As standard, the new BMW S 1000 RR offers traction control, wheelie control and engine braking, ABS, launch assistance, speed limiter, hill start assistance, two throttle responses (soft and standard) and two levels of management of the torque delivered (reduced in the first three gears or “full”). Many of these systems regulate their intervention based on information from one Bosch inertial platform with six axes and are coordinated by four driving modes (Rain, Road, Dynamic, Race) which provide dedicated settings for each one. The optional packages allow you to add semi-active suspensions, cruise control, heated grips, advanced hill start assistance (it is activated automatically when you stop on slopes greater than or equal to 5°) and three additional driving modes – Race Pro 1, 2 and 3 (photo 3).
These modes allow you to fully exploit the potential of electronics by offering the suspension fine tuning, traction control (15 levels + off), anti-wheelie (3 levels + off), semi-active suspension, engine braking (3 levels) and ABS. Five operating modes are envisaged for the latter, ranging from the least sporty, with strict control of rear axle lifting and high distribution of braking on the rear axle up to the one dedicated to the fastest riders which excludes the cornering function and only supervises the front wheel. Apart from the latter modality, the others foresee, with variable entity, the automatic brake force distribution on the rear axle: for the sportier one it is equivalent to 2% of the pressure applied to the front system.
The picture described so far is more or less identical to the past. The new RR has updated ABS operating logics: in particular, the sportier setting is calibrated according to the use of high-grip tires (slicks). The main novelty concerns the presence on the bike of a steering angle sensorthrough which BMW has implemented new features of some electronic systems. TC now integrates drift control. This control, depending on the lean angle and the traction control setting in use, allows more or less marked oversteer, favoring following the correct trajectory when exiting corners. In a mirror way, ABS now features Brake Slide Assist or controlled drift. A certain drift angle of the rear axle is permitted when entering a corner. This angle depends on how much the bike is leaning and is controlled through the modulation of the engine brake and the pressure in the rear braking system. Rear-end drift control is also provided by the automatic engine brake management system. As mentioned, the pilot can adjust its intensity on three levels. The deceleration offered by each of them is calibrated as in the past on the basis of available grip and lean angle. The drift angle is now added to these variables.
