BMW R1150GS abs comes on

Filed Feb 3, 2012 · Transmission · 32,000 miles · WA

While on a cross country motorcycle trip. I was traveling at highway speeds when the motorcycle began to have a grinding noise and vibration from the rear. I stopped to find oil leaking from the final drive all over the rear tire and wheel assembly. While attempting to stop, the rear ABS system activated because the gear oil saturated the brake rotor and pads. I almost crashed the motorcycle because of the oil on the tire. The final drive was serviced per bmw specifications of gear oiltype and weight days prior to the trip. There were no indicators prior to the final drive failing. The gear oil escaped the housing due to a torn bearing seal on the back side of the housing next to the brake rotor. Teardown of the finaldrive assembly found a disintegration of the main bearing including ball bearings. The metal in the housing tearing the bearing seal leaking oil on to the rear wheel assembly. The metal in the housing also damaged the second smaller bearing which had to be replaced. The following are the bmw part numbers for the failed parts 33121242210 grooved ball bearing 33121451188 tapered bearing 33127663482 shaft seal

Filed May 30, 2009 · Brakes · 13,000 miles · OH

Two problems; 1. Abs intermittently works, and intermittently locks up front wheel on gravel roads, causing undesired wheel lockup....very unsafe. 2. Abs brake assist servos (power brakes) intermittently fail to operate, causing unexpected loss of braking power, once assist servo power is lost the residual braking is approximately 20% of assisted braking, this causes heart stoppage while trying to not crash and/or hit other traffic.....very unsafe when this happens. Bmw says, sorry bike is out of warranty, and they won't correct defects. This bike has been very well maintained and taken care of, it only has 13k miles on it and should not have such failures. If it was an isolated failure problem I wouldn't even bother with this complaint, however doing some research I find that in just my few days of searching and reading bmw riders postings that dozens and dozens of other similar bmw's have had the very same failures with zero support from bmw.

Filed Jun 4, 2004 · Brakes · 16,400 miles · CA

This motorcycle is equipped with a linked ABS brake system. The rear wheel and front wheel work together. The motorcycle was without brakes for an undetermined period of time. *ak

Filed Jul 8, 2003 · Brakes, Transmission · 28,200 miles · TX

Final drive failure on bmw r1150gs motorcycle at 28,200 miles resulting in loss of oil and requiring complete final drive and ABS sensor replacement.

Filed Sep 1, 2002 · Brakes · OR

The front and rear brakes are linked on this motorcycle. When braking hard on rough road conditions, the excess force applied to the rear brake by the linked system can cause the ABS to modulate unexpectedly which has the effect of eliminating braking at a critical moment. I am concerned that this effect may cause me to have an accident at some time in the future. I am aware that bmw redesigned the brakes to address this issue for models manufactured after mine was manufactured. Refere to bmw motorcycles service bulletin no: 34 001 02 (012).

Filed Aug 26, 2002 · Brakes · VA

Abs activates under normal braking on rough surface- the modulator senses incorrect information. Potentially life threatening situation on a motorcycle. Bmw has issued a service bulletin in march 2002 #34-001-02(012) but will not repair under warranty or recall.

Filed Aug 26, 2002 · Brakes · OR

Reference bmw service bulletin, dated march 2002, bulletin no: 34 001002 (012). My motorcycle is early VIN which has the ABS brake modulator that is to be replaced per this service bulletin. I want bmw to update my motorcycle's brake system per their service bulletin, cost to be covered by existing mfg. Warrantee.

Filed Aug 26, 2002 · Brakes · CA

Bmw-na know of unsafe operation problems in the ABS on models with VIN <ze87455. They have modified the system on more recent vins to correct the problems, but refuse to correct the system under warranty without mechanical breakdown of unit.

Filed Aug 24, 2002 · Brakes · CA

Two problems related to the integral ABS system: 1) the rear pedal is too sensitive and grabs the front brakes hard, causing unexpected stops and caused me to drop my bike once on the left side. Since then, I have had to refrain from using the rear pedal completely. 2) when braking hard, especially on downhill bumpy roads, the weight is transferred off the rear wheel, causing the rear ABS to cycle. Occasionally, when braking very hard, when the rear ABS cycles, the front ABS also cycles causing a completely unexpected out-of-control condition. This has happened about ten times to me. I have not yet crashed the bike because of this, but I feel it's just a matter of time. I have run wide off onto the shoulder of the road a couple of times, and once ran wide over the centerline into the oncoming lane and was within a foot of colliding head-on into an SUV. Bmw has published a tsb (34-001-02 (012)) that implements a revised rear ABS modulator and caliper and all new production bikes get this fix. However bmw has refused to upgrade any older bikes for some reason. I feel this should be a recall, as it's a very dangerous design defect. It should also be noted that bmwna treats this tsb as a secret and has threatened to sue someone for posting a copy on his website. I am currently aware of at least eleven other owners who have complained to their dealer about this problem and have been told "sorry, but we will not fix the problem unless the part fails". I have a copy of the tsb if you would like it.

Filed Aug 24, 2002 · Brakes · CA

While going over a series of bumps, the ABS system is causing the brakes to release. This causes an extremely unsafe situation. Bmw has issued a service bulletin regarding this braking system, but refused to replace the ABS components until they fail. By then I could be killed. Please help force the manufacturer to replace these faulty brake components for all affected r1150rt owners.