Who wants ABS anyway?
Published by Neil Everett
08 April 2009, 19:35
|
|
Just recently a series of technical acronyms have been bounding about the motorcycle fraternity that have scared and startled some hardcore, old-time bikers and raised a few eyebrows of power rangers all over the world.
TC, ABS and ECU have now become even more commonplace when discussions of the two wheeled kind come to mind, with manufacturers investing heavily in this new technology to improve rider safety and bike performance.
Is it change for the better? Enhancements and improvements? the next evolutionary step in the motorcycle’s history? It may be, but whenever there is change there always seems to be an element of scepticism and fear that lingers around with it. How will these new enhancements alter the characteristics of the motorcycles we know and love? Will it alter the handling and remove the fun or turn these pocket rockets into tame scooters?
Ducati introduced a traction control system onto the upper range of the new 1098 series utilising their expertise gained through MotoGP to help control the awesome power delivered from the new 1200cc monster. Almost immediately people started crying out that it was unnecessary for traction control on what is in effect a road production bike as it would cost too much, spoil the fun and ruin the experience of owning a top level Ducati, which is just outrageous.
The factory in Bologna has always priced its motorcycles higher than that of its Japanese counterparts but still within a respectable limit and the same was true with the 1098. As far as spoiling the fun goes, I don’t know if anyone has ever considered high-siding a bike as fun unless you’re a stunt man and even then it must be one of your least favourite manoeuvres. The Traction control system installed on the 1098 was programmed to remain in an unobtrusive state until the sensor detected that the rear wheel was moving at a rate which far exceeded that of the front, it would only be at this point that the traction control computer would restrict the amount of power supplied to the rear wheel until the wheels were running at a comparable speed again.
Suzuki and Yamaha have also now released user controlled traction control on their latest Superbikes with pre-programmed traction settings enabling the rider to change the motorcycles throttle response to that of the weather and road conditions.
Honda weren’t far behind their European rivals with their own gem installed onto the latest incarnations of their popular Fireblade and CBR600RR which featured an ABS system which Honda call Combined Anti-lock Braking System or C-ABS. Through a combination of clever electronics and specialised computer coding, the system calculates in fractions of a second when the rider exerts excess pressure to the front brake and automatically applies a defined amount of rear brake to maintain bike stability and control and allow for a safe stop.
The company were so confident in their new system that a selection of journalist and road testers were invited to attend a launch event in Qatar recently where the lucky participants got to try the new system on a series of challenging road conditions, including water and sand.
The system has been receiving heavy praise from the industry with people already looking at where bikes can go from here.
Honda are very keen to continually push the boundaries with prototypes of their motorcycle airbag already released on the new Goldwing currently being sold in America. Motorcycle innovation has taken huge steps over the last 5 years and it is currently experiencing the technological boom which hit car manufacturing previously. As we all know the car industry has continued to go from strength to strength in terms of mechanical and technical enhancement, with companies now using wasted kinetic energy to provide additional boost to their machinery and there is nothing to say that in years to come motorcycle manufacturers might look in this direction to boost the power output of their sports and superbikes.
It is obvious that these mechanical enhancements have helped to improve the overall safety of the genre, but the fact remains has it removed the enjoyment from biking?
Personally I don’t think it has. The motorcycling community is made up from a vast array of different cultures and age ranges, from young riders who love nothing more than powering through a corner with their knee scrapping the tarmac, to older riders who pop out into the countryside for a cruise in the fresh air. However not one of that demographic would honestly say that they enjoy losing traction from the rear end of the machine and relish the opportunity to slide down the street in a haze of smoke and sparks. Not one of them would say they enjoy looking up to find an obstacle in their way knowing that heavy breaking may make the situation worse.
These enhancements have improved the landscape of the industry for the better. They may save lives and allow each of us to reach a level of riding which without them we may never have achieved, because lets be honest, we’re not Valentino Rossi or Casey Stoner. If we were we certainly wouldn’t be sitting in an office from 9am till 5pm selling insurance to Mrs Watson. No matter how good we think our motorcycle skills, the road is a dangerous place and the more enhancements that are made for rider safety the better.
Another important fact to bear in mind when riding is that these rider aids are just that. They are aids; they are systems that are put in place to assist the rider. Just because they are there it is important that we don’t assume that the need to improve our own skills is unnecessary, because as we all know computer and computer systems have the ability to malfunction and break at any time, whether it's your satellite box, your mobile phone or your traction control system. It’s important to remember that if that computer stops working that you don’t and the need to maintain your skills in case the system fails one day is vital.
|
|
