South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

Those of you with newer bikes that have lots of modern technology, how do you like it? Do you find you use the different maps a lot…like rain mode, sport, etc?

How about the digital displays, integrated sat nav, phone connectivity?

Myself, I’m not a fan of all the assist stuff in newer cars…lane assist, etc, but maybe on a bike it is nice to have some technology?

My SMT has ABS which I guess is pretty cool. Has definitely prevented some rear lock ups. I don’t feel like I would use ride modes much, but some of the tech on the BMW s1000XR looks legit.

Never had a Bike with modes, anti wheelie, traction control, throttle assist, slipper clutch or stabilizers.
The smcr has ABS but it's switched off.

I think the more you have these toys to Help, the more you lose the spirit of what it is to ride and control the bike and the more you just become a passenger.

But that's just me, I'm old and grumpy.

I never use to have the modes etc, but after having a gen 4 BMW (Piece of crap) and now got the CBR RR-R I love the riding mode and electrics....
Only time I tend to play with them is on Trackdays and when I have a new tyres fitted.

But it will only go as fast/slow as you want it too.

Never wanted or needed any of it until my 1190 Adv.
That's got enough power to get seriously out of shape in the wet if the rear spins up. It happened once in heavy rain when I rode over bits of twigs in the centre of the road. I still don't know if it me or the bike that saved it but it scared me, and after that I switched to rain mode (max traction control and reduced power) for the rest of that day.
But mostly I don't mess with it.

I do like the corning ABS though, it doesn't feel intrusive and I'm pretty sure it's helped more than once. Mainly because the bike doesn't try to stand up straight if you brake hard'ish while leaning over.

On the ZH2, when conditions are sketchy, I use sport mode which is lowest level traction and wheelie control with full power. Otherwise it's nanny off - which has taken a lot of getting used to on this beast
Fortunately the Busa is a gen2, purely analogue just being controlled by the (sometimes faulty) biological EMU between my ears. Love it

billinom8s wrote: ↑May 28th, '25, 04:28.

But that's just me, I'm old and grumpy.

Haha! Think I’m heading that way too…

Jug wrote: ↑May 28th, '25, 06:23 Never wanted or needed any of it until my 1190 Adv.
That's got enough power to get seriously out of shape in the wet if the rear spins up.

Mainly because the bike doesn't try to stand up straight if you brake hard'ish while leaning over.

That makes sense. I’d be tempted by the chill out button on a mega boom bike in the wet. Grabbed a bunch of throttle for an overtake on wet roads a while back and things suddenly got slidey.

Interesting about cornering abs. I’ve been operating under the assumption that brakes while leaned is very bad, so I usually enter turns a bit slower than I could but keep rolling on throttle as I go through. Do you tip in to a corner on the brakes and then add a dab if needed before the apex? I pretty much always brake, lean, crack open the throttle…has led to a few brown pants moments though.

ptolemyx wrote: ↑May 28th, '25, 08:33 On the ZH2, when conditions are sketchy, I use sport mode which is lowest level traction and wheelie control with full power. Otherwise it's nanny off - which has taken a lot of getting used to on this beast
Fortunately the Busa is a gen2, purely analogue just being controlled by the (sometimes faulty) biological EMU between my ears. Love it

Hmm. The ZH2 is too wild for me to even think about XD Supercharger on a bike?? Why not go group B on us and whack a turbo on as well?? I bet that throttle is a fun meter though.

Jay wrote: ↑May 28th, '25, 05:59 I never use to have the modes etc, but after having a gen 4 BMW (Piece of crap) and now got the CBR RR-R I love the riding mode and electrics....
Only time I tend to play with them is on Trackdays and when I have a new tyres fitted.

But it will only go as fast/slow as you want it too.

[listb]

Just did some reading about the Fireblade…what a monster!!! That has got to be pure joy on the track!!

_Church_ wrote: ↑May 29th, '25, 19:32 Do you tip in to a corner on the brakes and then add a dab if needed before the apex? I pretty much always brake, lean, crack open the throttle…has led to a few brown pants moments though.

Sometimes.
It feels nice to corner while trail braking.
I think it's something to do with the geometry change with the forks being a little compressed under braking, or maybe it's having more load on the front tyre (or maybe it's both things).
I think trail braking, which is just blending the braking and corning zones, is a smoother, safer & faster way to corner.

Also with highways you often can't see the corner fully until you're in it, and sometimes they tighten more than expected (or there's a obstacle on your line) so you might need to tighten it. That's why it's good to be slightly on the brakes through the first part until you can see your exit as you can then easily add a little more braking if needed without unsettling the bike.

It's when this becomes more like panic braking that cornering ABS helps you out. It diverts some of your front brake effort to the rear and that stops the bike from trying to stand upright which then makes it try to just go straight on instead of turning.
I did that once on a Vstrom 650.. it was not fun, didn't do it again.

Used to do trail braking into the bus stop at llandow, added to the fun.

Jug wrote: ↑May 29th, '25, 20:07

_Church_ wrote: ↑May 29th, '25, 19:32 Do you tip in to a corner on the brakes and then add a dab if needed before the apex? I pretty much always brake, lean, crack open the throttle…has led to a few brown pants moments though.

Sometimes.
It feels nice to corner while trail braking.
I think it's something to do with the geometry change with the forks being a little compressed under braking, or maybe it's having more load on the front tyre (or maybe it's both things).
I think trail braking, which is just blending the braking and corning zones, is a smoother, safer & faster way to corner.

Also with highways you often can't see the corner fully until you're in it, and sometimes they tighten more than expected (or there's a obstacle on your line) so you might need to tighten it. That's why it's good to be slightly on the brakes through the first part until you can see your exit as you can then easily add a little more braking if needed without unsettling the bike.

It's when this becomes more like panic braking that cornering ABS helps you out. It diverts some of your front brake effort to the rear and that stops the bike from trying to stand upright which then makes it try to just go straight on instead of turning.
I did that once on a Vstrom 650.. it was not fun, didn't do it again.

Ok cool, sounds interesting, I will try it next time I'm out on the bike. When you can see the apex do you start rolling on the throttle at the same time you are releasing the brake, or is it more like brake fully released then on the gas?

_Church_ wrote: ↑May 31st, '25, 20:51 Ok cool, sounds interesting, I will try it next time I'm out on the bike. When you can see the apex do you start rolling on the throttle at the same time you are releasing the brake, or is it more like brake fully released then on the gas?

I dunno really, it's kind of automatic.
I don't think I'm ever braking and opening the throttle at the same time.
Often I might not be actually braking much at all as I'm just covering the lever, which might be enough to light up my brake light but is just to take up the 'slack' in the lever without doing anything much at the wheels. That way your ready to brake if you need to.

But a lot depends on what I'm riding like.
If it's chilled ride I might just be using engine braking, which is still enough on a big twin.
Actually when I on my 990 I have to slightly get on the throttle mid corner to reduce the engine braking as it can be pretty abrupt on that bike, as I'm sure you know from yours.

_Church_ wrote: ↑May 29th, '25, 19:41

Jay wrote: ↑May 28th, '25, 05:59 I never use to have the modes etc, but after having a gen 4 BMW (Piece of crap) and now got the CBR RR-R I love the riding mode and electrics....
Only time I tend to play with them is on Trackdays and when I have a new tyres fitted.

But it will only go as fast/slow as you want it too.

[listb]

Just did some reading about the Fireblade…what a monster!!! That has got to be pure joy on the track!!

Yeah it sure is!! But after about 6-8 Trackdays including Euros, i decided to buy a 2011 S1000RR trackbike.... just in case

Jug wrote: ↑May 31st, '25, 21:24

_Church_ wrote: ↑May 31st, '25, 20:51 Ok cool, sounds interesting, I will try it next time I'm out on the bike. When you can see the apex do you start rolling on the throttle at the same time you are releasing the brake, or is it more like brake fully released then on the gas?

I dunno really, it's kind of automatic.
I don't think I'm ever braking and opening the throttle at the same time.

Actually when I on my 990 I have to slightly get on the throttle mid corner to reduce the engine braking as it can be pretty abrupt on that bike, as I'm sure you know from yours.

Right on, that makes sense…a heavy pull on the brake would probably put too much weight on the front for street riding, I can see how your technique would make for smooth corners.

Yep, I’m still getting used to the throttle on the KTM, but for sure in the first couple thousand miles there were quite a few moments where I went for a nice gentle opening of the throttle only to have the bike roar…roundabouts especially. Ended up whipping through them with a lot faster and with more lean than I planned XD

Jay wrote: ↑Jun 2nd, '25, 06:48 [quote=_Church_ post_id=313979 time=<a href="tel:1748547705">1748547705</a> user_id=10336]
[quote=Jay post_id=313951 time=<a href="tel:1748411946">1748411946</a> user_id=192]
I never use to have the modes etc, but after having a gen 4 BMW (Piece of crap) and now got the CBR RR-R I love the riding mode and electrics....
Only time I tend to play with them is on Trackdays and when I have a new tyres fitted.

But it will only go as fast/slow as you want it too.

[listb]

Just did some reading about the Fireblade…what a monster!!! That has got to be pure joy on the track!!
[/quote]

Yeah it sure is!! But after about 6-8 Trackdays including Euros, i decided to buy a 2011 S1000RR trackbike.... just in case
[/quote]

Man those are such epic bikes…definitely like the idea of a track bike, it was a massive struggle not to buy a sport bike but I figured my body would hate me with all the miles I was planning on covering.

Going all the way back to your original question to offer my thoughts.

Im on an BMW F900R and the electronics are fantastic for road riding. I have 3 rider modes Rain, Road and Dynamic. From my perspective i never ride on the electronics but i consider them a safety net "Just in case"

In Rain mode the overall power is lowered and the throttle map is softer at lower revs and low to mid throttle. Also this raises the traction control just in case it picks up any slips.

In Road this is basically normal riding mode for dry roads, there is some ABS and traction control but its just sitting in the back ground, to my knowledge never really used an if it was used never noticed. The throttle response and engine map are more aggressive then rain mode but consider this normal riding.

In Dynamic the preload is changed on the rear suspension electronically so you can feel the bike stiffen up. The throttle map is now a lot more aggressive the entire way through the rev range, top speed is increased just because more power available at the top end of the rev range. ABS and Traction control are not switched off but are at there lowest setting and this is a lot more toward rider control required with minimal safety nets.

The bike also has a quick shifter and auto blipper as standard and i questioned why i would want one on a road bike but now that i have it would not want to go back it just makes riding so much easier and quicker.

Heated grips are a must for cold riding and the BWM has 3 levels that work well.

The dash on modern BWM's are amazing with every form of analytics you could possibly think of. my one complaint is the built in sat nav that links to an app on your phone, its turn by turn information rather then seeing a map and its very easy to get it wrong and be sent the wrong way especially on staggered junctions. If you are planning on using this then an intercom in your helmet linked to the dash is a must.

So for me i am a fan... but do recommend going and doing a test ride before you buy as for me this totally changed my perception of what i wanted to ride... I was convinced i wanted a Triumph 765RS but after riding it turns out that was not for me and the BMW was... Im 5 years in and not regretting the choice.

menzies3032 wrote: ↑Jun 3rd, '25, 08:49 Going all the way back to your original question to offer my thoughts.

Im on an BMW F900R and the electronics are fantastic for road riding. I have 3 rider modes Rain, Road and Dynamic. From my perspective i never ride on the electronics but i consider them a safety net "Just in case" .

Interesting to hear your thoughts, do you switch between Road and Dynamic quite a bit?

I expect it will be quite a while before I consider a more tech laden bike…I’d like an enduro or dirt bike first, and an easy to wrench on track bike second. The 990 SMT feels like a lifetime bike at the moment, but I may end up wanting something newer.

Those Triumphs are so tempting… I very nearly picked up a Street Triple 675 instead of the KTM….also was seriously considering a Speed Triple or the Tiger.