Hi people, 
I have recently got into K's, purely by chance after 28 years riding.
Brought a 1986 K100RS, sold it and brought a 900 Diversion...... didn't mind it, but the Mrs hated it, so went out and got another (newer) K100RS.
This one has the ABS on it and I am not really sold on ABS on a bike, so how easy is it to strip out?

Cheers
Goose.
Southampton, UK.

If you have a k with working ABS you have a good k! The ABS isn't bad to have even though lots of us don't have it. The usual reason to strip out ABS is because it has stopped working. Just change the brake fluid.

Welcome to the forum too. Have a look at the home page and what to do if you just bought a K.

Its good you found the forum. Quite a few members down on south and south west so maybe a few meet ups on the cards. If you make it over this way let us know in advance and we might get to meet up.

The easiest way to disable the ABS is to remove the two blue relays from the relay box.

Welcome to the madhouse, please have a seat at the front desk.

Soon a couple of nice guys in white coats would come and follow
you to your new safe room.

I've never had ABS on a bike so I can't offer any advice on that. It's good to know the charms of the K bike lured you back to the fold!

88

Welcome Goose good to have you along. Can I ask why you don't like the ABS, it's a very good safety feature and works well.

RicK G wrote: ABS, it's a very good safety feature and works well.

+1....very nice to have at hand......when you really need it.

we all gets caught by surprise now and then, and you just keep squeezing the lever.

Inge K. wrote:

RicK G wrote: ABS, it's a very good safety feature and works well.

+1....very nice to have at hand......when you really need it.

we all gets caught by surprise now and then, and you just keep squeezing the lever.

BUT I do not know IF it is working?
Both the triangle light and ABS light stay lit after using front and rear brakes.

Go to this site, http://bmwk10075abs1fix.web.fc2.com/ Tosi knows all there is to know about these ABS units, and follow his trouble shooting guide.
He will also fix at a very reasonable price and give a warranty

Goosen wrote:Hi people, 
I have recently got into K's, purely by chance after 28 years riding.
Brought a 1986 K100RS, sold it and brought a 900 Diversion...... didn't mind it, but the Mrs hated it, so went out and got another (newer) K100RS.
This one has the ABS on it and I am not really sold on ABS on a bike, so how easy is it to strip out?

Cheers
Goose.
Southampton, UK.

If the ABS is working, why would you strip it out? It's saved my butt more than once during an emergency stop/maneuver. If you like being high-sided because your rear brake locked up, or your front wheel locks (yes you can lock your front brake) then remove it. I would recommend keeping it if it still operational. I've been riding for over 36 years, and when I got to ride a 2011 ABS bike for 4 years, I swore I would never ride a non-ABS bike ever again... well, since inheriting a 1985 K100, I guess that's not th case.

Had my friend had ABS, he likely would not been in the hospital for 6 months either...

Any ways, I degrees, if it's working, keep it!! my 2 cents worth...

TK

Hi. In regard to removing your ABS. I did mine, on an 89 LT, not because it did not work well but I simply did not want the 2 big cylinders on the rear of the bike and I was a little unsure of it's reliability. I would hate to come to rely on it for a year just to have it not be there. Anywayz, to cut to the chase, I rode with my working ABS for a little while, test it by screaming down the road fast to 100ks or so and then jam on the rear anchor, or both if you like. Even more fun if you do it in the wet but dry road works too (I'm a little nutty so that helps too). You will find it is virtually impossible to lock up the wheels.

I believe (from what I hear), that the ABS is exceptionally useful if you hit black ice ( I never have or did when I had my ABS). Apparently it saves your bacon quite a lot.

Also (from what I hear) the distance required to come to a halt is increased a fair bit with ABS as opposed to Non Abs. That was one of my reasons for binning mine.

Now, on discarding it, when I went for my first wof after my rebuild I asked my mechanic what was the deal in regard to getting rid of the ABS. He said "does it say it is ABS on the rego papers?". I said " no". He said " well then as long as you can remove all traces of the gear off the bike then I will pass it for a wof, non ABS"

So, I removed the lines, the cyclinders and the sensors on the calipers, covered the switch label up with paint and removed the warnnig bulb and presto!  . . I got my wof

Not sure the regulations in the UK but thats what it took here in NZ

Anywayz . .  enough dribble. Good luck on whatever you decide. For what it is worth I now regret having removed my ABS and wish I had kept it. It not only makes the bike stand out but it's a pretty bloddy useful thing to have

Regards

Also (from what I hear) the distance required to come to a halt is increased a fair bit with ABS as opposed to Non Abs. That was one of my reasons for binning mine.

I would like to see a reputable source for that.

RicK G wrote:Also (from what I hear) the distance required to come to a halt is increased a fair bit with ABS as opposed to Non Abs. That was one of my reasons for binning mine.

I would like to see a reputable source for that.

Yeah . . so would I . having a quick look the only info on big G reveals :

speed with style article;
http://books.google.com/books?id=eToxUA1LZbsC&pg=RA6-PA54#v=onepage&q&f=false

and, from "Effectiveness of ABS and Vehicle Stability Control Systems" (PDF). Royal Automobile Club of Victoria. April 2004. Retrieved 2010-12-07.

A 1996 study
(Hertz et al, 1996) found that vehicles equipped with ABS were, overall, no less likely to be involved
in fatal accidents than vehicles without. It found that cars with ABS were less likely to be involved
in crashes fatal to the occupants of other cars but were more likely to be involved in crashes fatal to
the occupants of the ABS-equipped car, especially in single-vehicle crashes. There was much
speculation about the reasons for this, including incorrect use of the ABS by the driver pumping the
brakes or by releasing the brakes when they feel the system pulsing, leading to increased braking
distance. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the retention of steering control during a panic
stop may increase the likelihood of run-off-the-road crashes. A more recent study (Farmer, 2001)
indicates that the crash rates for ABS-equipped cars are reducing, but there is still no conclusive
evidence to show that ABS improves overall safety.

bear in mind the above is coming up 20 years old

wikipedea, although not that reliable, says:  ABS generally offers improved vehicle control and decreases stopping distances on dry and slippery surfaces for many drivers; however, on loose surfaces like gravel or snow-covered pavement, ABS can significantly increase braking distance, although still improving vehicle control.

not too sure either way but I hope this helps

regards

You have taken yours off and I would say that this is the category that you fall into.


Wakabayashi (1998) developed and applied an anti-lock brake system to a motor scooter.
Track tests found that maximum deceleration levels were increased for beginner riders using ABS and decreased relative to expert rider braking. The authors felt that such a system was very positive, particularly for beginner riders as it reduced anxiety of a dangerous wheel lock-up during braking. Koch (2003) argues that ABS is even more important for motorcycles than for cars, yet in Germany only BMW and Honda offer ABS on their motorcycles.
He quotes findings by the Institute of Vehicle Safety (Munich) according to which more than 70 deaths and 3000 crashes involving injury could be prevented each year by fitting ABS to motorcycles. Koch (2003) discusses reasons for the lack of ABS on motorcycles, which included: a negative image of ABS in motorcycle press, general overestimation by riders of their own skill, and track tests demonstrating superior braking without ABS by expert riders.
Real-life data regarding the effectiveness of ABS on motorcycles is very sparse. However, given the disproportionate numbers of riders injured and killed on the road, a wider introduction of motorcycle ABS requires further study and consideration. The EU-Commission is now supporting the introduction of motorcycle ABS as part of their overall campaign to reduce traffic deaths in
Europe (Koch, 2003)

If you really believe that you can perform as well or better than ABS then I suggest that you go and have a very conclusive test done on exactly how good you are. You will be very unpleasantly surprised.

ABS is not a panacea but it does pick up the slack when your skills fail you.

Precisely Duck and when a Deer or a Kangaroo comes out of the table drain almost in front of you 99.9% of riders just "slam em on" and that is right when you need something else doing some objective thinking about braking. It doesn't think what am I going to tell Mum happened to my undies.

JMHO but anytime the ABS kicks in it is an indication that you suck at riding.

Here's a few examples where ABS has saved either my body or my Ks from my own stupidity:

1) Freeway onramp on K11LT.  Too close to the guy in front of me. The second I shoulder check the traffic I'm going to be merging into the guy in a pickup in front of me slams on his brakes. When I look back ahead, I jam on both brakes and end up about a foot short of rear-ending him  Without ABS I would've at least bent the front wheel and/or forks.

2) 94 RS - pull off at night right beyond construction zone to fiddle with GPS.  It's dark and I don't see the gravel on the road. Front ABS kicks in and keeps me from washing out the front end and mirror/fairing damage.

ABS does have its downsides though. When lanesplitting in the wet on road nipples it will kick in when it doesn't need to.

It's when you end up a foot short rather than a foot embedded in a tail gate that it's worth having.
I have had mine cut in twice and if it really needed to I dont know but I would much rather be left wondering than knowing from a hospital bed.

RicK G wrote:You have taken yours off and I would say that this is the category that you fall into.

Negative. The "category" I fall in to is

•  " F#$@kin stupid person who rides at times at extremely high speeds and doesn't give a rats arse about either his or anyone else's safety when he is doing it".
  

I can only assume there is a big man upstairs watching my arse for me as most of my riding is pretty extreme, but thanks for the research you did on ABS anyway.

I took mine off primarily because I have ridden for nearly 35 years and never had it and only once did I ever have a spill caused by incorrect braking so I figure thems to be pretty good odds. Prossibly up around 800,000 ks covered to date. I figure it was a mistake to remove the ABS, I did not like the thought of relying on it too much, just out of sheer riding habit really, but it is butchered beyond saving now, discarded the parts so no returning back to when it was on the bike and working. Shame. Never mind. Hopefully the great motorcycling guardian angel will continue to look favorably on me :-))

" F#$@kin stupid person who rides at times at extremely high speeds and doesn't give a rats arse about either his or anyone else's safety when he is doing it".

I don't think I need to say anything more.

I don't think I need to say anything more.

"because I have ridden for nearly 35 years and never had it and only once did I ever have a spill caused by incorrect braking so I figure thems to be pretty good odds. Prossibly up around 800,000 ks covered to date."

neither do I . Thanks