Traction control & anti-lock brakes. Has the time come?

[huffa]

Think we will ever have it? Sure there are times we don't need it so they will have a on/off switch for it. I think that would work out great!

[RoostReallyHurstMyCrotch]

I've always thought that abs should be on all bikes. Road bikes that is.

Motocross... hmm... might help lap times. I'd personally prefer if they don't come into motocross. 'Takes some of the skill out of it.

When eddy irvine (Irish Formula 1 racer) was asked in 2003 what he thought of the new rule to allow traction control and automatic launch (you push a button when the race starts.) into the F1 rules he said that he thought that it was great..... He get's paid to do only 30% of the work that he used to have to do ?

edit: our kids will definately be driving bikes with all this stuff.

[chrissa]

Both Honda and BMW have produced motorcycles with ABS for a while now. These are usually sold as an option on their road touring models. This feature showed up shortly after they introduced linked-braking systems.

[huffa]

No kidding.........you just push a button to get a perfect launch?

[bd450]

I'd be surprised if the top factory racers don't allready have some form of launch control built into their ignition allready. There are ways to do it without external sensors.

[st3ve]

traction control exists today in a production bike.

the bike is the 2005 model Honda CR250. I read about it in the best MX mag ever, Motocross Action. Here's what they had to say about it.

---MXA February 2005---

---"We test the 2005 CR250"---

Honda produced a microprocessor that matched the engine rpm to drive train rpm every 1/35th of a second. If the two did not match, it was an indication of wheelspin. In that case, the black box would retard the ignition to soften the hit and stop the rear wheel from spinning. Honda did not hide the software, but they never mentioned it again (probably because in the AMA rule book, under Chapter six, Rule 2a, "Electronic devices designed specifically for traction control are phohibited".) We don't know if the 2005 CR250 has traction control, but every rtest rider commented that under hard aceeleration on hard dirt, the CR250 would wheelie when other bikes were spinning.

I think traction control on 2-strokes should be allowed to even the score with the thumpers. Anti-Lock brakes however, shouldn't be on race bikes. What else do you guys want? auto-transmissions? if you wanna take it easy get a quad ?

[bd450]

Matching drive train RPM to engine RPM won't do diddly to detect wheelspin. The only thing you can detect that way is clutch slippage. Ya gotta compare wheel speed to ground speed to detect wheelspin.

Yeah those guys at MXA are a bunch of geniuses....I only hope they were joking. But it sounds like something some marketing doubletalker fed them and they regurgitated.

[ttr125smms120]

dont think anti-lock would be good for the woods. Sometimes, you just have to lock the brakes up and slide the bike around a tight turn.

[chrissa]

Matching drive train RPM to engine RPM won't do diddly to detect wheelspin. The only thing you can detect that way is clutch slippage. Ya gotta compare wheel speed to ground speed to detect wheelspin.

And the only practical way to do that is by comparing the differential of front wheel to rear wheel speed. When the rear is spinning faster than the front, you probably don't have traction on the rear.

Chris.

[huffa]

On a slick a$$ muddy course I would gladly take the bike with both devices on. That's the biggest reason most buy the 4 strokes, because of their incredible hook up. Why not up traction yet another few notches?

Heck, in a way traction control has been here for a long time. That's basically what guys that drag their rear brake do. The thing is, there is no way they could match what a true traction control device could do. The brake pad companies would love it unless of course it just retarded the ignition and throttle.

[RedRida110]

traction control exists today in a production bike.

the bike is the 2005 model Honda CR250

I'd say it probably has more to do with the fact that the CR250 has a motor so lame that it couldn't even spin the tire on ice than something with the ignition.

[st3ve]

And the only practical way to do that is by comparing the differential of front wheel to rear wheel speed. When the rear is spinning faster than the front, you probably don't have traction on the rear.

Chris.

anyone with a pair of balls and a pulse knows part of riding a motorcycle is gettin on the gas and gettin the front end up ? i think the only way to positively get accurate data as far as wheel spin and speed of the actual bike would be through GPS. ktm steve..the new cr's are supposedly better. its the only 250 i havent rode so ..i wouldnt know how weak they are. you need to ride a 2-stroke brahh! ?