Regardless of whether you’re a novice or an experienced rider, ABS makes braking easier and safer in the wet, in emergency situations, when you’re riding with a passenger and when you’re carrying luggage – basically, in any condition. This gives the rider the optimum stopping distance at all times without the risk of falling due to the wheels locking.
Depending on the motorcycle type, various BMW Motorrad ABS brake systems are used: ABS or ABS with partially integral function fitted. Both systems reliably prevent the wheels from locking in an emergency braking situation by means of electronically controlled hydraulics. To do so, wheel sensors measure the speed at which the front and rear wheels are rotating, and so can immediately identify if either wheel is locking up. The sensors forward the measuring impulse to a processor, which activates a pressure modulator in the hydraulic brake circuit of the front or rear wheel. The actuated pressure modulator reduces the brake pressure in a fraction of a second and then increases it again. This ensures that there is always precisely the required level of brake pressure available on the brake system of the corresponding wheel in the control range of the ABS to stop the wheel from reaching the locking limit.
The BMW Motorrad Integral ABS works with a brake servo in the version I-ABS I. An electrically operated hydraulic pump assists the brake pressure here generated by the brake lever and cylinder. For models built since 2007, a new more finely regulating system is fitted, which works without a brake servo (I-ABS II). With partially integral brake systems, the handlebar lever applies the brakes to both wheels, while the footbrake lever only acts on the rear wheel brake. ABS systems are a clear gain in safety compared to conventional brake systems, as frequently described in motorcycle tests.
The control electronics and the hydraulics of the brake servo and antilock brake system are housed in the central pressure modulator of the integral brake. A total of three processors ensure the highest possible level of safety of the system. Two microcontrollers control the control system in parallel, while a third monitors the process. Every time the ignition is switched on, the system carries out a self-test, during which the ABS indicator lights flash in the cockpit. They are automatically switched off as soon as the speed sensors transmit a corresponding signal and the system works without faults.
For off-road use, the BMW Motorrad ABS can, on suitable models, simply be switched off by pressing the ABS button during the self-test.
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