[Mike in Meadow Flat]

The work required & outcome look remarkably similar to the video I posted in this thread, without needing to buy & pay for anything. Did anyone even watch it? I see no reason to purchase anything, except maybe a few tools as mentioned above although even those are probably optional in some cases.

There are instructions and videos on the interweb showing you how to re-plumb the brake system to avoid the ABS unit. In effect, it converts the system into a pre-ABS brake system. The cost for this is next to nothing. It looks like it's a bit more complicated because you're messing with the rear master cylinder connections and the front hose connections. I'm going this way because from what I see it gives me a way back f I ever find a reliable / rebuilt ABS module. Also, the Motorworks unit give you a place to put the ECU which, if I understand correctly, is needed to support the rear brake light, speedo, and (not too sure about this) the cruise control.

I'll be taking lots of pictures and trying to document the steps in the process for the Forum.

 

[Honey Badger]

Sounds like you and I are going down the same road; although, you are a bit ahead of me. My rear ABS died several months ago. I've had other projects going so haven't done too much to it, other than to buy all the specialty bits and a bunch of O rings. Planning to rebuild the unit and reinstall, along with a set of SS hoses while I'm in there. If that doesn't save it, I'll take a look at doing without.

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

Sounds like you and I are going down the same road; although, you are a bit ahead of me. My rear ABS died several months ago. I've had other projects going so haven't done too much to it, other than to buy all the specialty bits and a bunch of O rings. Planning to rebuild the unit and reinstall, along with a set of SS hoses while I'm in there. If that doesn't save it, I'll take a look at doing without.

Figured I'd try without to start. Rebuild parts aren't so plentiful down under. I am concerned about the ECU. I saw a You Tube video where the guy had to replace a mosfet transistor for the rear circuit pump motor. Seems like the pump impeller got blocked or stuck and the pump motor burned out along with one of the mosfets on the ECU board. Taking the ECU off of the ABS unit will let me see inside to see if there is any obvious faults.

 

[One F and 2 Ks]

So my sorry tale is , Riding an 09 40 thousand kilo K13 R , Abs light comes on nearing a Café in a 50 zone so I park up and buy a cup
Abs Light goes off and I get within 10 k of home when the ABS light on again
I am riding below the speed limit when a ute comes thru a give way sign, near the middle of the road and I grab the hooks
Un seen to me round marbles of bitumen along with gravel where I try to stop
Down I go, so slowly that my cotton work pants are hardly damaged one arm scrape but lots of damage to the naked bike
So, I do an investigation after I stop yelling at myself and the ute driver
My bike was owned by the wife of a BMW dealer in another state and there is evidence the bike has been down before but at ultra-low speed and so well repaired I did not see until I took it apart
I have purchased a full set of ABS , pump sensors and ‘puter ….should I expect a replay of this on a K13?

 

[craz1]

I went with the RH unit a few months ago. You made a comment about going to a smaller MC for the rear. 13mm MC is what I went with

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

...
I have purchased a full set of ABS , pump sensors and ‘puter ….should I expect a replay of this on a K13?

Sorry, I think I lost the plot in your post. Are you asking if you will see ABS issues on the K13R or another K13?

 

[One F and 2 Ks]

Thanks Mike , I am asking if i will likely have more failures, after replacing the entire ABS system on a K13R ?

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

I went with the RH unit a few months ago. You made a comment about going to a smaller MC for the rear. You will probably end up going to a larger bore. My bike 2005 K1200S used a 13mm for master Cylinder and to get the proper feel I ended up with a 16mm bore MC. Not sure what is on your bike now but they are stamped on the body

I'll check the bore size on the rear MC tonight. If it's a 16-mm bore size, happy days. It it's a 13 mm, I'll order a new 16 mm for replacement.

The Motor Works ABS Servo Delete unit was delivered by FedEx today along with a set of SS brake hoses. Looks like I'll be starting the ABS-ectomy. I'll be taking lots of pics and will do a write up of the process. With any luck, I'll be back on the bike in a week or so.

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

Thanks Mike , I am asking if i will likely have more failures, after replacing the entire ABS system on a K13R ?

Probably a question for the K13 / K13R or S owners. Consider yourself lucky, though, because it sounds like you could get the replacement parts. For a 19-year old K12RS, parts are getting scarce.

 

[One F and 2 Ks]

Mike , do you know Frank the Bmw bike wrecker in Vic ?

He is well stocked with stuff Used BMW Motorcycle parts online

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

Mike , do you know Frank the Bmw bike wrecker in Vic ?

He is well stocked with stuff Used BMW Motorcycle parts online

Yep. Sent him a email. Frank said he didn't have any 2004 K12RS ABS units. Also checked other in Australia and the U.S. On the waiting lists but no joy at present.

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

I'll check the bore size on the rear MC tonight. If it's a 16-mm bore size, happy days. It it's a 13 mm, I'll order a new 16 mm for replacement.

Rear MC is 16-mm bore.

 

[cobbler]

Thanks for the suggestions, Jim. I've ordered the Motor Works ABS Servo eliminator thingy and it should be here in a week. I spoke with the techs there and they say that by using the ECU from the ABS system, you still have the brake lights and speedo operational. The instructions say to remove the ECU from the ABS, attach it to the by-pass thing-a-ma-jig, install the brake pipes and bleed the system. No cutting of wires but you do need to remove the bulb for the ABS. The also suggest removing the ABS relay. After doing all this, I'll wind up with no power brakes either in front or in the rear. I'll probably go to a smaller diameter rear master-cylinder later depending on how the rear brake feels. The next options are to go to the RH Electronics Second Life kit, have the unit rebuilt or find a 2nd had unit from somewhere.

I've been collecting for of the special tools I'll need. I purchased a set of E-Torx wrenches so I can remove the ABS unit from the mount without screwing up the bolt heads. Also had to pick up a set of pentagon-post screw drivers so I can get the ECU off of the ABS module. I already have a set of anti-tamper screwdriver bits but the Motorrad must have decided to go with the special pentagon-post screw that Apple uses.

I guess the good thing about this is I'll be able to kill several birds with one stone. I'll swap out the brake hoses for braided SS, install the handlebar extensions, do the annual maintenance while I've got the Tupperware off, and install the LED pilot light on the instrument cluster so I can tell when the heated seat is on low or high. The bad thing is I'm missing riding time on the K while it is down. I'm riding the Sportster but after 30-40 km, my throttle hand is asleep from the vibration. Still, it's a bike so I shouldn't whinge too much.

COOL! Glad you're on the right track. BTW- I still have power brakes on mine for the front. I found a cool little 1/4" drive bit kit at O'reilly's auto parts that had the bit for the funky triangulated screws on the modulator. Never heard of the RH Electronics, I'll look for them online. BTW_ I rode a sporty back oin the AMF days, just around the block when I was a service mrg, at a Suzuki garage......I just went around the block checking it out for the sales dept. When I got back EVERYTHING tingled.... what a POS they were back then. You had to be into pain to ride them.

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

Can anyone provide a link or directions to access a shop manual for a 2004 BMW K1200RS? I would like to have be able to review the ABS removal steps before I remove my [email protected]#$%ing ABS module. I have the Clymer's book but it lacks instructions on how to remove the unit.

BMW has used several different ABS systems on its bikes over the years. The hydraulic connections, mounting fasteners, the orientation of the unit vary from year to year and sometimes from model to model. I'm hoping be able to follow the shop process to reduce the possibility of messing up.

Thanks.

(Note: This message is posted elsewhere on the K-Bikes forum.)

 

[Arwen]

BMW K 1200 RS REPAIR MANUAL Pdf Download

View and Download BMW K 1200 rs repair manual online. k 1200 rs motorcycle pdf manual download.

www.manualslib.com

I use this & Clymer. One usually has required information if the other doesn’t.
Also the video I posted earlier in this thread discusses the matter, because the guy has to remove the ABS unit also. Good luck, Arwen’s Rider.

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

BMW K 1200 RS REPAIR MANUAL Pdf Download

View and Download BMW K 1200 rs repair manual online. k 1200 rs motorcycle pdf manual download.

www.manualslib.com

I use this & Clymer. One usually has required information if the other doesn’t.
Also the video I posted earlier in this thread discusses the matter, because the guy has to remove the ABS unit also. Good luck, Arwen’s Rider.

Thanks!

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

Thanks!

Thanks so much for the link. It's exactly what I was looking for. It has all the details on removal of the I-ABS III unit.

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

Well, I got stuck into the ABS-ectomy today. Before I started, I made an attempt to flush and bleed the ABS system. I checked it with the GS911 and it showed a low pressure in rear circuit. I cleared all of the faults (only 1 - the ABS) and tried the bike. The fault popped up again so I proceeded to bleed and flush the ABS module.

The front circuit bleed was OK. No issues or bubbles but the fluid looked a weird. It was blue in colour but as I bled the circuit it changed to the colour of the Castrol DOT 4 fluid I was using. The rear circuit was another thing entirely. I could not get any flow from any of the bleed nipples on the rear circuit. Guess that explains the low pressure in rear circuit fault.

O.K., time to start the ABS-ectomy. I'm armed with Kontor-15 YouTube videos, a 2004 K1200RS factory service manual (FSM), the right wrenches and anti-tamper pentagonal screw drivers to get the ABS system out, and the Motorworks ABS bypass module.

If you've not done it, getting the ABS module out is a real pain in the arse. IT'S DOABLE IF YOU TAKE YOUR TIME.

Getting the unit unbolted was easy. Pull the clips and removing the pipes was easy, too. Draining the brake system so you don't have brake fluid everywhere is fiddly and a bit messy. Getting the ABS Module out of the bike is a nutcracker. The Service Manual says to take off the rear mud guard. I think the process is to remove the wheeI and then the mud guard. If you do that, I can see that there is room to get the module out.

There are two nuts and a rivet securing the mud guard on my bike. I was too lazy to take off the rear wheel and drilling out a rivet was not something I planned for so I looked for another option and found it. I finally got it out by removing the ECU box on the module. Doing that freed up everything and it slid out the left side with hardly a whimper. This isn't a problem but if I ever decide to have the ABS repaired or find a reasonably priced replacement, I will have to do it the FSM way.

Once the module was out I used it to determine which pipes go where because the Motorworks instructions are a bit lacking in that regard. I also looked at the instructions for the RH Electronics Second Life unit. Their instruction on changing the piping are better and show things more clearly. The pipe arrangements in both are the same, btw.

A trial fit back into the bike shows that the new module will just hang in the air and vibrate so I'm off to the hardware store tomorrow for a rubber bumper that I can use as a seat. I'll then install the Motorworks ABS bypass module and fasten up the pipes for good. I'll also use this opportunity to change to SS brake lines and install bar extensions. (I'm getting too old to lean forward all the time.) Then I'll bleed the brakes and see how it feels to have fully manual brakes on the K12RS, front and rear. I hope they will be similar or better to my Sportster or KZ650.

Stay tuned...

BTW, does anyone know where the ABS relay is on a '04 K12RS? According to to Motorworks, I need to pull it so the warning lights don't flash.

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

Quote: BTW, does anyone know where the ABS relay is on a '04 K12RS? According to to Motorworks, I need to pull it so the warning lights don't flash.

Found it! It's in the electronics box under the tank. I pulled the relay and the annoying ABS fault flashing is no more. I still need to remove the general warning light bulb that comes on when there is a blown taillight or brake light. (I'm thinking that a couple of relays will allow me to repurpose the darkened ABS and General Warning lamps on the instrument panel to provide this functionality.)

The Motorworks ABS Servo Removal Module (what a mouth full!) is installed, bolted down, and all connections made. The ABS ECU module is back in place so the brake lights function. That's a good sign so I'm betting that the cruise will function properly.

Had to get a 5/16" brass, barbed elbow to link the two rear brake fluid reservoirs together. I probably could have removed the hose from one and used the longer hose to loop the two together but I didn't want to mess with the factory clamps.

All-in-all, the operation appears to be a success. I won't know for sure, though, until I complete the swap out of the brake lines, bleed the brakes, put the covers on and take it for a a spin. Maybe by the end of the week-end I'll know.

I've taken a bunch of photos, I'll try to write up how I did the ABS removal. It may help someone in the future.

Stay tuned...

(edited for spelling errors)

 

[Mike in Meadow Flat]

Success! Brakes restored. Braided SS brake lines added. Handlebar risers complete.

Brakes are now ABS-free. Bike stops very well and to tell the truth, I like the feel of the manual brakes better that the ABS brakes. Cruise still functions, speedo functions, brake lights function. I classify this as a successful ABS-ectomy.