General Notes; Antilock Brake System (Abs) - BMW Motorrad R 1250 GS 2002 Rider's Manual

154 ENGINEERING DETAILS

GENERAL NOTES

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ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
(ABS)
Partially integral brakes
Your motorcycle is equipped
with partially integral brakes.
Both front and rear brakes
are applied when you pull the
handbrake lever. The foot-
brake lever acts only on the
rear brake.
When actively intervening
in the braking process,
BMW Motorrad Integral
ABS Pro adapts braking-force
distribution between front and
rear brakes to suit the load on
the motorcycle.
ATTENTION
Attempted burn-out despite
Integral braking function
Damage to rear brake and
clutch
Do not burn out tyres.
How does ABS work?
The amount of braking force
that can be transferred to the
road depends on factors that
include the coefficient of fric-
tion of the road surface. Loose
stones, ice and snow or a wet
road all have much lower coef-
ficients of friction than a clean
and dry asphalt surface. The
lower the coefficient of friction,
the longer the braking distance.
If the rider increases braking
pressure to the extent that
braking force exceeds the max-
imum transferable limit, the
wheels start to lock and the
vehicle loses its directional sta-
bility; a fall is imminent. Be-
fore this situation occurs the
ABS will be activated and the
brake pressure adapted to the
maximally transferable braking
force. The wheels continue to
turn and the driving stability
is retained irrespective of the
road condition.
What are the effects of
surface irregularities?
Humps and surface irregu-
larities can cause the wheels
to lose contact temporarily
with the road surface; if this
happens the braking force
that can be transmitted to
the road can drop to zero. If