Removing ABS

[TimTyler]

What else do you think is in there the ABS wiring clump?

It seemed to me that the fat ABS extension was tied into the main wiring harness and did not disconnect easily anywhere under the tank. I'll look harder next time the tank is off. Have you removed the ABS wiring without touching the main harness?

[Taz]

I just cut the wires going to the abs control unit and taped them off.

[frankenduck]

Or you could swap in a non-ABS harness as a winter project.

[harper]

I removed the ABS on my rear wheel only. I removed the hose from the caliper coming from the ABS,  and the hose from the rear wheel master cylinder going to the ABS. I run the hose from the master cylinder directly to the caliper, and took the hose normally going to the caliper from the ABS and put it in the place where the master cylinder hose went. Lets call it a closed loop back on to itself. It had no effect on the sensors and still takes a double thump on the brakes (front and rear) to put the ABS light indicator out.

[Scud]

Digging up an old topic here. People who deleted the ABS - did you also remove the ABS rings from the wheels?

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I removed the sensors and the front ring.  Can't remember why I left the rear ring.

[motodude]

I replaced all three rotors with EBC floating units.

No regrets from removing the ABS.

Tom

[TimTyler]

Nope.

Digging up an old topic here. People who deleted the ABS - did you also remove the ABS rings from the wheels?

[Chaos]

I can third that the 2V brakes are on the weak side. But they still get the job done just fine.
I've only had a couple of hard stops, but it didn't feel anywhere near lock-up.

I feel the need to chime in here.  The point of ABS is to prevent lock up on less than ideal surfaces... oil spots, rain slick sewer lids and lane-dividing lines, sand, all the stuff that dumps you when you least expect it.  And 2v front Brembos are plenty powerful to lock up the front in those conditions.  Dry pavement is not when you need abs. That said, I never had them and the 1st generation units on bricks are bulky and buggy,  Losing them is up to you.  But they can be helpful.

[koapono]

i removed "everything" wires, relays, controller, sensors, brake lines, rings and even the ABS decals. I had braided steel lines made at local hydraulic shop and have had no issues with brake system.
I live in an annual "safety" inspection state (VA) and didn't want to take chance on remote possibility that inspecting service-tech would notice ABS components but no functioning ABS system: inspection failure!
Granted it would be astronomical odds for inspector to notice but stranger things have happened.
I'm in the "never had 'em so don't miss 'em" group.
I do have ABS on my car, only time i've used them is in an empty parking lot doing practice panic stops............works as advertised.
My hope is to never be in a situation where i need them.
cheers

[Scud]

Thanks guys - for the technical and safety comments.  :2thumbup:

I am a "safety-first" rider. I've done so many miles on non-ABS bikes that I think my reactions are pretty well hard-wired not to panic-brake. And my other bikes are all non-ABS (especially the Husqvarna, which I lock up regularly on purpose).

I understand the "what-if" scenarios and risks of poor road conditions. But in the 10+ years that I rode an ABS-equipped R1100RT I never once used the ABS in real-world riding. I did do the "parking lot test" occasionally - just to see if it was working and to maintain the feel of where the lock-point was.

So... the ABS on my new-to-me K75s is currently not working. I will try to make it work first -via cleaning, adjustments, and reset. But if I can't get it going by myself, I'll remove it all. And I think new brake lines would be a good preventative measure at this point in the bike's life.

And that huge POS in the tail is the ABS Brain? Wow... I covet that storage space. The nasty little stickers are coming off either way.  :yes

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Scud, thanks for the reminder.  I have a cruise control that I want to install on my RT for touring.  Drake's instructions say he put his in the tail cowl which makes for a really clean install, but I have the POS in there and don't know what to do with it. 

If I may, I'd like to add a couple questions to this thread:

First, does anyone have an idea on what removing the ABS does to the resale value?   Not that I'll be getting rid of this bike in the years I have left.

Has anyone moved the "brain" from the tail cowl to behind the battery under the seat.  That is where the "brain" was on my 16v K100.  I'd like to move it there rather than remove a working system.  This bike is my touring mount, and touring can put me in unfamiliar situations where ABS might be a good idea.

[HYPERR]

Thanks all. I will remove all the hardware as it's about 11kg's worth and looks ugly sitting either side of the bike by the pillion footpegs.

I'm surprised you think they are ugly.  I always thought those modulators were totally cool looking and love the way it looks; I guess things like that are very subjective. 

[Scud]

25 pounds off a 500 pound bike is 2.5% of its total weight. While that might sound like a lot, the bike is still heavy enough that the weight savings wouldn't make a practical difference for most uses. But... if it's not working then it's just dead-weight, and that is morally wrong.

I think they look sort of cool too - especially in a "this is the first motorcycle in the world to have ABS" sort of way.

As for resale value, who knows? They're pretty affordable already - a real motorcycle for less than the cost of a new Vespa. But supposedly there is a collector interest in these old bricks. I just want to ride it.

[HYPERR]

I think they look sort of cool too - especially in a "this is the first motorcycle in the world to have ABS" sort of way.

Yes!  Back in the day, I thought it was really cool!  Many people were surprised that a motorcycle had ABS at the time. 
It still looks cool today, it has that "it was once high tech but now looks cool in a retro kinda way" look.

[Scud]

It still looks cool today, it has that "it was once high tech but now looks cool in a retro kinda way" look.

Like the enormous and insanely heavy vacuum-tube AM radio I had in my 1955 Cadillac - it had automatic station search called the Wonderbar (which sounds German now that I think of it).  It stopped working, but I never removed it; I hid a real stereo in the glovebox.

The ABS on these bikes is a point of historical interest, a true innovation. Maybe that's part of the reason there's a bit of collector interest.

[Scud]

First, does anyone have an idea on what removing the ABS does to the resale value?

Well, here's a related question: how much would someone pay to get all the parts needed to upgrade a non-ABS motorcycle to ABS?

Given that I am merging two K75s bikes (see my project thread) it seems I may have the opportunity offer such a thing. From what I can tell the parts list would look something like this:
ABS Pumps (2)
ABS wheel-rings (2)
RH front brake rotor carrier (may as well sell the pair with rotors)
ABS sensors (2)
Front brake calipers (2)
Rear brake caliper
Footpeg plates (2)
ABS brain
Complete wiring harness
Various hydraulic lines (metal) and hoses (rubber)
Assorted brackets and mounting hardware

It's a fairly impressive list of stuff - and I probably missed something.

[timbmw]

Hi all, I purchased my first BMW a 1989 K100 RS about year ago (with ABS) and love it. A couple of months ago the ABS lights began flashing, I replaced the battery (which was old and wouldn't hold a charge) hoping this would sort the problem, but didn't. For a while, the ABS reset button would stop the lights flashing, now they flash all the time. Local garage (NZ) says $$$$$$ to replace ABS. I've tried the DIY reset via diagnostic plug/ground, but no luck. Guess the ABS is actually shot..no problem (I've read all the pros/cons of no ABS).
Finally, my question, how can I stop the ABS lights flashing, without removing the fuses for the rest of the dash?

[WayneDW]

Well, before I finally just removed the whole works, a piece of black electrical tape over the bulb worked just fine for me!

[timbmw]

Cheers WayneDW...that's how I'm riding at the moment...it works , but it feels so wrong :nono

[Scud]

The first page of this thread mentions removal of a relay, which I assume would then cut all power to the ABS system. Maybe you should look into that.

[timbmw]

Thanks Scud, if this is a simple job, I'm up for it. I've pretty limited mechanic know how, so it would need to be pretty simple. I do have a manual, but cant identify the actual relay I would have to remove. Cheers

[koapono]

go here:
http://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,536.0.html

a treasure trove of information at your fingertips!

g'luck

[timbmw]

Thanks koapono , Ill se what I can do, cheers

[tahitianrider]

Hi,
I'm digging up this old thread again,


My ABS is not working on my K75 (Cafe racer setup), I'll try to fix it but if I can't I'd like to remove the whole system to save on weight and for the looks.
I'd like to put stainless steel braided lines too, it'll look perfect on my setup!


I do have a question for the front brake line: can I just install a brake line between the master cyclinder on the bars and the right front brake caliper (as on the picture)? I assume that the left brake caliper will work without problems thanks to the steel tube between the 2 calipers?