I never owned a BMW GS before so as you can imagine there is a great deal to learn about the bike. The learning curve is really steep at first, I learned a great deal on the very first day. When I purchased the bike the owner followed me home so he could give me a ride back and I could retrieve my car, I had to pull over after the first corner to ask him how to cancel out the turn signal. The button to cancel the turn signals is on the left and works for both left and right. This is a BMW deal.
I had many questions about the bike, how to change the oil, the plugs, where is the air filter, the battery, etc. I rode down to the BMW dealer to have one of the guys look at the bike, it is kind of awkward going back to the dealer and saying, “hey look at my new bike that I did not buy from you”. The salesman was cool about it, he had owned the same bike years earlier, he even explained some of the features and tried to help me with a few things. He was concerned about the ABS braking system then shrugged it off saying that the indicator bulb could be burned out.
The service manager suggested that I get the bike in as soon as I could because the 1150s have issues with the ABS system and if it were to fail it would be very expensive. I asked him how expensive and he told me it would cost more than I had paid for the bike. That is when I started to worry. I am a good judge of character and I really liked the guy that sold me the bike. He is a mechanic and from what I could tell was a straight shooter. He had kept the bike well maintained and even replaced the alternator belt as well as putting a brand new set of Shinko Trail Master tires on the bike. I was certain that he did not sell me a bike that was not safe and needed a costly repair.
I became more and more concerned about the brakes as I learned more about the bike, the bike was not making the servo noise when the brakes were applied, there was tape residue over the brake failure light and I found a short wire jumper that could be used to reset the warning indicators in the tool kit. I was nervous about the brakes and I wanted to make sure there were no issues with the ABS system. I began reading as much as I could on the system, asking questions and even tested the brakes to the best of my abilities.
I really like this bike! The BMW R1150 GS is the best bike I have ever ridden, it is amazingly smooth, well balanced and a dream to ride. The engine and transmission are built like a tank, she is tough and yet very responsive. The breaks are fantastic, the front brakes drop the nose down and she smoothly comes to a stop the rear ones dig in well and it takes a lot of break before she skids, when she does she slides well balanced and is easy to control. I am still curious about the ABS system not working as she should, there are no indicator lights, no servo noise, no response that the system is working.
Adventure rider.com is the best forum for adventure riders and bikes that there is. The members or “Inmates” are experienced and extremely helpful. Within a few minutes of posting my concerns there were quite a few people posting and trying to help me with my dilemma. After an hour or so of discussing the ABS braking system on BMWs and watching several you tube videos I decided to go out into the garage and see if I could shine a flashlight up under the gas tank and see the ABS components. It was possible that the system had been bypassed after all even BMW put a switch on the handle bars to do the very same thing. I was surprised to see a cavernous space under the tank, all of the ABS components were gone. An ABS-ectomy had been performed.
The ABS issue was resolved; my bike would brake like any other bike without ABS brakes. Since there were issues with BMWs ABS system, its effectiveness and the huge cost of repairing it I was ecstatic to determine that I did not have anything to worry about. My mind then turned to who had removed the system and if it was done correctly. I decided to follow up on the bikes maintenance history and rode over to the workshop that was recommended to me by mike when he sold me the bike.
Bavarian Motor Cycle Workshop sits unobtrusively off of 300 west in downtown Salt Lake City. The tiny parking lot is large enough for their company van a car and several motorcycles. As I opened the double doors and walked in I was amazed at the spotless shop with several shiny adventure bikes nestled into the tidy work area. There stood two smiling faced men standing in front of a gallery of certificates hanging on the wall behind them. It appeared that there was every possible certificate signifying every possible certification from every possible motorcycle manufacturer.
There were certificates commemorating 400,000 miles of riding BMWs, thank you letters from customers and certifications hanging on the wall that would make a lawyer jealous. I had a hard time focusing on the two smiling faces at first as I tried to look at the walls behind them like I would look at an art covered wall in a gallery. “How can we help you” they asked in a friendly manner, it was like I had just met up with two old friends. The guys at the workshop were just that, what a relief it was to find people that were extremely well qualified and excited to help.
It was like going to a Veterinarian that knows your dog better than you do. They remembered my bike, they entered the VIN into their computer and printed out a list of everything that they had worked on. In January of 2012 they had performed the ABS-ectomy, the procedure was done correctly and they used all OEM parts. My bike was safe and well taken care of not to mention ten pounds lighter. It was at this point in time that I named her the “The Beast”.
