BMW R 1250 GS GSA - Rider's Manual > General notes

More information on the topic of technology is available at: bmw-motorrad.com/technology

Antilock Braking System (ABS)

Partially integral brake

Your motorcycle is equipped with a partially integral brake configuration.

Both front and rear brakes are applied simultaneously when you pull the handbrake lever.

The footbrake lever acts only on the rear brake.

The BMW Motorrad Integral ABS adapts the braking force distribution between the front and rear wheel brake to the loading of the motorcycle during braking with ABS control.

ATTENTION Attempt at a burn-out despite integral function

Damage to rear-wheel brake and clutch

• Do not perform burn-out.

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 lower 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 braking force is exceeded when the rider increases the brake pressure, the wheels begin to lock and driving stability is lost, and a fall can result. Before this situation occurs, ABS is activated and the brake pressure is adjusted to the maximum transferable braking force. This enables the wheels to continue to turn and maintains driving stability regardless of the road surface 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 the brakes are applied in this situation, the ABS must reduce the brake pressure to ensure driving stability when contact to the road is restored. At this point, the BMW Motorrad Integral ABS must assume extremely low friction coefficients (gravel, ice, snow) so that the road wheels turn in every imaginable case and the driving stability is ensured.

After detecting the actual conditions, the system adjusts the optimum brake pressure.

How is the BMW Motorrad Integral ABS noticeable to the rider?

If the ABS system must reduce the braking forces due to the conditions described above, then vibrations can be felt at the handbrake lever.

If the handbrake lever is pulled, then braking pressure is built up at the rear wheel with the integral function. If the footbrake lever is first actuated after this, the brake pressure already built up can be felt earlier than the counter-pressure, than when the footbrake lever is actuated before or together with the handbrake lever.

Lifting off rear wheel

However, during extremely heavy and rapid deceleration it is possible that the BMW Motorrad Integral ABS will not prevent the rear wheel from lifting off the ground.

In these cases, the motorcycle 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 cannot always be relied on to prevent the rear wheel from lifting off the ground.

What are the design characteristics of the BMW Motorrad Integral ABS?

The BMW Motorrad Integral ABS ensures driving stability on any surface within the limits of driving physics. The system is not optimized for special requirements resulting under extreme weather conditions offroad or on the racetrack. Handling should be adopted to driving skills and road conditions.

Special situations

To detect the tendency of the wheels to lock up, the speeds of the front and rear wheel are compared. If implausible values are detected over a longer period of time, the ABS function is deactivated for safety reasons and an ABS error is indicated. A self-diagnosis routine must be com pleted before the error will be displayed.

Apart from problems with the BMW Motorrad ABS, unusual riding conditions can also cause a fault message to be generated:

• Warm-up on the center or auxiliary stand at idle or with gear engaged.
• Rear wheel locked-up for a longer period of time by engine brake, e.g. when riding downhill on slippery surfaces.

Should a fault code occur due to an unusual driving condition, the ABS function can be reactivated by switching the ignition off and then on again.

How important is regular maintenance?

WARNING Failure to have maintenance performed on the brake system regularly.

Accident hazard

• To ensure that the ABS is in a properly maintained condition, it is vital that the specified service intervals be observed.

Reserves for safety

But remember: the potentially shorter braking distances which BMW Motorrad Integral ABS permits must not be used as an excuse for careless riding. ABS is primarily a means of ensuring a safety margin in genuine emergencies.

WARNING Braking in curves

Risk of accident despite ABS

• The rider is always responsible for adapting his/her driving style.
• Do not reduce the additional safety function with careless riding or unnecessary risks.

Further development of ABS to ABS Pro

- with ABS Pro OE

In the past, the BMW Motorrad ABS system provided for a very high level of safety while braking during straight-ahead riding.

Now ABS Pro also offers increased safety even when braking in curves. ABS Pro prevents locking-up of the wheels even in case of rapid brake actuation.

ABS Pro reduces abrupt changes in steering forces, especially during panic braking, and therefore decreases the risk of unwanted wheelies occurring.

ABS control

From a technical standpoint, ABS Pro adjusts the ABS control to the angle of inclination of the motorcycle in dependence on the respective riding situation.

Signals for the roll and yaw rate and the lateral acceleration are used to determine the inclination of the motorcycle.

With an increasing inclination, the braking pressure gradient is increasingly limited at the start of braking. This results in a slower pressure buildup. In addition, the pressure modulation in the range of the ABS control is more uniform.

Advantages for the rider

The advantages of ABS Pro for the rider are sensitive response and high braking and riding stability with the best possible deceleration, even in curves.

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