Gr8Dane

We've all heard the stories about someone claiming to deliberately have 'laid the bike down' to avoid an accident, right? Complete and utter BS. Bike went down because the rider panicked and locked up the brakes. Period. Sliding on asphalt towards an immovable object is not the preferred way to avoid hitting said object. Keeping the bike upright, under maximum braking is. ABS is a life saver. I have been riding BMW's with ABS since 1994. My current street bike is an 03 K 1200 GT. Up until I got my S 1000 RR, I have ridden the K bike exclusively while coaching track days for the local BMW dealer. Sometimes the guys brought their crotch rockets, such as 1000 Gixxers to these events. Blew past me on the straights. I could out-brake every single one of them at the end. I can brake harder on that BMW than I ever did on my Yamaha R1 track bike. The amount of confidence, peace of mind offered by ABS is just amazing. The S1000 RR ABS is leap years better than anything I have ever had the pleasure of riding. Keep in mind that the four individual settings affect not just the ABS, but also the power delivery, Traction control and Wheelie control. With simple push-button activation, the S 1000 RR rider may scroll through these four settings: "Rain" Mode "Sport" Mode for aggressive street riding "Race" Mode for track days with DOT tires or very aggressive canyon carving "Slick" Mode : full blown racetrack set-up Most of us on this forum will never use the "Rain" mode. The Traction Control and ABS is way too intrusive for the kind of riding we would like to think we are doing, but, it's a perfect setting for a novice. Not that I would let a novice anywhere near MY S 1000 RR. LOL "Sport" mode - perfect for the average street ride. Gobs of power, pop all the wheelies you want, brake hard, have fun. Still too intrusive for me. "Race" mode - just what I ( can't speak for you) want for aggressive canyon carving. I braked hard enough to chirp the front tire, (not what I would normally do, but wanted to find out if it was possible), then the weight transfer just plants the front tire. Amazing! Never lacking for power, either. Just perfect. "Slick" mode - pure race. Keep it on the track. This mode truly unleashes the massive potential of the bike, but still keeps a minimally intrusive safety net under you. Read on (this is an excerpt from the technical literature published by BMW, with my comments in ITALICS) : The BMW Motorrad Race ABS is an all new development that again is considerably lighter than the previous partially integral systems. Featuring a controller of only 1.5 kg and weighing it at only 2.5 kg in total, it is the ideal solution for installation in supersports motorcycles. Besides its low weight, the system is characterised above all by a regulation that has been improved even further. Ok, that's German English: Here's what I think they are trying to say: BMW RACE ABS is a lightweight, fully integrated ABS, with corresponding Engine management and Traction control systems weighing a mere 5.5 lbs, and has a more advanced management system. Just my guess...) This was made possible not only by the outstanding tuning, but also by the use of four pressure sensors in total that, in conjunction with highly complex rear wheel lift detection, can now differentiate better than before between a bump in the road and a locked up rear wheel. Here's what I think they mean: Previous, less advanced ABS systems can be tricked into pulsing when a ripple in the road suddenly unloads the tire while braking. I know that feeling. My 2003 K 1200 GT does that to me all the time. Feels like you suddenly lost the brakes for a very long split second. This feeling is exacerbated by a rather slow pulse frequency. Pressing the hand brake lever (over here we just grab the front brake) activates the two-rotor disc brake on the front wheel, whereas only a light braking force is applied to the rear wheel. The foot brake lever activates solely the rear wheel brake. In the riding modes "Race" and "Slick", the rear wheel lift detection does not intervene in the rider's braking manoeuvres (guess that means we don't really need it anyway?). In addition, the "Slick" mode allows particularly experienced riders to perform so called braking drifts (In American English we call that backing it into the corner) without having to dispense with the benefits of a front wheel ABS. (VERY COOL!) A fourth pressure sensor in the front wheel circuit allows regulation of the front wheel brake pressure that is more refined and sensitive than the predecessor BMW integral ABS II. This is because the actual pressure values can be compared directly in the control and wheel circuit. (Inquisitive minds are going to want to know exactly how it does that?) This also means that the restriction orifices are no longer needed, resulting in the optimal pressure point and the perfect dosability. ( I have no clue what this means, but I know it works!)For special requirements, Race ABS can be deactivated separately. Although the new system, like every other ABS, cannot redefine the constraints posed by the laws of physics, the new Race ABS provides the rider with invaluable support and an enormous boost to safety. AMEN!

YOUR TIRES ARE NOT THE PROBLEM! "I just can't convince myself that the front won't wash out, but never, ever ever get any indication from my tires that a loss of grip is imminent - it is all in my head. Of course this creates a lot of tension, but I have been able to force myself to relax more at the bars and this has helped the way the bike steers and handles. What should I do next?" Let's address your main concern: ' Washing out' or 'tucking' the front end. As a track day coach I have seen that happen any number of times. Typically in slow speed corners Typically at moderate lean angles Typically the rider has no idea why he or she crashed My first advice is: get professional help. There is NO way talking about this problem will solve it. You learn by doing. Ride the slide/lean bike. Allows you to truly explore the limits. You can't crash. Massive confidence builder. Seriously. You are going to have to spend some money, but it's certainly cheaper than crashing your bike and getting hurt. Have you ever ridden dirt bikes? If so, have you ever had the front end 'wash out' or 'tuck' ? Those of you who have will probably agree that lean angle had little or nothing to do with it. Rather, it's caused by aggressive and/or plain wrong steering input. A death grip on the bars will make this happen. A sudden input of steering effort will make this happen. A transition from one type of surface to another will make this happen. End result is that the trajectory of the bike differs from the direction of the front wheel. The kinetic energy of the bike ( speed X weight ) will overpower the available grip of the front tire and down you go. Go play in the dirt. (Borrow a small dirtbike, 80 -100 cc) Preferably sand or mud. Practice slow speed turns. Then add aggressive steering INTO the turn with specific intent of 'tucking' and sliding the front tire! How do you save the it? Counter-steer, just like you would in a car. In other words, if you are turning left, yank the handlebars right, straighten out the front tire, done! Bear in mind, this is what you do on a dirt-bike, in slippery conditions. On the track, just relaxing your steering input will usually do the trick. This allows the front tire to regain it's natural direction of travel and regain traction. Once you have figured out how to do this, it becomes second nature. The guys who crash simply are not aware of what is happening and that leaves them ill prepared to deal with it. You have about 1/4 to 1/2 of a second to identify and arrest the front end 'tuck'. If you know how, it's really quite fun. Another fun dirt bike drill is to move your weight all the way onto the rear fender, and lock up the front wheel at about 5-10 mph and slide it for a few feet, then let go of the front brake.The idea is to eventually come to a complete stop without crashing. If you feel you are losing it, let go of the front brake. One day, this practice will save your hide on the track! How do you identify the 'tuck' before it's too late? First, you will feel a vibration in the bars as the front tire starts scrubbing. This is pretty much the only warning you are going to get. Next, you will feel the bike under-steer, drifting out-wards. If you get to this point without reacting, well, you're probably going to lose it. Ever done a two-up ride with a pro racer ? On my very first track day at Willow Springs almost 15 years ago, I hitched a ride with Jason Pridmore. What an amazing eye-opener! Corner speed and lean angles I had never experienced before, and could not have imagined.... And he was just cruising....

Sold my track-only R1 in anticipation of the S1000RR! And what an awesome bike that is....sorry, gotta go ride! C'ya at the track.

As far as I recall, the genesis of Streets of Willow was to provide a "training" track to hone skills and confidence levels before venturing onto Big Willow, which can be a very intimidating track. Back when I started running at Willow, there was no Streets, thus no option. But 'Streets' is fun, and safe, and it's very good track to be trained at. But everyone who has ever dreamed of Laguna needs to experience that track. I don't find it intimidating at all, and that's where I did my second track day ever, on a BMW Boxer. I was a complete greenhorn, very apprehensive .... but by the end of the day I was dragging my knees and scraping my valve-covers. Damn, I was good! After which I went home and built a dedicated track bike, based upon a GSXR 750. I was hooked! Just sold my R1 and got a BMW S1000RR. What an awesome bike!