I have now disabled my ABS system.
I know most of you will not agree with this modification so before I continue, can I just say I am not posting this because I think I am better than ABS. I just thought the information below might be useful to someone. For example, if your ABS control unit has failed and you are faced with a huge dealer repair bill, you could use this information to just upgrade the brake hoses and not repair the ABS.
Read on … if I haven’t offended you already
I fitted braided hoses because I wanted more powerful brakes on my 1250 Bandit. However, fitting braided hoses to an ABS Bandit is very expensive, as follows:
£230: Goodridge full ABS hose kit, front & rear (8 hoses?)
£120: Dealer fitting charges (estimated) - bleeding the ABS is not a DIY job
£350: Total (probably more?)
Therefore I decided to fit non-ABS braided hoses and bypass the ABS system. Cost as follows:
£20: Front braided hoses *
£5: Brake fluid
£25: Total
* My stainless braided race hoses were on special offer but £50 is a more typical price
If anyone is still reading this
here is how I did it:
Remove both ABS fuses (under the seat)
Remove LH side panel, unbolt fuse box to access ABS control unit electric connector and unplug it. Wrap connector with lots of tape / old inner tube etc, to protect it from the elements / vibration, or in case you want to reconnect it. It can be placed back in its original position in the bottom of the plastic tray but left disconnected.
You now have (effectively) a non-ABS brake system, except that all the brake hoses still physically go into and out of the ABS control unit under the seat. As there is no power to the control unit, this is now just inert plumbing.
The only slight downside is that the ABS warning light in the clocks will now stay on. I have a bit of neatly cut black tape over it for now, until I can work out how to switch it off. I never see the red light while I’m riding, so I’ll probably just leave the tape on.
Something else to be aware of: According to the Haynes manual, there is a wire running from the ABS connector to the ECU. Disconnecting the ABS electrically has had no impact on my engine at all, so I assume that the wire is for the ECU to tell the ABS that the engine is running, not for the ABS to tell the ECU that there’s an ABS problem.
Before you continue, I would suggest a test ride to make sure that the bike is not affected by your ABS “electrical power failure”. I rode it like this for about 2 months.
Bleed the front brake system dry and remove the 3 front hoses, ie:
1. Master cylinder to hose joint under bottom yoke
2. From hose joint to calliper 1
3. From calliper 1 (over mudguard) to calliper 2
I also removed the front and rear ABS wheel sensors for neatness (see photo). The wires are easily traced back and disconnected at snap-connectors under the seat & tank
My original intention was to remove the ABS control unit completely, saving a big chunk of metal and fluid weight. However, you would never be able to extract all the plumbing under the tank and seat without cutting it into small pieces … a bit of a problem if you later change your mind. I also now know that the front ABS circuit is completely separate from the rear ABS circuit, ie the fluid is not shared inside the ABS control unit. Therefore (for now at least) I have just left the physical ABS control unit and the entire rear brake system untouched (See photo - much easier, no fluid mess, and simple to reconnect if I ever want to switch the ABS back on). I don’t think the rear really needs braided hoses anyway.
If you leave the ABS unit in place as I did, you now have the problem of the two front brake hose ends that run under the tank to the ABS control unit - these will be hanging free under the bottom yoke. Time for a clever bodge: Assuming that your new hoses come with new banjo bolts, then you will have two of the old “single banjo” bolts spare. Use these to bolt the “under tank” hose ends back onto the hose joint under the bottom yoke (see photos - rubber bolt cap & zip ties are temporary). There will be virtually no fluid in the pipes and no fluid pressure, so the old banjo washers should be ok to reuse if you haven’t got any new ones (mine don’t leak)
You are now at the darkest hour. You have no front brakes, no ABS system, and you can’t put it back together yourself because you can’t bleed the ABS without a special vacuum pump
Fit the new “direct” front hoses, prime and bleed as usual and the job is finished. A solid feel at the lever and a much more positive and powerful response from the callipers.
Fantastic