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hex head abs sensor

kgallaway

New member
I have 2012 r1200rt . My brake failure light came on and no cruise control with the light. I have wiggled the front sensor wires by the front brakes and the light would go off for awhile. Everything looks good there's no rubbing or kinked wires that I can see. So as usual I blundered into the situation , the dealer recommended changing the sensor .Looking in my hayes manual I see where the front sensor is going to,up above and under the tank. So I buy the front sensor cable for close to 200$ from euro electrics not much to it but what can you do. I'm riding the serious make I guess. So I take everything off, the tank and of course the front wheel because the sensor would not come out of it's little cozy place along the disc. So I'm wrenching everything off so I can see where this cable end is going and getting familiar with the engineering of my BMW. Looking up in the maze of wires I thought I had the cable but it was the wrong one as it went to the front shock and I knew that couldn't be right. It's a jungle down there . I finally found it right where the manual said it was , if only Hayes had pictures that you could see better detail. Anyway there it is up under the right side of the ECU (engine control unit) the electrical connectors are a challenge to figure out . Has anyone written on the various fasteners ? So I put in the sensor once I got it free from it's little home and rerouted the wire back to the wheel . I put the bike back together so I can start it just to confirm that it will run again. It turns over and doesn't start ,could it be one of the tiny wires that plug into the top of the gas tank that I scrapped the insulation off of but didn't break the wire strands and I did rubber coat with flex seal. It must be something I did ,right, no confidence. Anyway I check all gas connections , maybe that was it . It starts and ran like a champ with no brake failure light . Very proud of myself when the light comes on again. So now I realize that there is a rear sensor too. So what do I do, I expect it's a trip to the dealer 2 hours away for a fault finding or do I just get the rear sensor probably another 200 $ and figure the system is ok as the brakes work fine with or without the light . The rear sensor area was very dirty and maybe I'll take it out and clean all around and see if that does it. Any ideas?
 
Point of clarification...
When you indicated the brake failure light came back on after your repairs, was that while the bike was rolling, or just sitting still after starting the engine?

You will always get a brake warning when you first start the bike until you get above a few miles an hour.

Yes, as you have discovered there are two wheel sensors; they are used by the ABS system, speedo and traction control (if you have that option).

And yes, if the area around your rear sensor is filthy, I would give it a good, but careful, cleaning.


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abs on hexhead

I cleaned around the rear sensor ,took it out ,looked good put back in and went for a 2 hour ride at first the light was off and I was proud of myself for fixing it. Then it 's back on it ,goes on for awhile then it may go off. I called the dealer and i have an appointment next week to put it on their diagnostic device and then I'll probably fix it myself . If it's the abs motor is this place in idaho still fixing motors?
 
If you've not done it already, I'd inspect the sensor wiring, front and rear, for insulation damage, as that has been known to cause intermittent problems.

If the wiring looks OK, all that's left to do is to look for specific fault codes, so you'll need to take it to a dealer, or at least someone with a GS-911, Motoscan or similar to read the codes.
 
abs on hexhead

The insulation looked good . I took the bike to Mischlers BMW and jason determined the fault to be the rear sensor . If I had done that to begin with maybe replacing the front sensor wasn't necessary , Didn't know about the rear sensor at the time . So anyway I thought about getting a used sensor but they didn't have one so it was to euromotoelectrics for 180$ .Jason was great they spent time on it and to find the fault was about 45$. I learned something and it could have been the ABS motor. I'm assuming the sensor will do the trick as I haven't installed it yet.
 
rear brake failure light.

When I hit my rear brake the brake failure light comes on. I can shut engine off restart and light goes out. I won't come on again unless I apply rear brake. I would think if it was the abs module the light would stay on. Has anyone ever had this happen on their bike?
 
I have an 09 RT; found it last year with only 4,100 miles on the clock.

I’ve been laying in a few spares as I plan on keeping this one for some time...

This includes some excellent condition (used) speed sensors. Paid about $30 apiece for them. Same sensor front & rear.

Seeing as how the speedo, cruise control, ABS and ASC systems all rely on these I wanted some spares for emergency use/troubleshooting.


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3 rear ABS on my 2011 RT

One of my friends just installed his 3rd rear ABS sensor. Has 102k on his 2012RT

My 2011 R1200RT has about 90K miles and there have been 3 replaced sensors.

The dealer replaced tha last sensor and I walked back when he was connecting the plug and the location stuck in my head.

One year and one week later (1 yr guarantee) , it happened again. Besides the speedo, the brakes don't link and are not nearly
as effective unless manually using the rear brake.

Anyway, I unplugged the connection and used contact cleaner, a bit of air, some dielectric grease , tape around the whole thing and
wire-tied to keep from moving.

It's been fine for 6 months.
 
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