What is ASC?

[cookie]

Feck ASC................nowt wrong with a bit of movement under the wheels

quite agree.

trouble is, every time someone sees the ASC light come on on their bike, they think it's saved their life

makes me wonder how i've managed for 30+ years before i had all these gadgets.


it doess sound like it might have save nuffsaid's mate though.

 

[Ogmios]

...and if we're not careful, it could sound the death knell for 'traditional' bikes that you actually have to learn to ride..the H&S Nazis are writing their reports now!

the manufacturers would love it.
the research is in progress.
the ideas are well developed - but the technology is not!
Thankfully!
me and a few other "experts" (i hate the word - but it's what they call us) are being consulted on the possiblity of fitting all sorts of intelligent (hah!) systems to Bikes.
it is early days - but it is on the horizon for all bikes to be fitted with as much "Safety enhancing" 'stuff' as possible.
ABS.
TCS.
ASC.
just the tip of a feckin big iceberg.

i can find more info if anyone is interested, but Real Life calls - so this is a short reply.

 

[claw]

....trouble is, every time someone sees the ASC light come on on their bike, they think it's saved their life .....

That's a question that many people who may have had it in the past, may still be here today to tell us about it, its one we certainly can't answer.

ASC worked for me on a recent trip around a roundabout with that feckin salt and molases mixture, it may have gone down without it. That mixture should be banned IMHO anyway.

And many moons ago in the early 90's i had a yammy FJ1200A, the ABS kicking in when it did saved my life or at least from a very serious accident. When i was doing around 80mph on a miserable rain soaked A1M a car pulled in front of me into the outside lane with no indicators, no nothing, it was literally feet away from me just i was about to pass it. I automatically slammed on the brakes as hard as i could in a totally natural instinct, and the abs did its job. Very odd feeling when it kicked in but without it i would have a least dropped the bike or hit the back of the car.

 

[GSmonkey]

Got it on my bike and its a load of old crap. Have to turn it off in poor conditions as it kicks in all the time unsettling the bike. As above, a bit of sliding in the crappy conditions lets you know whats going on.

Also it didn't stop my sliding down the road on my arse having it a patch of ice a couple of weeks ago!!

The only use it does have, is that it is an anti-wheelie device, usefull when you've got half a ton of camping equipment on the back.

I wouldn't spend my hard earned on it out of choice.........bike was in stock and I wanted it.

 

[claw]

Adding to my above post though, i have a 3 series M sport car, that is better to drive in the twisties with the traction control off. First thing i do when i get in is switch it off.
I get far better feedback from the steering with it disabled.

My previous bike was a ST1300 which had ABS. The previous latter models of the old pan had the option of the traction control to be fitted, it was dropped for the 1300 as Honda thought it didn't help the bike or the rider.

 

[NorthernBoy]

There are those that would say just don't open the throttle as quickly. And those of us who aren't riding gods might find it of use.

Like ABS if you're a tw@t the bike'll still bite if you take to many liberties, ie cranked over, run over ice and give it full throttle

I find it great. Although I have no problem with sliding either wheel a bit when I want to, it is nice to have the option, on a cold, slimy morning on London roads streaked with diesel, to let the bike give a bit of a helping hand.

I'll probably never switch to having it on all of the time, but for 99% of riders, it is going to allow you a bigger margin of error in adverse conditions. It's just like ABS. In theory, the perfect rider does not need it, but it has its uses.

And there is an off switch for wen it is not wanted.

 

[NorthernBoy]

Then you don't bother with ABS, as that's down to brake control, or wear protective clothing as any occurrence can forseen?

It is strange, is it not, that these riders who have perfect anticipation, bike control, and awareness are not happy riding in shorts and a T-shirt in the summer.

Of course, when we look at the people with the highest level of a ability and bike control (you know, the ones that we see on the telly at the weekends), we see that the electronic aids are embraced with open arms, as they allow them to ride closer to the edge of the envelope than without. It lets them ride faster, basically. The people on here must be pretty special to have better throttle control than Rossi.

Similarly with the system in a car. I did not see Hamilton asking to have all the help removed, saying that it was all just down to throttle control...

 

[cookie]

i thought rossi wanted the electronics taken away from moto GP bikes

 

[NorthernBoy]

i thought rossi wanted the electronics taken away from moto GP bikes

From all of them, surely, as it allows the less able riders to keep with the best. He thinks that without electronic help, he'd be further ahead of the field.

Actually, checking here,

http://www.auto123.com/en/racing-ne...c-aids?printable=1&section=other&artid=102478

he says that it is because it makes the bikes boring, as they are too easy to be ridden at the limit.

Here, though;

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/s...togpvalentinorossirenewscriticismofrideraids/

he points out that they are also removing some of the skill needed. Nowhere is he ever claiming that they slow the bikes down, or that they do not help.

After all, if he wanted no traction control, he could tell his engineers to turn the system off entirely.

Electronic aids let the rest of us get closer to the limits of what the bike will do, more of the time. They are a performance aid every bit as much as a safety aid, much of the time (if properly implemented). ABS, for example, tends to reduce braking distance. Some riders don't like to think that this is true, but a good system holds the wheels at the very limit of adhesion better than any person can. That does not mean that you switch your brain off when using them, but you can go closer to the edge of traction in more conditions if you know that the result of stepping over the line is a flashing warning rather than a highside.

 

[cookie]

i'm struggling with the idea that what rossi has on his moto gp bike and the ACS fitted by BMW are any more than distant cousins.

 

[NorthernBoy]

i'm struggling with the idea that what rossi has on his moto gp bike and the ACS fitted by BMW are any more than distant cousins.

Why? It may be cruder than Rossi's, but we are commensurately more cack-handed with our throttles than he is, in all likelihood.

Really, people claiming that they are good enough to never benefit from it are either pootling, or they should be banging on the door of the race teams asking for a trial.

Whether it takes away the fun or not is a very different question. I turn it off in the car and on the bike very often, because I enjoy riding more without it. I also turn off the ABS on the bike for the same reason.

 

[GS TRV]

I find it great. Although I have no problem with sliding either wheel a bit when I want to

nice one

 

[LittleMark]

In essence I think it's a bit like a seatbelt in a car. It can be annoying, goes mostly un-noticed, but if you every get into a sticky situation it can save some real hurting.
It's simply a safety aid, and like a seatbelt I'd rather have it (and let it catch those moments where things just get the better of you), than not have it (because I believe not having it makes me a better driver/rider).

 

[tw99]

I see a difference between ABS and ASC... I view ABS as being more to do with avoiding emergency situations outside your control (e.g., if someone pulls out in front of you). I'm sure I'll stop faster and more safely with my ABS bike than I would without ABS, given my level of skill, so that's why I have ABS on it.

ASC is mostly going to save you from your own errors, and given the moderate power of the GS and the way most people ride them, I don't think it is really necessary.

 

[cookie]

Really, people claiming that they are good enough to never benefit from it are either pootling, or they should be banging on the door of the race teams asking for a trial.

i would avoid it if i were buying a new bike, but i really don't fit into either category. if there was any need for it, i can't help thinking i would have noticed in the last 36 years riding.

ABS on the other hand would have saved me from one minor accident, but having it came very close to causing one too IMO.
having had ABS on my last two bikes, it may well have saved my arse without me knowing, and on balance, i'd spec a new bike with it, but i really can't consider it essential. if i did, i wouldn't be happy about riding my other 2 bikes which have no electronic aids.

 

[GSmonkey]

A lot of the comments here assume it will stop a highside. It doesn't, BMW have said as much.

 

[Pukmeister]

I guess if you decided to ride like a knobber and push your luck, all these ABS/ASC systems wouldn't help when you really got it wrong. By the time they react, your already sliding up the road

For the daily ride, at least they give you a fighting chance when you are caught out unexpectedly. I don't really expect anything more from them.

 

[NorthernBoy]

A lot of the comments here assume it will stop a highside. It doesn't, BMW have said as much.

Well, it can't guarantee it, as the slip can come on suddenly enough that cutting power is too late, but there are certainly occasions when it would. If you wee to drift the back end for a fair distance, for example, but then have it grop again when you hit a rough patch, then the ASC would likely save you then.

On the question of whether the GS needs it, I spent an hour or so playing between Canary Wharf and City Airport recently, and had the back end sliding off a roundabout, and on and off again for about 200m afterwards. Every time I whacked the throttle open up to about 80, in fact, it would let go. I tried the same thing with the ASC on, and I could be extremely cack handed with the throttle without it causing much trouble.

There is a double decker roundabout in he Wharf, too, that now has a building site that exits onto it. The downstairs is therefore always damp and muddly, and never gets rain to clear it. It is, in short, always pretty much like riding on wet ice. When the bike is running from cold, it is a bugger to get around normally, and the ASC is a welcome addition there.

 

[ijg5]

It was on my test run bike of 250 miles. I made sure I didn't order it. Problem was if you want to have a little fun you have to ensure you switch it off before you start.... every time....

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

I'm curious to know exactly what ASC is and what does it do. I believe it is something to do with stability control but I can't get my head round how that can be achieved on a bike.

I am mulling over which optional extras to have fitted and the ASC has me flummoxed(spelling???) and at £250 it's a bit expensive to buy if it doesn't do anything useful other than sounding impressive.

Apologies if I'm raking over a long dead subject!!

here you go