued this brand worse than anything else with wheels that I can recall, its pretty clear proof that yet another German engineering bunch is either stuoid or sleeping.

There is a reason the worlds most reliable vehicles come from Japan and now Korea- they understand continuous reliability improvement by fixing known issues. A "permanent" fix for these issues is both obvious and trivial to execute so the obvious question is why hasn't BMW done it? Of course, poor quality electrics is and always has been the bane of German makers- maybe its the outsourcing that causes it??

May be BMW engineers should spend some time at Honda and Toyota...
 
ABS failures

The Bike: 2007 R1200RT 21K miles. Has had brake line and cable recall performed.

I am a little on the nauseated side as I write. I rode over to the in-laws yesterday evening and on the way the Brake Failure light blinked and then stayed on. Paranoia set in immediately, tried both the front and rear brakes independently and both worked but the rear seamed to require a little more pressure. I tested the brakes several times hoping it would reset or clear. On the way back home I realized that the ABS was not working, because I could lock up both the front and rear tires. After I arrived home I checked the front Brake fluid level via the sight glass and it was filled to the tip of the glass. I check the rear brake level and it was at the top. I check the brake lights and both lamps were working. I checked the cables from the rear Final drive and from the front sender unit and both appear to be without any physical damage. I started the bike and as it idled the brake failure light blinked like normal so I proceeded out of the drive the blinking brake failure light went out until I applied enough pressure to lock the rear tire and then the dreaded brake failure light came on and stayed on again. I have turned the key of and restarted the bike, however the failure light stays on. I disconnected the battery in an attempt to wipe the fault, but the light stayed on.

Now for the $3500.00 question of the day. Is there anything else I can check prior to scheduling a service?

I live in Tallahassee FL. We now have six (!!) ABS pump failures in bikes ... two 'whizzy' systems and four R 1200 with ABS 4. Bikes have all had brake services done...mileage is 18,000, 23,000, and 40,000 plus. Only one new bike in our group out of seven has not failed...my R 1100 GS with 110 K miles!! There is a problem because Tallahassee does not have that many BMW's!!
 
Where is the Brush Spring

I would expect the brushes to move toward the center hole in the backing plate as soon as the commutator/armature was removed. Since they didn't it's rather obvious they are binding.

What to do? Jebo posted this drawing that suggests bending the brush holder and adding some reinforcement so it won't close up again. I have a slightly different suggestion.. that I'll suggest in the next post (since we can only do one attachment per post.)

Don,
I want to Thank You for your follow up on this problem!!

It is hard to tell, but I do not see a spring behind the brushes. If they are there, good, they are needed to insure pressure to push the brush into the armature commutator, however Without the springs the brushes would be basically in a fixed position and as soon as there is sufficient wear to the brush, no contact and the result is ABS failure.

Thanks again
 
ABS motor removal.

I have the same problem so I really appreciate this thread. I spoke to Tyler a he said he would rebuild the motor for $150. I'm a newbie to the '07 R12R and no luck with a search. Is there a thread on how to remove the ABS control unit. He said he just needs the motor.

Thanks in advance, Jim

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
 
Don,
I want to Thank You for your follow up on this problem!!

It is hard to tell, but I do not see a spring behind the brushes. If they are there, good, they are needed to insure pressure to push the brush into the armature commutator, however Without the springs the brushes would be basically in a fixed position and as soon as there is sufficient wear to the brush, no contact and the result is ABS failure.

Thanks again

I had, just about the time I posted this, disassembled a brush holder on SWMBO's vacuum cleaner that looked almost identical to the one in the ABS motor.. and there is a spring hidden in the housing. It's installed and then the end of the housing is bent over to keep it in place. I would guess that you're not going to get much more then one shot at unbending it and then bending it back after clearing whatever makes it stick. On her vacuum it wasn't the brushes - it was a thermal overload that was acting up.

As you noted - the design wouldn't work without springs behind the brushes..
 
Extremely Helpful Don

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.:bow
 
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
 
The dreaded ABS failure 2007 R1200GS

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
 
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)?
 
ABS is Moscow, Idaho bound.

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.
 
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!!!
 
Electrical failures

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
 
Abs and electrical

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........
 
2006 R1200RT ABS fail light

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........

My problem was that the ABS front sensor when removed was cracked at the base of the unit. This was not visible till you removed the screw and pulled unit out. Thank goodness not the ABS unit. Jim
 
In this thread, several people have reported the failure of the ABS Gen II pump/modulator system due to poorly designed brushes. This is the system made by Continental Teves implemented in 2007/2008. This failure is usually premature (at 44K on my bike) and is a safety hazard and unacceptable. I went to the NHTSA website and learned that not only had there been no recall for the component but much to my surprise, there were actually no complaints at all about the failure, not even one. How is this possible with so many people reporting this problem here and on other motorcycle forums?
I would suggest that everyone with an ABS modulator/pump failure report this to NHTSA so that they can determine if a recall is in order. It is my understanding that if you have paid for the repair already, you will be reimbursed. At a minimum, you will help your fellow riders avoid this expense and possible crash in the future. I like BMWs and only through the mechanism of a recall can we force the company to maintain and improve the quality of their bikes. The website to make a report is https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/.
 
on my 2007 R1200R w/68,000 + miles i have the same brake failure problem. GS911 shows intermittent power to ABS pump. i am a bit Leary about removing and sending the pump to modules masters, not because of the quality of there work but because i have never bleed the brakes on a linked system before. so for now i am just riding it as is but i have positioned my GPS so it blocks my view of the warning light on the dash, thus making me think all is good :)
 
Over the years I've seen a bunch of comments by Brit riders (wetter climate than most of the US) about the susceptibility of BMW bikes to corrosion- both electrical and suspension bits. Attributed to stuff like poor quality coatings as well as parts not robust enough or not well sealed.

In thinking about comparing BMWs to my own former J brand bikes (all of them except Suzuki), I find this hard to evaluate. My J brands ownership was years ago in the age of simpler bikes with carbs and few/no electronics. That stuff will run fine while pretty corroded- all I remember is that nothing ever quit on them from corrosion despite my daily use of them in a climate with plenty of road salt. There were plenty of pits on the chromed bits though.

So I find it had to criticize BMW for corrosion issues except in isolated cases like the poor fuel pump well design on the GS/RT !200s. Fact of life is if you want light metals and light bikes (Mg and Al, lighter wiring), it comes with that potential. And anyone who lives near salt water like I do knows very well there is nothing at all you can do to stop it from eventually eating anything made by man- all you can is delay it by shielding and cleaning which are mandatory if you want decent life.

The tradeoff on J brands is that (except on some sport bikes and dirt bikes) they are pig heavy- too much cheap steel for cheap build cost being the primary culprit.

And though some things like splitting an R bike are tedious, I find BMWs much easier to service due to excellent panel fits, stainless screws no use of odd little rubber and plastic fasteners, etc etc. I get a reminder every time I work on my Transalp. More modern electrics (eg CANbus type systems) also make stuff easier and faster. There is a lot a fundamentally excellent stuff in BMW build quality that we take for granted.

American versions of deutsch connectors are indeed physically more robust than the euro versions- they use a different crimper that eliminates the weak narrow flat spot - so some improvement would occur if BMW sourced US made bits. But that's a minor part of the whole bike.
 
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