just bought 1100rt and problems already

So.....
I went upto the isle of skye t buy a 1100rt 1999. bike seemed ok. btw the owner was a member of this forum.this moring i went out on bike but as soon as i start to roll i get an abs fault as have the 2 lights on dash flashing out of sequence.
I had a quick read online and subsequently reset the error. its stayed off for now but i have a feeling itll reappear.
Does anyone have any advice on whatto look for on this subject. when bike is started the battery symbol is lit tili blip throttle then it stays off. it does indeed have a fairly new yellow coloured GEL battery. hve heard these are no good. anyone? thanks for reading

I'd start with the resting battery health, which a voltmeter can help with. Just looking at the battery color/condition doesn't tell you much... even age of the battery doesn't help that much if it was left connected all the time.
You may want to look at the battery connections too to make sure they are free of corrosion and take a peek at the alternator belt.

I have a 99 R1100RT also. I keep a battery tender on it all the time, unless I am riding it. That will help a lot. The ABS is tripped when the voltage is too low when you are starting the bike.

You can also change the wiring so that the ABS doesn't do it's check until after the bike starts. Or, change the alternator so that the voltage is higher. But, this mod takes a lot of work.

Also, use the Odyssey PC680 battery, which maintains a higher voltage charge. This battery will eliminate many of the ABS tripping.

wulliegunn Welcome to the forum. Please update your profile with your location. You may have forum members in the area that would be willing to provide you some hands on mentoring. The 1100RT is still an awesome ride. It is also very maintainable by the owner if you’re willing to turn your own wrenches. There are lots of resources available to you, videos and documents.

wulliegunn said:

So.....
I went upto the isle of skye t buy a 1100rt 1999. bike seemed ok. btw the owner was a member of this forum.this moring i went out on bike but as soon as i start to roll i get an abs fault as have the 2 lights on dash flashing out of sequence.
I had a quick read online and subsequently reset the error. its stayed off for now but i have a feeling itll reappear.
Does anyone have any advice on whatto look for on this subject. when bike is started the battery symbol is lit tili blip throttle then it stays off. it does indeed have a fairly new yellow coloured GEL battery. hve heard these are no good. anyone? thanks for reading

Click to expand...

- Testing the battery should be your first step. You need to load test the battery which is the best way to find out if it has the capacity to start the bike without the voltage diving below 10VDC which will cause the ECU and ABS controller to not boot properly. If you can't load test it another way to find out about your battery condition is to put a meter across the battery terminals and look at the voltage. Above 12? OK. Now push the starter button and watch the meter. If it goes below 10VDC while cranking you need to replace the battery.
- If you have 2 alternating flashing lights you have a stored fault code. You need to find out what it is. Easiest and cheapest way is to make a very simple tester using this schematic. You need an LED, a 1K ohm resistor and some wire. You don't really need the switch in this diagram but nice to have. Note that the schematic is from a Dutch site. Pin 1 should go to Pin 1 of the diagnostic connector under your seat. The other end labeled MASSE goes to ground.

- Once you know what it is post the code here for ideas on what to do. You have a Motronic 2.2 on that bike. These are the possible codes which are indicated by the number of LED flashes on the test jig. See here to learn more:http://www.largiader.com/abs/absfault.html

1. front pressure modulator
2. rear pressure modulator
3. front wheel speed sensor
4. rear wheel speed sensor
5. battery voltage too low
6. ABS relay
7. ABS control unit
8. sensor gap front or rear, or other outside influence
9. <unknown, but seems to exist>
16. Failed plunger test, persistent

sounds promising guys thanks

Before i go any further,jut wanna say, what a great bunch of guys here.
Right,earlier on I DID attach multimeter to battery on bike,and it DOES fall below 10v im sure just for a split second while cranking. I think it an exide GEL battery on the bike,but dont know if any good or not. I have it charging just now to see if it makes any difference tomorrow morning. I will definitely make a test LED lead up tomorrow if possible to retrieve code and ill post it here. 1 thing,the previous owner seems to think its normal for him to have to press the ABS button before riding off. if im correct this is wrong. didnt i read that this switches the abs off? I am hoping against hope this isnt the reason the bike was sold originally,but seeing as the owner was possibly operating the bike/abs wrongly maybe possible he never knew?
ps:just ordered an oddyssey PC680 battery. should be here in 24hrs

how to read abs code

ill make an led lead up. i cant seem to find info on the procedure on reading the codes. anyone have instructions? is it done at ignition on? pin 2 of plug,to ground thru led lead? or is it a case of connect up led lead and igniton on,then press asb button?

wulliegunn said:

ill make an led lead up. i cant seem to find info on the procedure on reading the codes. anyone have instructions? is it done at ignition on? pin 2 of plug,to ground thru led lead? or is it a case of connect up led lead and igniton on,then press asb button?

Click to expand...

I don't mess with the abs button it changes what is needed for abs to come back on ( not sure how exactly). One way I know to check your system to see if its just a low voltage check that your failing on start up , is ride your bike somewhere open at a speed that is bogged in 3rd turn of the bike and bump start it if the lights go away when off or right after start up your battery is the problem. I am sure there are better ways to do it but this has worked for me to get abs on and since replacing battery(agm style) has been a non issue. it seems to help if you have gotten the bike warmed up and allowed it to be charged up a bit since the starter motor drew off of it.

of course not ever one is a fan of bump starting so you may not want to bother

On the R1100 bikes there is only one ABS fault that will reset itself and that is the low voltage fault. It happens when the voltage while cranking the starter drops below the threshold. The test - if it comes on - is to ride 5 or 10 miles, turn the bike off with the key, not just kill switch, and then restart. If the flashing lights then go out that pretty well signals a battery issue. If it repeats as a fault it could still be the battery but could also be excessive starter drag.

definitely no7 code on abs

just scanned again and get 7 sweeps so code7? this time. i was getting number 7 code yesterday as well.
frustrating as hell
ps i thought initially it was a number 4 code but i think ive been reading meter sweeps wrong. IT IS DEFINITELY 7 sweeps i get when it reads out the code number. any ideas chaps?

wulliegunn said:

just scanned again and get 7 sweeps so code7? this time. i was getting number 7 code yesterday as well.
frustrating as hell
ps i thought initially it was a number 4 code but i think ive been reading meter sweeps wrong. IT IS DEFINITELY 7 sweeps i get when it reads out the code number. any ideas chaps?

Click to expand...

Yes. Code 7 refers to the ABS control module having a problem

(See the codes listed a few posts above)

This problem sounds serious but sometimes it is due to a LOW BATTERY. Just like the ECU the ABS control module needs more than 10VDC to boot up properly. Once you get the new battery installed you might find this code clears itself and the two lights will stop flashing up/down.

If the previous owner was disabling the ABS every time he rode off and told you to do the same he was hiding the fact that the ABS lights were flashing indicating a problem! Even after pressing the ABS light the lower one should stay on warning you that the ABS is disabled. When it boots up normally and you ride off, the pump will cycle and the lights will go out completely indicating a healthy initialized module.

Don't panic until you replace the battery. If the ABS starts to work normally; great. If not and you still have alternating top/bottom ABS lights then try resetting the module which will clear all faults. If it stays away great. If not you have a module control unit problem and that needs to be fixed by Module Master.

From Anton's site:

Resetting ABS2 on early bike

Locate the diagnostic connector under the seat. Remove it from the blanking plug.
Insert one end of 20 cm wire into the middle socket of this connector.
Ground the other end firmly to a metal bolt in the area (and keep grounded).
Turn on ignition. You should see the lights flash alternately.
Hold ABS button down for about 8 seconds. The bottom ABS light will stay on, and the top one off.
Release the ABS button. If you have successfully reset the ABS, both ABS lights will come on. If you have failed to count to 8, or your ground is not good, the top ABS light will stay off.
Turn off ignition, remove wire.

wulliegunn said:

So.....
I went upto the isle of skye t buy a 1100rt 1999. bike seemed ok. btw the owner was a member of this forum.this moring i went out on bike but as soon as i start to roll i get an abs fault as have the 2 lights on dash flashing out of sequence.
I had a quick read online and subsequently reset the error. its stayed off for now but i have a feeling itll reappear.
Does anyone have any advice on whatto look for on this subject. when bike is started the battery symbol is lit tili blip throttle then it stays off. it does indeed have a fairly new yellow coloured GEL battery. hve heard these are no good. anyone? thanks for reading

Click to expand...

This happens to me as well on my 99 rs first thing in the morning in weather below 50 deg. I have a lithium battery that I do not the age of since I just bought the bike last Sept. I think I found a secret that works for me with the lithium battery. Turn key on, wait about 15 sec. before pressing the start button at exactly the same time the ABS lights are ready to flash again, and I haven't been having the problem. It may also be the warmer weather that is helping me out too.

PGlaves said:

On the R1100 bikes there is only one ABS fault that will reset itself and that is the low voltage fault. It happens when the voltage while cranking the starter drops below the threshold. The test - if it comes on - is to ride 5 or 10 miles, turn the bike off with the key, not just kill switch, and then restart. If the flashing lights then go out that pretty well signals a battery issue. If it repeats as a fault it could still be the battery but could also be excessive starter drag.

Click to expand...

I had both of these issues with my R1100RT shortly after I got it. I was so happy to find it was not a serious issue.

Also I like to try and test that abs every once and a while, it always takes me a few more times than it should guess I am not practicing my emergency braking enough.

My 96 has done the same thing too many times to count. As everyone says, when the voltage goes below 10 volts, even for a second or two, you get the alternate blinking lights. If I ride mine a few miles and shut it off, the problem is gone, the ABS reset. Two points I might make:

1) For some reason I seem to have to have the bike on a battery tender all the time when I'm not riding it. And, as others have mentioned, cold weather seems to affect the starting voltage on my bike to a large degree. The warmer the weather, the less problems I experience with the low voltage/abs issue. And, as the temperature rises, I am experimenting with keeping it off the tender for longer periods. So far, so good.

2. I also put in an Odyssey 680 battery, which I gather you now have. Everyone says they like them,( the reason I got mine.) But they seem to be very finicky about charging, needing special chargers, etc. I now own a couple of different ones because of that, although they all appear to charge the same. And here is the thing. A few weeks ago I was having the same problem with the ABS. On this forum, I believe it was GSAddict, (who is quite knowledgeable on these things) stated that the charging system on the 1100s do much better with the older style lead/acid batteries. I'd never heard that before. For my next battery, I'm going back to that style.