General notes
More information on the topic of
technology is available at:
bmw-motorrad.com/technol-
ogy
Antilock Brake System
(ABS)
How does ABS work?
The maximum braking force that
can be transferred to the road
surface is partially dependent on
the friction coefficient of the road
surface. Gravel, ice, snow and
wet roads offer a considerably
poorer friction coefficient than a
dry, clean asphalt surface. The
poorer the friction coefficient of
the road surface is, the longer
the braking distance will be.
If the maximum transferable brak-
ing force is exceeded when the
driver increases the brake pres-
sure, the wheels begin to lock
and driving stability is lost, and a
fall can result. Before this situa-
tion occurs, ABS intervenes and
adjusts the brake pressure to the
maximum transferable braking
force. This enables the wheels
to continue to turn and maintains
riding stability regardless of the
road condition.
What happens when
rough roads are
encountered?
Bumpy or rough roads can briefly
lead to a loss of contact between
the tires and the road surface,
until the transferable braking
force is reduced to zero. If brak-
ing is carried out in this situa-
tion, ABS must reduce the brake
pressure to ensure driving sta-
bility when restoring contact to
the road. At this point in time,
the BMW Motorrad ABS must
assume extremely low friction co-
efficients (gravel, ice, snow) so
that the running wheels turn in
every imaginable case and the
driving stability is ensured. After
detecting the actual conditions,
the system adjusts the optimum
brake pressure.
Lifting off rear wheel
During extremely heavy and rapid
decelerations, however, it is pos-
sible under certain circumstances
that the BMW Motorrad Antilock
Brake System cannot prevent
the rear wheel from lifting off the
ground. In these cases, the mo-
torcycle can also flip end over
end.
WARNING
Lifting off of the rear wheel
due to heavy braking
Accident hazard
When braking heavily, bear in
mind that the ABS control can-
not always be relied on to pre-
vent the rear wheel from lifting
off the ground.
8
86
z
Technology in detail
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