Do you turn off the electronic safety aids?
Discussion
When I told my brother I had bought an S 1000 R he had a moan about new bikes having all these fancy electronic aids and that back in his day you had to rely on skill to tame a bike (all the accidents he has had in his life have finally caught up with him and he has had to stop riding). I pointed out that you can turn all the help off if you wish so you can have the raw feeling if you want it. However my personal experience of cars is that when they have come with traction and stability control I have very rarely switched them off (even though I have also owned very powerful cars without any assistance and never worried about not having them).
Do people on here actively turn off the electronic aids on their bikes?
Do people on here actively turn off the electronic aids on their bikes?
I guess for those capable of doing so, on track, well - good for them.
On a road, God forbid, if you have an accident and the Police discover you had switched off various 'safety aids' and there is the slightest doubt as to who was at fault, perhaps the balance will tip away from you. (for the avoidance of doubt, I'm talking ABS, anti-wheelie TC etc), not about reducing the power out put of the bike, unless you were giving it the beans, on full power (on a bike where you were able to reduce power output specifically for instance, on a wet day...and didn't)...
On a road, God forbid, if you have an accident and the Police discover you had switched off various 'safety aids' and there is the slightest doubt as to who was at fault, perhaps the balance will tip away from you. (for the avoidance of doubt, I'm talking ABS, anti-wheelie TC etc), not about reducing the power out put of the bike, unless you were giving it the beans, on full power (on a bike where you were able to reduce power output specifically for instance, on a wet day...and didn't)...
Everything I can turn off, I turn off. I generally buy bikes devoid of electronic assistance where I can. Anti wheelie makes bikes feel broken under acceleration. I've not come across an ABS system that is not dumb-founded by bumps or bad surfaces - often causing you to run on when really 'on it'. The TC on my 1198 is dire, but probably the one I have the least issue with as it's truly passive most of the time, but as long as it's not married to anti-wheelie. On the 1198 it chimes in mid-wheelie when it feels like it, so that's turned off as well.
I'm sure it's all improving with each generation, but ABS that can handle bumps and combined brakes that work how you expect/want I can never see happening. Anti-lift seems to be improving anti-wheelie, but really, anti-wheelie is the most pointless 'aid' of all time unless you are trying to set a lap time.
I would wager that 95% of riders wouldn't ride any differently or even notice if all of their aids were switched off or on. The 5% that do, probably don't need them.
Electronic aids are the new pub talk top trumps b
ks. Aprilia's new phone app to manage your TC corner by corner for circuit use being a case in point. Look for people in the novice group at track days studiously dialling in their TC on their iPhone! LOL! "Yeah, I was getting a little too much spin on the exit of Paddock Hill bend..."
I'm sure it's all improving with each generation, but ABS that can handle bumps and combined brakes that work how you expect/want I can never see happening. Anti-lift seems to be improving anti-wheelie, but really, anti-wheelie is the most pointless 'aid' of all time unless you are trying to set a lap time.
I would wager that 95% of riders wouldn't ride any differently or even notice if all of their aids were switched off or on. The 5% that do, probably don't need them.
Electronic aids are the new pub talk top trumps b
ks. Aprilia's new phone app to manage your TC corner by corner for circuit use being a case in point. Look for people in the novice group at track days studiously dialling in their TC on their iPhone! LOL! "Yeah, I was getting a little too much spin on the exit of Paddock Hill bend..."dukeboy749r said:
On a road, God forbid, if you have an accident and the Police discover you had switched off various 'safety aids' and there is the slightest doubt as to who was at fault, perhaps the balance will tip away from you. (for the avoidance of doubt, I'm talking ABS, anti-wheelie TC etc), not about reducing the power out put of the bike, unless you were giving it the beans, on full power (on a bike where you were able to reduce power output specifically for instance, on a wet day...and didn't)...
Really?? If you've had a crash because you'd dialled down the TC and antiwheelie and it highsided flat in 3rd, cranked over and wheelieing, you will have more things to worry about, both personally and legally, than the police giving a st about whether your safety aids were 'active'.I like TC, if only for the fact that in my head it takes away some of the risk of a highside, so I can get on with ringing the bikes neck. It lets me relax.
I actually went faster without it once when it broke, but I didn't like the risk/reward ratio.
Don't care for any of the other aids.
I actually went faster without it once when it broke, but I didn't like the risk/reward ratio.
Don't care for any of the other aids.
I've still to own a bike with any safety/electronic aids. Ridden a few but not for any real length of time to test them out
I'd like my next bike to have ABS - but would like the option to turn it off without having to pull a fuse out.
There have been a couple of occasions during commuting over the 15+ years ABS would have likely helped me and saved me some pain and cash etc.
Wasn't there a thread before on here that said the S1000RR was unridable with everything switched off properly?
I'd like my next bike to have ABS - but would like the option to turn it off without having to pull a fuse out.
There have been a couple of occasions during commuting over the 15+ years ABS would have likely helped me and saved me some pain and cash etc.
Wasn't there a thread before on here that said the S1000RR was unridable with everything switched off properly?
My car has five driving modes and won't let me use cruise control with the DSC deactivated. I find it really frustrating as I just want to drive the thing and not have to press loads of buttons to allow it to be driven how I want.
When I got my 08 R1 out of the garage this spring, it was an absolute breath of fresh air not having to deal with lots of button pressing or have anything cut in whilst riding (e.g. abs). I've decided that I'm going to stick with this bike for a long time since all this rider aids crap on the newer bikes seems to do is get in the way of actually riding the thing.
When I got my 08 R1 out of the garage this spring, it was an absolute breath of fresh air not having to deal with lots of button pressing or have anything cut in whilst riding (e.g. abs). I've decided that I'm going to stick with this bike for a long time since all this rider aids crap on the newer bikes seems to do is get in the way of actually riding the thing.
3DP said:
The TC on my 1198 is dire, but probably the one I have the least issue with as it's truly passive most of the time, but as long as it's not married to anti-wheelie. On the 1198 it chimes in mid-wheelie when it feels like it, so that's turned off as well.
Pete,What tyres do you have fitted to the 1198?? There was an issue with the early Ducati TC that if you ran anything other than the original supplied tyres, the TC would not work properly as the rolling diameters changed. The system had no means of recalibration so you were screwed. Nemesis did bring out a TC module that allowed you to intercept the front wheel signal and fudge it so the TC thought all was well.
With the standard tyres the system works well. With anything else, you're lucky if it works at all!!
I had an 1198S and TC was relatively archaic - never managed to find a solution to TC cutting power after landing the front wheel, detecting the difference in speeds and it thinking the rear was spinning out.
It made using the first three gears very difficult - anyone who has ridden a bike with so much torque will understand that unintentional wheelies are the norm.
(Turning it off solved the issues but not really a solution)
Ironically enough, I'd have gladly swapped the TC for ABS - those brembos with supercorsa SP's in the rain really needed it.
Aprilia's APRC suite is fantastic though - hard to detect it working in most situations and those who think there is no need for TC, anti-whatever etc should try staying with an RSV4 out of corners
Electronics (and the software controlling them) has moved on massively in 6 years.
(Skill full PH MotoGP level riders excepted naturally...)
It made using the first three gears very difficult - anyone who has ridden a bike with so much torque will understand that unintentional wheelies are the norm.
(Turning it off solved the issues but not really a solution)
Ironically enough, I'd have gladly swapped the TC for ABS - those brembos with supercorsa SP's in the rain really needed it.
Aprilia's APRC suite is fantastic though - hard to detect it working in most situations and those who think there is no need for TC, anti-whatever etc should try staying with an RSV4 out of corners
Electronics (and the software controlling them) has moved on massively in 6 years.
(Skill full PH MotoGP level riders excepted naturally...)
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