2007 BMW R1200RT - Brake Failure Light - ABS?

[MyFirstBMW]

Hi from NJ, USA.
I am proud owner of a 2007 BMW R1200RT.  I have had this bike for 3 years now and have really enjoyed it.
Recently the dreaded ABS issue happened to me.  The Brake Failure warning which used to go off after riding a mile or so, stays on now.  Is it safe to ride without getting it fixed?  I am not a type who pushes the bike at high speeds or one who does long rides. Since the issue happened I have driven the bike a couple of times about 10-20 miles at a time. It seems to perform normally for my use. Just checking with all of you experienced riders to see if it is safe to continue riding like this. All my previous bikes didn't have ABS and I am comfortable riding without one.  The bike has 47K miles on it and very likely the repair to fix the ABS will cost more than what the bike is worth. What's your advice?
Really appreciate your practical recommendations.
Thank you,
Chakra

[Chaostrophy]

I thought 2007 was late enough to have normal brakes, I'd have it checked, might be reasonable.

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[David.]

The rider's manual says, "you can continue to ride the motorcycle, but make due provision for the fact that the ABS function is not available".

A plug-in diagnostic check may be worthwhile, it could be something simple rather than a failure of the ABS unit itself.

[ds99]

i have a 2007 RT and i have the same problem at the moment. it is stuck brushes in the ABS pump motor, this causes the "self-test" to fail, and you get the red warning light on the dash when riding


it also happened to my bike a couple of years ago when i didn't use it for a while, but it "cured" itself, this may have been because when going over a bump the brushes were "set free", but the issue came back again when i didn't use the bike for a few months


more info here:


[size=2px]https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthrea ... x-and-Keep[/size]


you could try taking the tank off and tapping the ABS pump motor gently, this may free off the brushes

[ds99]

this is what the brushes look like


[size=2px]https://www.ukgser.com/forums/attachmen ... 1559420697[/size]
[size=2px]
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[MyFirstBMW]

The rider's manual says, "you can continue to ride the motorcycle, but make due provision for the fact that the ABS function is not available".

A plug-in diagnostic check may be worthwhile, it could be something simple rather than a failure of the ABS unit itself.

Thanks David.  This is great information.  Exactly the reassurance I was looking for. 

[MyFirstBMW]

i have a 2007 RT and i have the same problem at the moment. it is stuck brushes in the ABS pump motor, this causes the "self-test" to fail, and you get the red warning light on the dash when riding


it also happened to my bike a couple of years ago when i didn't use it for a while, but it "cured" itself, this may have been because when going over a bump the brushes were "set free", but the issue came back again when i didn't use the bike for a few months


more info here:

Thanks DS99.  In this case of stuck brushes would it show differently on the failure codes indicating that or it will just show as failed ABS?

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/576769-Remove-ABS-or-Fix-and-Keep


you could try taking the tank off and tapping the ABS pump motor gently, this may free off the brushes