BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Hi

I am in the UK and have just bought a 2003 Black/Orange Rockster which seemed a good price - around £3K with approx 20000miles. Seems to have been looked after and is coming from a dealer so does have some warranty. I am trading in my F650CS, which in some ways I suspect I will miss.

...but the attractions of the 1130cc engine and shaft drive have once again won me over. (yrs ago I had an early R1100RT, before that an R45).

What worries me most (little things like seat height do but gather there is a low seat option out there which may do the trick) is the brakes.

I gather this bike - as most beemers of this age - has not only ABS but SERVO (EVO?) assisted brakes. And whilst the braking doesn't worry me too much the reliability and seemingly numerous reports of quite a few bikes with this sort of brake having issues. It's hard for me to judge how 'widespread' issues are because I assume most posts that get written are when something goes wrong and and not when it all works fine. Are failures v.low compared to number of bikes so fitted or am I justified in being worried?

I gather there maybe ways of bypassing the ABS/SERVO with differrent routing of the hydraulic lines - which is probably in my skills range ....what might not be is the electric switch/wiring changes that may be needed. Has anyone clear details / instructions / pictures on this and if I was being really cheeky what parts are needed to do a conversion.

I guess the downside maybe losing the ABS but then with the servo unit bypassed - I guess removing it saves a bit of weight to man-handle.....

Apart from worries about the brakes the bike itself seems v.good and doesn't tie me in knots as per more sporting models.

Mark

Never had a problem with the servo. I drive my Ed80 for four and a half years now with 45K Kms on the meter so far. If you can live with the whining the servo makes I wouldn't worry too much. BTW welcome to the board and congrats on your new ride

Hi Mark,

Glad you chose the Rockster. I have a an 04 model - 13k on the clock. No problems with the breaks. Don't worry about it, you may never have any problems.

Enjoy the bike, may see you around, don't appear to be may Rocksters in the UK !!

Rich

I take it you've checked for the presence of ABS on the bike?? (it seems like you're not sure?)

Just check for a slotted ring inside the nearside front brake disc.


I think someone WAS thinking of stripping the system off - they posted on the R1150R section a couple of weeks ago.

riceburner wrote:I think someone WAS thinking of stripping the system off - they posted on the R1150R section a couple of weeks ago.

Funny you should mention this, Rice. The member in question was actually doing it to his Rockster, not that it makes much difference. Here it is

http://www.r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13571

Mark - Gotcha covered.

We haven't had any real frequency of reported ABS servo pump system failures here on the board, which considering the number of higher-mileage R1150Rs represented by this message board should be reassuring. Similarly, the reported ABS failure rate for high-miles R1150GS and R1150RT bikes per their respective message boards has been very small. Nonetheless, the ABS system is part of my Rockster that does represent a potential cost/hassle/reliability concern for long-term ownership... and I'm going to pull the darn thing out.

The parts required for ABS-ectomy are sitting right now on my workbench. I've got a BMW group ride on Saturday, then need to fix my Buell for trackday, then will tackle the ABS-ectomy along with electrics upgrades after that. Documentation of the process will go into the message thread linked above. Unless I encounter some wacky surprises along the way, the conversion should be quite simple and relatively inexpensive. Wish me luck.

mhsilverw,

Welcome to the board. You will not find a better group online for your Rockster questions.

Personally I haven't read much with brake issues on the rock and haven't had any problems with any of my 3 BMW's in regards to brakes.

Roxster boi..

Hi all,

This is a great forum! Thank you for inventing & maintaining it!

Since yesterday I too am the proud owner of a 2004 Lime-green (not my favourite colour) Rockster, purchased from CW Motorcycles in Dorchester with 'approved used' seal, warranty and 5000 odd miles on the clock. Yippeee! Before this I rode 2 Honda Blackbirds for 7 years, so it's quite a change, but I'm really enjoying it already!

I had the same concern about the servo brakes. It may be worth remembering that you can take out the extended BMW warranty, which I understand you can apply for on all BMW bikes up to 10 years old. This covers all parts and labour, should for example, the servo pump fail. The replacement pump is around £1000 + labour (ouch!). And since many of the parts are quite expensive (and so is the labour if, like me, you don't work on your bike yourself), a yearly outlay of around £350 for an extended warranty doesn't seem so bad. I will consider it once my warranty runs out next year. Just a thought.

Either way, good luck and happy riding on your Rocksters!

Hi,

Hope you enjoy the CW supplied bike. Mine has come from a non-franchised UK dealer - and I have mailed BMW Motorrad UK about the possibility of such a warranty, will wait to see what they say.

I am following the ABS-ectomy thread with interest should a warranty not be available as an alternative route.

Regards

Mark

Hi,

It seems in the UK there are stipulations on Warranty cover....shame the previous owner didn't follow this up....

".....Dear Mr Holyoake,

Thank You for your email dated 2nd July 2008. Unfortunately as the warranty on this bike expired on the 3rd March 2005 and this was not renewed at time of expiry we will not be able to renew it now. The only product we can offer you for this bike is the Mottorad Insured Emergency Service cover which is the break down cover at a cost of £127.00 for the year.

I have attached the appropriate policy booklet for your reference. If you wish to purchase this product then please contact me on the number below.

I apologise for the inconvenience this may have cased you, if you have ay further queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many Thanks

Insured Warranty Sales and Administration Co-ordinator
BMW Insured Warranty Services....."

Don't think the breakdown cover will be enough (although needed!) if the ABS fails

Regards

Mark