Cooler temps flashing ABS light

Hello all,

'94 1100RS: As our temperatures now go to the 40s my ABS lights started to flash. If the temp goes 50s (or above) lights go off but soon as we're back to the 40s or below the ABS lights are flashing again. This is a new bike for me (new any BMW) but was taken in for a service/maintenance by pro mechanic about a month ago that included flushing brake fluids. Anyone any prior issues like it or any suggestions to try? Thank you!

Battery voltage low due to cold temps? I have similar issue. 99 RT.

ABS Flashing

I have 1994 R1100RS and the ABS system is very sensitive to low voltage, if it cranks more than a few seconds before starting when I take off the ABS flashing lights will not go off, about 99% of the time if I come to a complete stop at first stop sign I come to and shut bike of than restart and go abs will work right. I don’t think bmw intended to but they made a really fine battery tester just a bit to sensitive.
The starter going bad can also cause same problem and FYI we all sometimes replace parts until we find the problem a new starter can be cheaper than a good battery, I got lucky figured out it wasn’t the battery before I replaced a perfectly good battery.

Thank you for the hints, yes I do have to crank it a little longer in lower temps before it starts, I'll try the shutting off and restarting tip. Also is there a permanent fix to it like rewiring something or anything? According to the previous owner the battery is fairly new in the bike.

Age is not always a good indicator of battery condition, and the ABS systems on these bikes are sensitive to battery output. Make sure when you turn on the key you wait a bit before hitting the starter, so the ABS system can run its checks without having to compete with the starter. Also, once you have the bike started and the ABS lights are flashing try riding the bike a few miles to warm it up and recharge the battery, then shut down the bike and start it again. If the lights clear on the restart that’s a good indication your battery is no longer in tip-top condition.

Best,
DG

Thank you!

GTRider said:

Age is not always a good indicator of battery condition, and the ABS systems on these bikes are sensitive to battery output. Make sure when you turn on the key you wait a bit before hitting the starter, so the ABS system can run its checks without having to compete with the starter. Also, once you have the bike started and the ABS lights are flashing try riding the bike a few miles to warm it up and recharge the battery, then shut down the bike and start it again. If the lights clear on the restart that’s a good indication your battery is no longer in tip-top condition.

Best,
DG

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Exactly right. I had a 96 RT that came to me with a Gel battery which was the OEM choice at the time. They were not very good batteries. Every few cold starts my ABS would not initialize properly and flashing ABS indicators ensued. I would ride the bike for about five minutes an at an opportune moment when I was rolling along with some inertia I would pull the clutch in, hit the kill switch, turn it back on again and hit the starter button, rev up to match RPMs and let the clutch out again to keep going. The ABS would initialize and no lights.

This was all due to battery voltage falling below 10VDC while cold starting the bike. It would never do it again during a day's ride. Replacing the battery fixed that problem for good.

The only reliable battery test is a load tester. This has been written here many many times. But a voltmeter on your dash that allows you to monitor the battery while starting can give you good live feedback too.

Thank you all for the suggestions, this works great. I just start the bike, let it warm for a couple of minutes while put my gear on, plug my heated vest in, then shut the bike down, turn it back on and no more flashing lights!

tibork said:

Thank you all for the suggestions, this works great. I just start the bike, let it warm for a couple of minutes while put my gear on, plug my heated vest in, then shut the bike down, turn it back on and no more flashing lights!

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Best,
DG

tibork said:

Thank you all for the suggestions, this works great. I just start the bike, let it warm for a couple of minutes while put my gear on, plug my heated vest in, then shut the bike down, turn it back on and no more flashing lights!

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Great! Well now you know what the problem is. And a new battery is the solution!

happy wanderer said:

Great! Well now you know what the problem is. And a new battery is the solution!

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Yes, and don't be like the guy who started his R1100RSL, went in the house to get his gear on, had a cup of coffee, answered a telephone call, and let the bike catch fire, which caught the garage on fire, which caught the house on fire, so he sued BMW. Start the bike - ride away - just as stated in the Rider's Manual.

PGlaves said:

Yes, and don't be like the guy who started his R1100RSL, went in the house to get his gear on, had a cup of coffee, answered a telephone call, and let the bike catch fire, which caught the garage on fire, which caught the house on fire, so he sued BMW. Start the bike - ride away - just as stated in the Rider's Manual.

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Yeah, and for that BMW stopped exporting the RSL to North America. Can't really blame them especially when you consider the idiot factor here a-bouts.

PGlaves said:

Yes, and don't be like the guy who started his R1100RSL, went in the house to get his gear on, had a cup of coffee, answered a telephone call, and let the bike catch fire, which caught the garage on fire, which caught the house on fire, so he sued BMW. Start the bike - ride away - just as stated in the Rider's Manual.

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Wow! Nice story ... no, no. I take the bike out, back it down halfway the driveway and after starting it I'm on it 2 minutes later and driving away ... but that's all I need that 2 minutes to make the lights disappear and again just below 50 degrees.

For the few weeks it took me to replace my battery to fix this problem I used to just ride away with the lights blinking. Some time later, when convenient and with a good head of steam I would pull in the clutch, hit the kill switch, flip it back on again, restart the engine and rev to match speed and gear and then gently engage the clutch all the while rolling along. The ABS would reset almost instantly and the lights were out.

All it needed was that short time charging to get the battery voltage a bit higher. Doing all this however is not exactly easy on the components so replacing the battery ASAP is definitely the better option.