ABS brake bleed

[OU812]

I was scared to try it on my 02' LT as the brake system was very complicated. How about the 00' R1100 ABS? I need help as I have no repair book on it.
Tks for the help!
Steve

[Arbee]

The R1100R can be bled completely from the wheel calipers...

equipment required

small nylex hose to place of over bleed nipple
old plastic bottle to collect fluid hose taped to bottle so no spills
place on old towel on the tank to prevent spill from top up
ring spanner

the front has a left & right side
the rear only one

cheers arbee

quite a big advantage over an 1150 model

[OU812]

Ah, just like a "normal" bike.
Thanks Arbee!
Steve

[philbytx]

If the fluid has been in there for a while and even after you flush it out you still have to "one pump" the lever (s) to get them solid, you can actually bleed from the top of the ABS unit. YOu MUST ensure that you get no air into the ABS unit so be careful if you do the ABS unit bleed.

[OU812]

So there is a unit that needs to be bled separately like my 02' LT? The LT had a sep unit that the front brake went to. No fluid would pass through as it stopped there. Then the unit would push the front and back calipers. Where is the BS unit located?

[philbytx]

Hey! It's a BMW....under the bloody tank innit
You have to remove the tank to get at the bugger......two bleed nipples one for front circuit, one for rear circuit. It's not a two stage bleed!!!

You can bleed it all the way through but, sometimes, it doesn't seem to pump up the lever enough so that's when you do the ABS unit bleed. But, as I said, be REALLY careful that you don't introduce any air into the ABS control unit.....bleed it under pressure then barely crack the bleed valve until you see fluid flowing into the tube and then nip it off shut just as the handle/lever is fully in/down.

So there is a unit that needs to be bled separately like my 02' LT? The LT had a sep unit that the front brake went to. No fluid would pass through as it stopped there. Then the unit would push the front and back calipers. Where is the BS unit located?

[OU812]

Thanks! I just want to bleed out the fluid in the calipers as that is the stuff that gets dirty and heated repeatedly.

[Arbee]

I think Philbytx must be thinking of the R1150R as there is no requirement to remove tank and introduce air
into the system, the R1100R can be totally bled from the wheel cyclinders, if you follow the pipes from the
master cylinders they head straight for the ABS unit & return out, there is quite a bit of pumping required
to remove the fluid in toto.

[philbytx]

I have an R1150RT with the EVOII system which is a royal PITA with multiple bleed screws for different circuits which requires a two stage bleed.
Yes, you can do a straight through bleed on the ABSII system but the R1100R does have ABS controller bleed screws in the event that air is introduced to the system. If you do have an issue with the brakes pumping up, you CAN bleed off the ABS controller (front and rear circuits) IF you wished to get entirely anal about the job

I think Philbytx must be thinking of the R1150R as there is no requirement to remove tank and introduce air
into the system, the R1100R can be totally bled from the wheel cyclinders, if you follow the pipes from the
master cylinders they head straight for the ABS unit & return out, there is quite a bit of pumping required
to remove the fluid in toto.

[OU812]

I think Philbytx must be thinking of the R1150R as there is no requirement to remove tank and introduce air
into the system, the R1100R can be totally bled from the wheel cyclinders, if you follow the pipes from the
master cylinders they head straight for the ABS unit & return out, there is quite a bit of pumping required
to remove the fluid in toto.

Thanks again Arbee. I was told it is a different system then the 1150's. Just was not sure how much and the RT is not with me now to look at it. It will come home when I switch it out with the (Gag) Harley.

[OU812]

Well I blew the rear line when I was bleeding. Can't seem to get the pedal to where it was before. I also replaced the pads.
Any thoughts?
Update: Did the gravity bleed and more pumping and it is back.

[omg1010]

I was scared to try it on my 02' LT as the brake system was very complicated. How about the 00' R1100 ABS? I need help as I have no repair book on it.
Tks for the help!
Steve

Hi Steve,

bleeding the ABS brake system is a little more complicated than the non ABS version. My repair shop always bleeds from the control unit (under the tank) as well. I don't dare to do it myself. In case you need a repair book for the R1100R you can find that here http://www.carlsalter.com/ (check the free manuals section and you'll find what you need).

Kind regards
Oliver

[currypuff]

Hi everyone. I have a year 2000 R1100R (ABS model) and am thinking of replacing the OEM brake hoses with Goodridge steel braided ones.
Of course, I will also need to change the brake fluid at the same time.
I plan to purchase some Speed Bleeders after reading good comments about them, and also since the originals have rusted.

Looking at the Speed Bleeders homepage, it states the following:

BMW Year Front brakes Rear brakes Clutch ABS Unit
R models 97-01 SB1010S SB6100 SB1010S

Based on the above, I assume that I would need two SB1010S for the front and one SB6100 for the rear.
However, on searching ebay, I came across this ad.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Bmw-Brak ... ccessories

It says the speed bleeder number for a R850R with ABS is SB7100S for the front. Size M7 by 1.0.
The ad from the same seller says that the speed bleeder number for a R850R without ABS is SB1010S for the front. Size M10 by 1.0.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Bmw-Brak ... ccessories

So it gets a bit confusing. From what I understand from this thread and others, the ABS control unit is under the tank.
Is the SB7100S meant for this, and SB1010S for the front caliper?
Are there altogether 5 nipples? 2 for the ABS control unit, 2 for the front brake calipers, and 1 for the rear caliper?

According to Arbee, for the R1100R, the whole system could be bled without having to remove the tank and access the control unit. If this is the case, I would deem it unnecessary to get the SB for the control unit.
Anyone familiar with which to get, or should I check with Speed Bleeders themselves?

Oh, and is the SB for the clutch necessary? Seems strange as the clutch is not hydraulic. Thanks.

[OU812]

I have seen a rider bleed the power units (circuits) using a catch can and the key on. This was on a LT so I am not sure how close they are.