Top 20 2004 BMW R 1150 RT (ABS) Questions & Answers

85k is nothing for these engines, it the rest of the cycle parts that may have issues: Check the clutch does not slip. check the gearbox selects all gears. A little whine is ok,, but no jumping out of gear etc check around the final drive,, shaft tunnel up to the back of the gearbox for oil leaks. a good test ride is essential, and I would recommend joining one of the numerous BMW forums for more help. Ignore the other answer.

Abs light comes on when the abs system fails not when the pads need replacing Could be a sensor on one of the hubs or a ring is corroded away and the rotation is not registering Pump could be faulty only way to find out is to get the fault codes read

Check the voltage when under load (starting) if it drops below 9volts then the battery is sulfated and you'll need a new one. I had this recently with my K1100. Battery read 12.8 volts across the terminals but fell to 4 v under load. New battery fixed it.

Probably not. These bikes are famous for smoking on startup. The horizontal mounting of the pistons allows oil to seep past the rings when stopped. Try putting the bike on the centerstand when stopping instead of the sidestand, or when you stop, keep the bike upright while you are pulling off your gloves and helmet. Try to give it at least 30 seconds before you put it on the sidestand. This gives most of the oil a chance to return to the crankcase before being leaned over. I think you will notice the improvement. Good luck, and safe riding.

The leak is, as you say,is not from the seal it is from the press fitted parts on the gearset. Take the wheel off and you may find some oil in the central 'hole' on the bevel box. Maybe a previous owner used to much heat changing the bevel box large output bearing previously? The bad news is you will need a replacement final drive (plenty of good ones on ebay). All R11XX bevel boxes are interchangeable, although there are differences in the drive ratio (stamped near the breather). Having said all this, I do know of someone who stuffed a sock into the central hole to soak up the leak and carried on for another 6k!

Check the fluid level in the rear brake reservoir. Don't know where it goes, but it needs to be replenished from time to time.

R1150RT is not water cooled. there is no coolant in this bike.

most likely spun a rod bearing if the oil ran low..the oil amount is very small and leaks are deadly for small engines..be looking for another engine if youre gonna keep the bike..sorry the truth hurts abit..mine was a 76 honda 200 and a 79 kawasaki .. traded the 750 for a flatbed trailer I used behind my suburban for years..

battery on its way out

Nothing to align.

new plugs, new filter, set the valve clearances and then balance the throttle bodies.

change them but check them they may just need a little spray of wd40 not grease as grit will get in some how and start grinding them away

keep bleeding ,fill tank if low. ,Air in line not good

Have you checked dthe obvioius ... out of gas, kill switch?

What you want to do is take the rubber part of of this piece and find a wrench to fit it. i couldnt find the size that you needed. Then you want to pump your brakes 4 or 5 times and hold the lever down. While holding the lever down you want to open the bleeder and untill it you get a solid flow of break fluid then close it and let go of the lever. Make sure that you dont let go of the lever before you close the bleeder because you will **** in air to the caliper and break lines. check the lever for firmness and repeat untill you are happy with the results.Good luck and feel free to email me if you have any problems. A.J. Weaver

Does this bike have an alarm fitted some alarms such as datatool have hazard facility built in

Low voltage has been blamed for ABS faults on a number of bikes, and those bikes have been fixed by going to a different battery, usually a sealed one. Sealed batteries have significantly higher voltage due to the chemical differences, usually about 12.85 to 12.95, instead of the 12.60 to 12.80 typical of flooded designs
If the lights initially flash together but alternate after you start the bike, you can try the "rolling restart." Ride away with lights flashing and on a straight section of road, in third gear or higher and maybe 2500 RPM, pull the clutch in and turn the key off with your right hand. Coast for one or two seconds, then turn the key back on and release the clutch to "bump-start" the motor. If the lights are flashing together, you're in luck, and next time you come to a stop and pull away you should get a successful ABS self-test. If so, you need a new battery or you have some other charging system problem. If not, you have some other fault.
There is also a modification you can make so that the ABS unit is not powered up until after the motor is running; this will also cure low-battery problems.
BMW batteries often (in my experience) have quite low voltage. This might be a carry-over from the days of the airheads, where cranking current was vital, but voltage wasn't. As you go to higher voltages, the cranking performance can suffer a bit, especially at low temperatures. More importantly, they are harder to recharge - an important point for most airheads. I have seen Mareg (BMW) batteries on properly functioning bikes at 12.40 volts and lower, fully charged, engine off - well below what is considered (I think by BMW) to be the minimum for good ABS operation.
Dealers get the electrolyte for the batteries locally - not from BMW - so this aspect of the battery is not really BMW-controlled. Different dealers could be using different strengths of electrolyte. The article explains how this affects voltage. If your fully charged battery is at too low a voltage due to weak acid being used to fill it, you MAY be able to successfully raise the voltage by use of fresh electrolyte.
Theory only! A way to do this would be to fully charge the battery, discharge it to a point where the electrolyte specific gravity is about .030 below the new electrolyte you have, then empty it and quickly refill with the new stuff. This will give you maybe a .020 increase in gravity and a 0.2 volt improvement. Don't shoot for anything higher than 1.285 or so. Remember, for a 12V battery the voltage is roughly ten times the acid gravity. 1.260 S.G. gives you around 12.60V. And don't let the battery stand without acid in it.
If your problem is that the voltage drops too much when the key goes on, then the above IS NOT your problem. You probably want a stronger, or newer, battery. The success of the new sealed batteries in this area is largely due to the fact that the voltage doesn't drop as much while cranking, rather than simply higher overall voltage. This is a function of plate area, etc...

hope this helps

John

Is the engine turning over quick enough, does the battery have suficiant charge, if not do not run this machine with a discharged battery failure of expensive electrical componants can occure, if the bike fails to start in the morning dont push start it, connect it up to a battery charger, or use ssome jump leads and connect it to a battery on another vehicle, a car battery is ok, the only thing is be carefull connect the leads on the poss side of the battery first and the neg not at the battery but at a suitable earth on the frame or engine try to start the bike if it starts ok re charge your battery or replace if at all worried about its condition,paul

fuel line inside gas tank has come off the pump

check your stop light bulb