ABS Brakes Maintenance and Repair

[Raycad]

For years, I've followed the heated discussions on ABS vs Non-ABS. I would definitely go with ABS for peace of mind, but it is $1000 (my well being is probably worth more); more importantly, what about maintenance and repairs? I do my own and on my past non-ABS bikes, replacing the fluid and bleeding was a cinch, less than an hour front and rear. I checked the ABS section of the Service Manual for my past ST1100s (non ABS) and fluid replacement and bleeding appear to be quite an endeavor, with all the piping and the components. And if there's a malfunction somewhere? The Troubleshooting Guide in the Manual is 35 pages. Yes, 35 full pages! The NT should not be much different. Sometimes, components break down!

Anyone has replaced the fluid and/or has had any problem with ABS yet? If so, what was the involvement or the $$$ if done by a dealer?

Ray

 

[Phil Tarman]

Ray, no issues with my brakes after 16,000 miles.

Bob Higdon put 34,000 on his first NT with no maintenance issues.

 

[elizilla]

I haven't done any brake work yet but I'm guessing the ABS won't make any difference - it is electronic and is triggered by sensors on the wheels. You're not going to be setting it off when you work on the brakes, and if it's not set off it is transparent. Now, the linked brakes will make fluid replacements nuisancy, or at least they did when I replaced fluid on an ST1300 last year. There are several extra bleeders and you hafta do them in the right order.

 

[Raycad]

I was really hoping for more feedback on this subject. But the NT is relatively recent in the U.S. I'm not unduly concerned with any mechanical work like wheel removal or pad replacement. Honda pads are among the easiest to replace: remove a plug, remove a pin and the pads fall right into your hands. On non-ABS bikes, the calipers can be unbolted but kept connected to the brake line so as to easily clean the grunge from the pistons before retracting them and I guess it will be the same with the ABS.

What I'm wary of is the ABS itself. It's very, very complex: secondary master cylinder, delay valve, proportional control valve, front and rear modulators, front and rear speed sensors and other. The electrical system for ABS alone is almost more elaborated than the whole electrical system for the non-ABS bike, no less than 29 electrical connectors! Will we be able to correct/repair a malfunction ourselves? Honda is quite reliable, but I guess problems can happen with the best equipment.

Brake fluid replacement on the ST is every 12 000 miles. Must be the same on the NT. Anyone's done it on the ABS yet?

Ray

 

[Phil Tarman]

Ray,

I've got a friend who's had an ABS-equipped ST1100 for 10 years and about 140,000 miles. He's never done anything but change pads as needed and fluid every year. He's never talked about either job being particularly difficult.

 

[RedLdr1]

Ray,

I haven't read about any ABS issues on the U.K. Deauville forum. As far as being able to maintain and repair it the Shop Manual Section looks pretty good and it is Code based for reporting problems just like a car. But since most of us are under 12K miles and still under warranty it is hard to determine just how hard it will be to maintain it as we haven't had the miles or issues yet...

 

[elizilla]

Ray,

I think the extra piping and complexity in the hydraulic system is due to the linked brakes rather than the ABS. The ABS is electronic. The wheel sensor stuff seems pretty sturdy - I ended up banging it around a fair bit when I was figuring out how to take off the rear wheel, but it hasn't malfunctioned in any way since then. I'm not too worried about it, and I do all my own repair work as well. Yes, there's a secondary master cylinder, but if it's not being triggered by the electronics when you are replacing the fluid, it should be transparent apart from the extra fluid volume needed to fill it. About the only thing that concerns me is that I should probably be extra careful to stay on top of the fluid replacement schedule, because if that extra master cylinder gets gunky it'll be a nuisance to clean and replace seals and whatnot.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I'm impressed that, at 16,000 miles, the brake fluid that I can see in the master cylinder is still very clean and clear. That may be because of the secondary master cylinder catching all the gunk.

 

[elizilla]

On my past bikes, the fluid always darkened much quicker in the hydraulic clutches than in the brakes. The NT has a cable clutch so we won't be seeing that.

 

[Phil Tarman]

fluid always darkened much quicker in the hydraulic clutches

True. I hadn't thought about that.

 

[karl]

With only 6K on the bike there has been nothing to do with the brakes yet there are a few pounds of extra stuff there but if my experience with other vehicles is anything to go by there should not be any grave problems. Most service procedures are the same as for conventional brakes. Some things like flushing the fluid require you to pay attention to the procedure in the manual to get it right but I find that a small price to pay.