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Asc 2012 R1200RT

108146

New member
I have a question about the automatic stability control system that I had retrofitted to my 2012 RT. I just did a ride with a group of guys up to the notch roads in Northern New Hampshire and Maine and we took a side trip to Evan's Notch on a loose gravel road. As we were motoring along making our way up a slight incline it occurred to me that my ASC could cause my bike to decrease throttle and I might drop the bike because of lost momentum. I had heard this can happen in sand, etc., if the ASC kicks in, so I turned the ASC off so I had no problem. My question is whether I need to turn the ASC system off whenever I am going slow in loose terrain or should I not bother as it won't really cause me to drop my bike?
 
>I< would always turn of ASC in anything other than paved roads, but that's just me. I turn off the ESC in the A4 on gravel/snowy roads because I would rather make the control decisions rather than the car/bike. Just my humble opinion...
 
108146,

Please read: http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=46055 - I'm adding the info to your thread title for the reasons explained in that posting. Please add it yourself in future posts to the tech forums.

BTW - what's your name? Calling you by a number seems a bit impersonal..

And to answer your question - the only time the ASC should have intervened is if you tried to apply more power then you had traction for.. meaning the rear wheel would start spinning. It's a tossup as to which would cause one to drop the bike first, but I would have left ASC on. If you were moving at a reasonable speed (above a walk) I doubt if you'd even notice it backing power off a tad.
 
Thanks for the info! That number (108146) must have been assigned to me when I first registered and I didn't change it. My name is John.
 
I like the ASC (anti stupidity control). Saved my tail quite a few times on ice, wet tar (just like ice), and dirt roads.

Only time I dont like it is when I'm hill-hoppin or jumping rail road tracks. It slows the rear wheel down too much and the front end tends to dive down early. I like the rear to touch down first.
 
I like the ASC (anti stupidity control). Saved my tail quite a few times on ice, wet tar (just like ice), and dirt roads.

Only time I dont like it is when I'm hill-hoppin or jumping rail road tracks. It slows the rear wheel down too much and the front end tends to dive down early. I like the rear to touch down first.

You get AIR on an R/T? I didn't see GS in your signature line
 
Had a similar thought.
Also can't imagine any real need for ASC on an RT unless maybe you like to ride on ice. Its not like the bike has some overwhelming amount of power or a twitchy oversensitive throttle. I don't have any habits of asking mine for more accel eration than traction permits and have never managed to do anything where ASC would be useful including the several hundred miles of gravel and dirt roads I've done with it (where I wished for something more suitable than an RT but it was what I was riding at the time..)
 
Had a similar thought.
Also can't imagine any real need for ASC on an RT unless maybe you like to ride on ice. Its not like the bike has some overwhelming amount of power or a twitchy oversensitive throttle. I don't have any habits of asking mine for more accel eration than traction permits and have never managed to do anything where ASC would be useful including the several hundred miles of gravel and dirt roads I've done with it (where I wished for something more suitable than an RT but it was what I was riding at the time..)

Once again - it's a shame but not everyone has your skill level (obviously including me) and they can't always spot that bit of spilled diesel fuel or brake fluid coming out of a corner or taking off from a stop. In those sort of instances (and I've ridden with people who had that exact sort of problem) maintaining traction under acceleration can be a bit elusive.

BMW offers ASC for those of us who recognize our mortality.. and that sometimes poop happens.
 
Thanks for the info! That number (108146) must have been assigned to me when I first registered and I didn't change it. My name is John.

Hi John!

I'm guessing it's your member number. You might want to look at the upper left side of the screen, sort of right below the big MOA logo. "User CP". Click on it, then midway down the left side of the page that opens is an option to edit your Signature.

Adding your name, perhaps a general location and even the bike(s) you own to a signature means every message you post will contain that info. Makes it easy for people to know who you are.. and on a friendly forum (like this) - that can be a plus.

BTW - adding ASC is a big thumbs up from me. I tried to add it to my '07, but mine was built a bit too early for that to be possible. If it had been, I'd have the one thing I'd really like and miss on my bike... and it likely would have saved me from one interesting "experience" in Nova Scotia a number of years ago.

Best regards,
 
Had a similar thought.
Also can't imagine any real need for ASC on an RT unless maybe you like to ride on ice. Its not like the bike has some overwhelming amount of power or a twitchy oversensitive throttle. I don't have any habits of asking mine for more accel eration than traction permits and have never managed to do anything where ASC would be useful including the several hundred miles of gravel and dirt roads I've done with it (where I wished for something more suitable than an RT but it was what I was riding at the time..)

Ever ride in the rain?

I live in Seattle. Seattle is extremely hilly. You might have heard that it sometimes rains in Seattle as well.

I invite you to come to Seattle with your non-ASC bike and try riding up Madison St. with it's 20% grade between 3rd and 4th Avenues when it's raining.

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/steepest.htm

The trucks, cars and buses leave a nice layer of oil and grease on top of the pavement, and with the rain, wet pavement becomes as slick as ice. I've spun my non-ASC rear wheel on my RTP plenty of times in these conditions, and it's quite the unsettling sensation as centrifugal forces slew the rear end of the bike to the right as the tire spins trying to gain traction.

When I'm on the GSA - which has ASC, the rear tire never spins, never loses traction, and thus the rear end never tries to kick out to the right when pulling away from a stop on slippery pavement.

I'll politely disagree with the poster who suggests leaving ASC on when off-pavement. The bike will indeed slow to a crawl - or even a stop - if ascending a relatively steep hill with loose dirt/gravel. Anyone with dirt bike/motocross experience will recognize the situation immediately. Often, climbing a hill requires spitting dirt and rocks out the back as the rear tire spins in an attempt to grip the hard-packed surface underneath the loose gravel/dirt.

Besides, it's more fun riding up a hill with the rooster-tail of rocks and dirt spitting out the back!
 
I have ASC on my RT. I have logged lots of dirt/gravel miles on my bike. The RT gets excellent traction off road. It surprised me a few times actually lifting the front in the air during hard acceleration on gravel (ASC Off). With the ASC on the bike does nose dive occasionally when I don't expect it if I am blasting off and the front end comes up. It has saved me twice from a fall usually turning under power in an oil slick. As far as off road, I leave the ASC on and have never dropped the bike because of it. I like to turn it off and whip the tail around on loose gravel like a dirt bike.:evil
 
It works

I thought its kind of stupid on a 110 HP bike.

It WILL NOT let me do wheelies although the bike could.

It will keep the rear tire from spinning in a corner with good lean in first gear.

Once it did not kick in. I don't think. I did not dump the bike, but let off on the throttle before anything bad happened. I realized it did not catch the spinning wheel before I did. I do not care to duplicate the situation. Its a new bike and I don't want to crash.

This bike does have enough power to spin the rear wheel on dry blacktop in a corner.

NO it will not leave any rooster tail of gravel. :dunno

It was on the bike. Now I like it.

David
 
Don,
I don't know about the skill stuff on 2 wheels- my many track hours are mostly cages- way safer at my age (and I sold my last track toy last week anyway). But I do have about 50 yrs riding time and pretty good eyesight for an old guy. There is rarely ice in this part of the planet (though plenty where I learned to ride when young) and none of the spilled diesel on concrete- most of the roads are coarser asphalt and soak up the spills from farm equipment and pickups pretty quickly.
I wonder if you overrate what ACS can do for you on the diesel patch anyway. All it can do is dial back power at the rear wheel- and so can your hand. It can't do anything about the centrifugal forces of cornering- so if you've put on enough speed in a corner and run into the patch, you're toast, ASC or not. And so what if one accidentally spins a tire a small amount in a straight line start- that shouldn't cause a problem for anyone except the most green rider. All ASC can do is attempt to make up for human error of asking for more acceleration traction than is available. Prevention by good vision is usually all that is needed though I'd be the first to note that in some lighting, spotting spills or black ice is tricky even if you're used to it an errors are possible, especially if one is distracted.
I'm not one of those folks who likes to back into cloverleafs with sliding tires or take blind turns in the mountains at warp speeds and a heavy hand- I do keep that stuff for visible and good condition surfaces like tracks.
Got nothing against first class electronic aids as now exist in a handful of the most expensive or sophisticated cages- what they allow is truly astonishing and I have vivid memories of my first track experiences with that level of stuff where I was simply amazed at how well it made up for driver errors (the vehicle was an early GTR). But what's on BMW bikes (with the possible exception of an S1000RR), ASC and ABS, is downright primitive- about the equivalent of stuff on high end cages of 10-15 years ago and no where close to what current cage technology does (and its way too expensive to repair but that's a different topic). I've had far too many experiences in cages and BMW bikes where these well meant simple systems interfere with control in an unhelpful way so until they get a bunch better, I'm just as happy without them. They have limited and unimpressive capability now.

Perhaps these systems really do help novice and infrequent riders to some degree but its with ASC its hard to tell. I see enough marginal riding to know there are plenty of folks out there with low miles and time who are more error prone than more experienced folks. The only folks in our local club who seem to get into accidents are typically either relative newbs who miss seeing the cause mostly because they still ride like the drive, or folks playing over their skill level on mountain roads who admit to judgement error.
 
The reason I retrofitted this bike with ASC was an incident years ago on a highway coming back from a rally. A friend and I were booking it back to New Hampshire from down South in early spring in heavy rain. I was following behind him when I realized we had just pulled out into the passing lane as the road had turned to grooved pavement in a road construction area. I had just moved into the lane when my bike began to fishtail and I could feel the bike about to lose traction when I backed off the throttle and then when the fishtailing stopped I reaccelerated as I was in heavy traffic and I didn't want to get hit. I can see the benefit of having the bike do this automatically, of course, I would still need to reaccelerate to get back to highway speed but I hope the ASC would get the job done quicker than I did as I think I had reached the limit of fishtailing at highway speed. I was very close to going down and being run over by the cars and trucks that were behind me.

John
 
While riding recently after a heavy rain I entered a corner at the marked speed to only find washed out gravel and leaves. I saw the ASC flash a couple of times and I never noticed anything, other than I never lost control of the bike. I will leave mine on.

Wayne
 
Hi John!

I'm guessing it's your member number. You might want to look at the upper left side of the screen, sort of right below the big MOA logo. "User CP". Click on it, then midway down the left side of the page that opens is an option to edit your Signature.

Adding your name, perhaps a general location and even the bike(s) you own to a signature means every message you post will contain that info. Makes it easy for people to know who you are.. and on a friendly forum (like this) - that can be a plus.
,

I hope I got it right this time!
 
Perhaps these systems really do help novice and infrequent riders to some degree but its with ASC its hard to tell. I see enough marginal riding to know there are plenty of folks out there with low miles and time who are more error prone than more experienced folks. The only folks in our local club who seem to get into accidents are typically either relative newbs who miss seeing the cause mostly because they still ride like the drive, or folks playing over their skill level on mountain roads who admit to judgement error.

I've ridden 15,000 a year since 2006 - up until May 31st, all on a non-ASC RTP. Since May 31st, I've also had a ASC-equiped GSA. I'm a year-round rider in Seattle, and I experience plenty of situations where standing water (hydroplaning), greasy wet pavement, and occasional frozen precipitation are encountered.

I'm not cocky enough to think I'm smarter/faster/better than my ABS and ASC systems. I know from my personal experiences that it's quite easy to loose rear traction under acceleration when conditions are marginal. I'm quite happy to have these systems on my bike, and so is my insurance company, which gives me a lower rate on my insurance because I have these safety systems. Insurance companies never do anything unless it's supported by data and actuarial tables, so it's safe to assume that the insurance company is in possession of data that says these systems result in less accidents, and thus fewer and less expensive claims.

I'm particularly interested in reading any data that supports the following claims:

But what's on BMW bikes (with the possible exception of an S1000RR), ASC and ABS, is downright primitive- about the equivalent of stuff on high end cages of 10-15 years ago and no where close to what current cage technology does (and its way too expensive to repair but that's a different topic). I've had far too many experiences in cages and BMW bikes where these well meant simple systems interfere with control in an unhelpful way so until they get a bunch better, I'm just as happy without them. They have limited and unimpressive capability now.

What is it about the ABS and ASC systems on 2012/2013 BMW motorcycles that indicates to you that these systems are "10-15 years" behind the technology being used on 2012/2013 cars?
 
You get AIR on an R/T? I didn't see GS in your signature line

John, Used to ride a '74 Maico MC400, great power, decent suspension (for the day), hard starting. Have lots of hills on back roads of northern most tip of VA. Wife comments much after a jump. ;)

Many back roads here are tar and chip, the tar comes up in large areas making whole stretches of road very slick for both front and rear tires when wet. RR tracks and early AM winter ice are also part of the daily commute. I special ordered the RT with the ASC, leave it on all the time and highly recommend it to all.
 
To answer your question about what's missing from bike electronics

The best stuff on cages (and only a very few use it) is race track calibrated to do 2 things.
a) Not unecessarily interfere with driver intent
b) Extend the performance interval by allowing limits not reachable without electronic aid

There are, of course, many such aids in some race series, for both bikes and cars, and many others are banned in part or totally in some series for reasons of cost, not because they don't work- they workk extremely well at what they're intended to do.

A couple specifics for some street cars
1) Current Corvette - 2WD system with systems well developed enough that only the most skilled owner can get a vette around a track faster with them switched off rather than switched on.
2) Nissan GTR - this 4WD coupe can independently modulate either power or brake at any corner in response to attitude, traction, etc. The least expensive cage I can think of that has this level of sophistication, tuned on the 'ring by guys who knew what they were doing. The only way you'll ever understand what these can really do is to experience it at full bore on a track -I've got many many track hours yet was astonished at what this heavy street car could do the first time I played with one. The system is actually good enough to automatically correct a whole lot of badly done triple digit speed manuevers while keeping the vehicle on a stable path in a corner at speed and can make the unskilled actually believe they possess some. It really is amazing- my first thought was along the lines of "this stuff allows novices to defy the laws of physics!!"

Street bikes are finally beginning to acquire sensors that account for lean angles in real time but really need "predictive" capability to deal with traction situations that are anticipated. You will see bike stuff get better, probably in another 3-5 years. Remember the basic bike ABS stuff lagged well behind common use in cages before it began to show up in many bikes. Read up on what the stuff on GP bikes can do and expect it on street stuff eventually..

Compared to the 2 cage examples I gave, Mercedes and BMW street traction control systems are stone age nannies that interfere and do not extend driver capability- instead they needlessly (for the skilled at least) restrict it. A 530i (535i?, I forget)I have to drive sometimes interferes so badly it could get you killed if you tried to shoot a narrow gap in traffic, even on dry pavement because it dials out power to prevent any amount of wheel spin and hugely slows acceleration by doing so. BMW cars remain among the most foul handling of rear drive stuff on ice due to their wide track and tires compared to wheelbase length despite their feeble electronic "aids". Their bikes are no better IMO (but they are comfortable, generally well built and fast enough)

Maybe its the fact that I lived most of my life in snow / ice country including using a bike all year (until I was in my early 30s) for trans because I was too poor to own a car, or maybe its my careful throttle use acquired from lots of track hours, but I just don't feel the current widgies do much for me expect sometimes interfere and add the risk of extra expense. I would love to see the really good stuff start showing up on street bikes- my taste of it in cages shows it can be quite extraordinary when done well though I'd note German makers do not lead at implementation.
 
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