Hill Hold How-to?

As I think I mentioned elsewhere, I'm in the Alps on a new (rental) K1600GT with a host of toys (the reverse gear option has been deliberately locked out - the renter said it's killed a couple of transmissions when users got it wrong). One of them is hill hold. I've stumbled into it a couple of times, but have no idea about how I did it. Being stuck at a construction site traffic light, on an interesting slope, makes hill hold a nice thing to have. (<--understatement)

Couldn't find anything specific to the KGT but for the R1200RT it seems a combination of a firm pull (as close to the bar as possible) of the front brake lever coupled with a quick pull...the rapid rise in pressure is supposed to turn it on. Riding away normally is supposed to turn it off.

Maybe that translates to the KGT.

Update...I did find this thread about the KGT using the tag could:

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?72056-Hill-Start-Control-does-t-always-engage

Could have used that recently riding the PCH and touring National Parks out west fully loaded (bags that is) and two up with all the washouts and landslides and one lanes, etc. Made for a few interesting moments.

While holding the front brake lever while stopped, just give it an additional quick tug. You will see the hill control light come on to confirm.

I'll try that, but here, simply jamming on the front brake is a very quick way to see the ABS work or do a front wheel tuck or both - often lots of "marbles" or other low traction stuff near the head of the waiting line. By comparison, if I try to shove the brake pedal, on our C-Max rent-a-racer, into the floor while standing still, hill hold obligingly kicks in.

Hill Hold will not apply if moving at all........No ABS issues or flying over the bars to worry about!

RB, the Hill Start Control on the GT works the same way as on my RTW, and I agree, it is a handy feature for those few times one needs it. Adds safety, convenience and stability.

You can identify when it is engaged by the "H" within a circle directly to the right of the gear position indicator on the dash. It is visible when activated.

No need for any quick or hard pulling on the brake lever, and as mentioned, it will not activate while the bike is moving. It will also not activate with the key or engine off, or with the side-stand down., engine must be running with the side-stand up. It is a safety feature and part of the idea is that they don't want anyone using it as a parking brake.

Anyway, all that is required to activate it is a firm application of the front brake until you see the "H" appear next to the gear position indicator. To de-activate it you can either pull the front brake lever a second time (you will see the "H" disappear) or simply ride away and it disengages by itself. In using the "ride away" feature you need to be a little more aggressive / deliberate than normal with your throttle application as you need to overcome the resistance caused by the rear brake being applied. People have said that it requires slipping the clutch but really no more than normal. Clutches are always "slipped" when used, it is just a matter of how quickly/slowly one releases the clutch lever and that doesn't really need to change very much at all if you are more deliberate with your throttle application so you don't stall the bike. It isn't difficult but you do need to be aware of it and give it a moments thought to get the proper feel for things. Just a short familiarization period.

I have found that it works fine for both holding the bike on an incline (which is what all the literature mentions and the most common need for it) and on a decline.

BTDT today, coming up to construction's go/no-go traffic light. I was coming up significant grade, grabbed the front bake hard (no ABS, but no skid), and... nothing. I've seen the hill hold symbol a couple of times and that's it. That why I started thread. I did something right (I guess) and can't repeat that action.

Needless to say, grabbing the brake to hold the bike until the light changed didn't have a high fun quotient.

I think one key aspect is the quickness or onset of the front brake. Did you try that?

Not an expert on this particular system....have experience with others....
Usually activation requires a complete stop- monitored through the wheel sensors....this could take a quarter of a second for all the signals to be reported, checked and allowed. The delay prevents the front wheel from an inadvertent "lock-up".
OM

To Gary's point, it was posted:

Realshelby said:

Hill Hold will not apply if moving at all........No ABS issues or flying over the bars to worry about!

Click to expand...

AlanColes said:

... it will not activate while the bike is moving...

Click to expand...

As Kurt mentioned, there may also be a slight time delay required of a few milliseconds, but I've never noticed one needed, only that I had to be at a complete stop.

You don't need to release the front brake lever and reapply it or anything like that, but that works for me as well. All I do is stop in a normal fashion and then without reducing my grip on the front brake lever, I simply pull a bit more firmly on it until I see the "H" indicator and it is engaged. A second pull will disengage it.

From the top... coming up a mountain road in the Tyrolean Alps, I did an intentional near panic stop to a full stop. No circle-H with brake parenthesis light, no hill hold action, nothing. I've sen the light come on, so I know the function is available. Getting it to deliberately engage (as opposed to blundering into engaging it) simply didn't happen. Either I did something wrong or I have a gripe for the folks who sent me out on the bike.

I do know of one lock-out: reverse. From what they said, it's possible to get things wrong and cook the transmission - reversing is disabled.

RBEmerson said:

From the top... coming up a mountain road in the Tyrolean Alps, I did an intentional near panic stop to a full stop. No circle-H with brake parenthesis light, no hill hold action, nothing.

Click to expand...

Hill assist won't engage during a stop, only afterwards.

As previously suggested: come to a stop (whether a regular one or a right-to-to-or into-the-ABS one), then after the bike has ceased moving, wait a second. Then pull the brake lever back.

Hmmm... Having a strong aversion to rolling back, it may well be I didn't complete the magic spell (sic) needed for hill hold to show up. However, it seems unlikely that, given the number of times I was in similar situations, this didn't happen.

In any case, the issue is now moot. Bike Travel Service got their bike back, 2110 km / 1266 mi after I picked it up.