Advanced Safety Concept.

For generations of motorcyclists, BMW Motorrad has been regarded as a leader in terms of motorcycling safety. With its innovative strength, BMW Motorrad established its profile as a trendsetter early on in this field and today the huge safety benefits it offers are a persuasive selling point for virtually all motorcyclists. BMW Motorrad research continues to work on increasing these safety benefits, thus making motorcycling even more attractive.

BMW Motorrad – a pioneer in the field of safety for decades.
BMW Motorrad was one of the first two-wheel vehicle manufacturers to commit proactively to motorcycle safety back in the 1970s. This dedication to increased safety began in 1976 with the motorcycle helmet developed by BMW Motorrad. Other highlights followed in 1986 with an in-house range of rider equipment and in 1988 with the world's first ever motorcycle ABS. Since 2005 a number of other elements have supplemented active safety in BMW motorcycles: tyre pressure control, the traction control system ASC and a xenon low-beam headlight. In the area of rider equipment, the NP protectors developed by BMW Motorrad for motorcycle suits contribute to passive safety, as does the new generation of helmets and the Neck Brace System introduced in 2007.

Today, ABS is either a standard feature or an ex-works option throughout the entire BMW Motorrad range. In the case of the BMW S 1000 RR the system was refined in 2009 to create the Race ABS so as to meet the needs of supersports riders, thereby achieving a new climax in terms of technological advancement.

At the same time, BMW Motorrad presented the Dynamic Traction Control System (DTC), an extension of the BMW Motorrad Automatic Stability Control (ASC). For the first time ever in serial motorcycle construction, DTC incorporates the banking angle of the motorcycle as an additional parameter. This allows the traction control system to stabilise the motorcycle with even greater sensitivity, especially when taking bends.

BMW K 1600 GT/GTL – extensive safety features now as standard.
Today the two BMW luxury touring bikes K 1600 GT and K 1600 GTL are fitted with numerous safety features, either as standard or as optional extras ex works.

For example, the brake system meets the highest possible standards in terms of deceleration, controllability, stability and control response in conjunction with ABS. The three modes "Rain", "Road" and "Dynamic" allow the rider to select three completely different engine characteristics in terms of throttle response and torque availability. In conjunction with DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) this results in significantly improved traction based on controlled engine power and traction control, especially on wet or slippery road surfaces.

With regard to chassis technology, the electronically adjustable chassis ESA II optimises the adjustment of suspension and damping to load and road surface conditions. The neutralisation of load states in particular makes for a further increase in ride and braking stability.

In addition to ABS, DTC and engine characteristics which the rider can select, the K 1600 GT/GTL are the first serial production motorcycles in the world to offer an adaptive headlight (option ex works). Here, detection of the banking angle and pitch movements of the vehicle achieves much improved illumination of the road on bends, resulting in a huge increase in active riding safety. The K 1600 GT/GTL are also the first motorcycles to feature the so-called parking light rings which are characteristic of BMW automobiles.

BMW Motorrad Advanced Safety Concept –Daytime Riding Light as a safety innovation in motorcycles.

Seeing and being seen is especially important on a motorcycle. For this reason, the LED parking light technology of the two lighting rings which was standard in the BMW K 1600 GT was further refined for the Advanced Safety Concept constructed on the basis of the BMW K 1600 GT to demonstrate the technological possibilities of Daytime Riding Light, approved for use in motorcycles since 2010.

Here the light intensity injected in the lighting rings was significantly enhanced so to ensure that the motorcycle can be detected early on and more clearly by oncoming traffic – a technological innovation which might quickly find its way into serial production.

BMW Motorrad eCall with automatic collision notification ACN as a life-saving system.

If a serious accident occurs, seconds can be crucial. Very often valuable time is lost because the rescue coordination centre is informed too late or too ambiguously about the location and severity of the accident. This is where the BMW Motorrad eCall / ACN (Emergency Call / Automatic Collision Notification) provides a valuable service.This system is already available as a standard feature in BMW automobiles and a solution specific to motorcycles is currently being worked on. This could even be incorporated in serial motorcycle production in the medium term.

If the rider arrives at an accident site on a bike fitted with BMW Motorrad eCall, he can use the eCall button to trigger a manual emergency call. The accident details and exact location with GPS data are then transmitted to a 

BMW Call Center which passes on the information as necessary to the  nearest rescue coordination centre.

If the rider of a BMW motorcycle fitted with eCall is involved in an accident himself, this is registered by means of the sensor system (ACN) and an automatic emergency call is triggered. This automatically establishes a 

connection with the BMW Call Center, enabling transmission of the required data, such as location and more detailed information on the nature of the accident.

Camera-based BMW Motorrad rider information and assistance system.

As part of another research project, work is currently being done on a motorcycle-specific adaptation of a camera-based rider information and assistance system which could be ready for serial production in the near 

future. This system can actively contribute to preventing dangerous situations from arising in the first place.

The Advanced Safety Concept based on the BMW K 1600 GT is fitted with a camera-based rider information system to monitor the environment. 

The system provides feedback on speed limits (Speed Limit Info) by means of road sign detection and graphic display on the instrument panel.

The camera is also capable of detecting objects, thereby enabling automatic detection of obstacles on the road, for example. A warning is given if there is a risk of collision. For the first time in a motorcycle, the system actively 

detects danger and is capable of triggering secondary measures. These include generating a visual signal which draws the motorcyclist's attention to the object detected, for example, and also preparing the brake system for imminent intervention.

At the same time, the motorcycle enhances its visibility so as to provide a warning. If there is a risk of collision, the headlight beam is modulated, the intensity of the headlight is enhanced and the LEDs integrated in the mirrors and turn indicators are activated so as to widen the motorcycle's silhouette.

BMW Motorrad ConnectedRide with intelligent assistance systems.

Research areas in the field of vehicle-to-vehicle communication show that a long-term approach is also being adapted to motorcycle safety.

ConnectedRide – a research project being run by BMW Motorrad and BMW Group Research and Technology – indicates developments which could advance safety much further. Assistance systems based on vehicle-to-vehicle communication make motorcycling much safer still: these are to be installed in serial production motorcycles by BMW Motorrad in the future. In connection with this research work, BMW Motorrad is the only motorcycle manufacturer involved in a large-scale field test with five vehicles.

BMW Motorrad already presented six elements of the ConnectedRide program in June 2009 at the International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles" or ESV in Stuttgart. In addition to the cross traffic and traffic light phase assistant, BMW developers designed three warning systems especially for motorcyclists: for bad weather conditions, obstacles and approaching emergency vehicles.

The fourth system to be presented by BMW Motorrad was the draft for an electronic brake light which responds to sudden brake manoeuvres in dense traffic lines, automatically relaying the information to the rear in a fraction of a second.

An additional assistance system was presented in May 2011, the left turn assistant, along with the most recent stage of development in this area: the overtaking assistant.

The cross traffic assistant analyses road users approaching a junction, the priority situation and the probability of a collision as well as assessing the response of car drivers required to wait. A display in the cockpit indicates the traffic regulations to the car driver – for example in the case of a potential failure to give way. If the driver does not respond appropriately, he is warned of the risk of collision in stages – in visual, tactile and acoustic form. On the motorcycle, the road light is gradually modulated, light intensity is increased and additional LED strobes at the side of the motorcycle are activated so as to widen the silhouette and thereby increase notice ability in the case of an increasing risk of collision. If a collision is imminent the motorcycle horn is sounded automatically.

The traffic light phase assistant allows the traffic light system to communicate with the motorcycle. If the traffic lights are set to red when the motorcycle arrives at the intersection at an unchanged speed, the rider would receive this information early enough via the instrument panel to be able to brake gently. The assistant is also able to display a speed at which he could reach the traffic lights during the green cycle.

The bad weather warning gives the motorcyclists a visual indication in the instrument panel – optionally also a voice message in the BMW Motorrad Communication System – to provide early warning of a route section with weather conditions such as fog, rain, snow or black ice. The assistant also gives details of approximately when the rider can be expected to encounter these conditions. As the trigger algorithm, researchers have in mind a certain number of vehicles switching on their fog lamps for example. This information, combined with the exterior temperature of the vehicles in question, can be used to infer snow or hail. Other sources of data include rain sensors, regulatory systems such as DSC and rear fog lamps switched on.

The obstacle warning also indicates to the motorcyclist by means of a visual signal in the instrument panel – also with optional voice message – that an obstacle is to be expected on the road. This might be oil or chippings on the road, or a broken-down vehicle at the roadside. The warning also includes details of approximately how far away the obstacle is. The warning and location of the danger could be transmitted by the vehicle or vehicles ahead to the vehicles behind.

The emergency vehicle warning system provides a visual display in the instrument panel which gives the rider early indication of an approaching emergency vehicle. A clear symbol and a voice message warn the rider, also providing details of the distance.

The idea behind the electronic brake light is the fact that the brake lights of a vehicle subjected to sudden heavy braking may possibly be hidden by the vehicles behind it. These results in a delayed reaction which can cause rear-end collisions. In order to inform traffic to the rear as early as possible that a brake manoeuvre has been carried out, this information is communicated to other road users by means of vehicle-to-vehicle communication as part of the electronic brake light system. The latter receive this information via the instrument panel and communication system.

An additional left turn assistant takes into account the particular risk potential of this traffic situation to the motorcyclist. Additional LEDs in the rear mirror casings and automatic high beam activation make the motor-cycles more visible to traffic turning off to the left. Calculation of the collision risk is based on data transmitted by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. If there is an acute risk of collision, simultaneous and automatic brake intervention in the car prevents it from turning off to the left.

The overtaking assistant makes an overtaking motorcycle more easily visible to other road users. The manoeuvre is detected by the system of sensors already in serial production in conjunction with Race ABS and DTC. If the vehicle ahead moves out to overtake at the same time as the motor-cycle because the driver has overlooked the motorcyclist or wrongly estimated his speed, the motorcyclist is in danger. Additional LEDs in the turn indicator are used to intensify the signalling effect, making the motor-cycle more visible within the car driver's peripheral field of vision. This significantly increases the probability of the driver noticing the motorcycle before it disappears into the blind spot.

Vines BMW Bikes

Vines Motorrad have branches in Guildford and Caterham, Surrey. Keep up with news, offers and events by following us on Twitter @VinesBMWBikes and on Facebook.

Top ten BSB finish and a Superstock race win for Buildbase BMW Motorrad

The Buildbase BMW Motorrad team, and the crowds at the first BSB race held at the new Snetterton 300 circuit, were treated to a weekend of blazing sunshine and some fantastic results for the BMW S 1000 RR riders.

Richard Cooper claimed his second Superstock 1000 victory of the year, Barry Burrell once again finished on the podium in the BSB-EVO class and Ian Lowry scored the team's first top ten finish in the British Superbike class.

The first Supebike race of the day was held up early on when the safety car came out following two crashes. The inaugural Snetterton 300 BSB race saw both Ian Lowry and John Laverty improve on their qualifying performances, going on to finish 19th and 22nd respectively, while Barry brought his BMW S 1000 RR home eighth in the BSB-EVO class.

The second Superbike race of the day was filled with drama and proved to be far more successful for the Buildbase BMW Motorrad team. By lap eight, Ian Lowry had worked his way up to 12th, Barry Burrell was fourth in the EVO class and John Laverty was 27th when the race was red flagged following a two rider crash.


The restarted race nine lap race saw Ian and Barry continue to work their way through the field, with Ian bringing his S 1000 RR home in ninth to take the team's first top-ten British Superbike finish. By finishing third in the EVO class and 14th overall, Barry’s podium finish secured him third place in the BSB-EVO championship. The afternoon didn’t work out so well for John Laverty who had to pull in early after being unhappy with his setup on the bike.

The final race of the day, the Superstock 1000, saw Richard Cooper get off to a storming start from pole position. Cooper was running at the front of the pack, powering his way to a two second lead after only three laps. Richard held this lead until the chequered flag, despite a late challenge from second place finisher Danny Buchan. Richard took his second victory of 2011 and another significant step in the battle for the championship title.

Stuart Hicken, team principal, said: "It's been a tough weekend but a very successful one. Ian secured the team’s first top ten finish in the British Superbike class and put in some very quick laps along the way. Richard absolutely dominated the Superstock 1000 class. He was fastest in practice; started on pole position and lead the race from start to finish.

"Barry’s well-deserved podium rounded off a great weekend for the team. In Barry and Richard we now have two riders sitting third in their respective championships and we are all looking forward to building on that when we return to Oulton Park in two weeks time."


British Superbike race one result

1) John Hopkins (Samsung Suzuki)
2) Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha)
3) Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda)
4) Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha)
5) Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda)

19) Ian Lowry (Buildbase BWM Motorrad)
22) John Laverty (Buildbase BMW Motorrad)
27) Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW Motorrad)

British Superbike race two result

1) Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda)
2) Josh Brookes (TAS Suzuki)
3) John Hopkins (Samsung Suzuki)
4) Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda)
5) Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha)

9) Ian Lowry (Buildbase BWM Motorrad)
14) Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW Motorrad)

BSB-EVO race one result

1) Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda)
2) Simon Andrews (PR Kawasaki)
3) Glen Richards (WFR Honda)
4) Jake Zemke (WFR Honda)
5) Patric Muff (Tyco Honda)

8) Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW Motorrad)

BSB-EVO race two result

1) Jake Zemke (WFR Honda)
2) Glen Richards (WFR Honda)
3) Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW Motorrad)
4) Patric Muff (Tyco Honda)
5) Aaron Zanotti (Quattro Suzuki)

BSB-EVO championship standings

1) 197 - Glen Richards (WFR Honda)
2) 159 - Simon Andrews (PR Kawasaki)
3) 158 - Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW Motorrad)
4) 153 - Patric Muff (Tyco Honda)
5) 145 - Alex Lowes (N/A)

Superstock 1000 race result

1) Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW Motorrad)
2) Danny Buchan (MSS Kawasaki)
3) Luke Quigley (Astro BMW Racing)
4) Howie Mainwaring (MSS Kawasaki)
5) Tristan Palmer (GBmoto Honda)

Superstock 1000 championship standings

1) 117 - Danny Buchan (MSS Kawasaki)
2) 115 - Tristan Palmer (GBmoto Honda)
3) 104 - Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW Motorrad)
4) 61 - Jason O'Halloran (HM Plant Honda)
5) 54 - Howie Mainwaring (MSS Kawasaki)

Vines BMW Bikes

Vines Motorrad have branches in Guildford and Caterham, Surrey. Keep up with news, offers and events by following us on Twitter @VinesBMWBikes and on Facebook.

BMW Motorrad Dynamic Damping Control DDC.
Semiactive suspension technology for the future.

Making motorcycles better, safer, and more fun to ride with innovative developments has been one of the BMW Motorrad core competences for decades. As the leader in this technology, BMW Motorrad presents new solutions in quick succession that usually soon become indispensable in series motorcycles. Now a new step in development is in the offing: the semiactive suspension control system Dynamic Damping Control, in short DDC.

BMW Motorrad – competence in suspension innovations and control systems.

As early as 1986, BMW Motorrad achieved a milestone in suspension technology by launching the Paralever swingarm, an innovation that considerably improved rear suspension and the transfer of forces. In 1993, the freshly launched opposed twin “boxer” engine series was the first to be fitted as standard with a front suspension system that operated independently of the rear known as Telelever. Yet another revolutionary step in suspension technology was taken in 2005, when the Duolever offering extreme torsional rigidity for the front wheel was launched.

Bikers were also able to benefit early from pioneering innovations in drive control. In 1988, with the launch of ABS in the BMW K1, BMW Motorrad presented the first antilock brake system to be fitted as standard on motorcycles. Since 2007, the automatic stability control system ASC has been preventing the rear wheel from spinning out of control. In 2009 there followed Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) which also analyses the vehicle's inclination, a first on a series production motorcycle.

And BMW Motorrad has always been that one step ahead in suspension control systems as well. 2004 saw the advent of ESA, the electronic suspension adjustment system, which allowed the rider to adjust suspension elements at the push of a button – also a first on series production motorcycles. In 2009, the successor system ESA II went a step further and was the first to provide spring rate variation.

The next logical step – semiactive suspension control.

The next logical step in the development of suspension and control systems is taking concrete shape. The next stage of evolution in this field is the automatic adjustment of suspension elements to diverse operating conditions like varying road surfaces or certain manoeuvres. BMW Motorrad achieves this through Dynamic Damping Control DDC.

Analogous technologies have been used with great success in BMW automobiles, for instance the BMW M3 and BMW M5, for years now. This gives rise to valuable synergy effects for internal developments. The challenge: adapting the system to the requirements of motorcycle physics and integrating this in the relevant control systems.

The evolution: from ESA II to DDC.

BMW Motorrad announced the considerable progress it had made in adapting its systems to varying payload and road surfaces by launching ESA II, the new electronic suspension adjustment system. This lets the rider adjust the Duolever, Telelever, and Paralever damping properties as well as the rear wheel spring rate or its "tightness", all at the convenience of pressing a button. The characteristics the rider can select for suspension and damping provide a range of tuning and payload settings for all road conditions that is yet to meet its match. In conjunction with the three tuning variants "Comfort", "Normal", and "Sport", ESA II therefore opened up a new dimension of ride stability with the best response in all operating and payload configurations.

In this form, ESA II was the first electronic suspension tuning system worldwide to provide these configurations on motorcycles at all.

With the object of achieving even greater stability and safety in riding response, Dynamic Damping Control DDC goes a step further. DDC is a semiactive suspension system which reacts automatically to manoeuvres like braking, accelerating, and cornering on various road surfaces and analyses the situational parameters provided by sensors to set the correct level of damping at electrically actuated proportional damping valves.

DDC is linked to the traction control system DTC and ABS via the CAN bus. The system recognises the control activities by the other systems and adapts the damping as the situation requires. The adjustments to damping depend on whether the springs are compressing or rebounding, with each process being controlled separately.

The damping is adjusted at an electrically actuated, proportional damping valve that features a variable ring gap and therefore variable flow cross section for the damper oil. The inversely proportional adjustment to flow rate and pressure gives rise to a change in damping force within milliseconds to adapt to new conditions.

Unlike ESA II, the dynamic damping control system DDC does not make use of characteristic curves, but characteristic maps that provide the optimal damper tuning within a defined range. Selected at the press of a button, three characteristic maps for the basic configurations "Comfort", "Normal", and "Sport" let the rider realise his own wishes on this system too. As known from ESA II, the selected configuration is displayed in the instrument cluster. Analogously to ESA II, DDC also features variable spring rates.

The operating principle of DDC.

A number of examples quickly provide some insights into the advantages for certain riding situations. Before the rider sets off, activating the ignition first initiates the system check and the flow of information from the engine control, ABS control unit, sensor box (DTC), and the spring travel sensors to the DDC control unit. This appears on the display in the instrument panel.

When the motorcycle sets off, the valves in the front and rear dampers are actuated only marginally (supplied with power) when the speed exceeds a definable value. When the rider accelerates, e.g. when leaving the city limits, the valve in the rear strut is actuated more strongly owing to the changes in dynamic wheel load distribution and in the drive torque. Once the target speed has been reached, valve actuation drops back to its original level (less power supply than setting off). Information flows from the throttle grip via engine control to the DDC control unit, and from there to the damping valves.

When the rider takes a series of corners, both damping valves are actuated more strongly with increasing inclination – starting from the low power supply – until the vertex is reached. When the vehicle returns upright between two corners, the actuation of the two damping valves constantly drops to the original power level with decreasing inclination. When the motorcycle turns into the second corner, valve actuation again rises proportionally to the angle of inclination and again drops from the vertex value. Information flows from the sensor box (DTC) to the DDC control unit, and from there to the damping valves.

When the motorcycle brakes, e.g. at a rail crossing, the actuation of the front damping valve increases proportionally to the deceleration so that the damping forces and therefore riding stability increase as a result. In this case, Dynamic Damping Control DDC analyses both the dynamic phase of braking, until constant deceleration and wheel load distribution, and the subsequent static phase.

Once the adjusted speed has been reached (here for passing over the rail crossing), the power supply and therefore the actuation return to their original values. At the same time, information flows from the hand brake pump on the handlebar to the ABS, and from there via the DDC control unit to the valves.

When the motorcycle is passing over the rail crossing (here representing all types of uneven road surfaces), the valves in the front and rear dampers are actuated (powered) proportionally to the respective compression travel. In this case, information flows the front and rear spring travel sensors via the DDC control unit to the valves.

When the motorcycle is finally brought to a stop, the valves are first actuated as in the braking process described above. As soon as the motorcycle is stationary, the power to the valves and therefore their actuation are deactivated.

The benefits of the dynamic damping control system DDC are obvious.

Within the shortest of times the system evaluates a huge amount of information and selects the high precision suspension configuration best suited to the situation. This provides a considerable boost to active riding safety, operating comfort, and – not least of all – riding fun.

The suspension damping system DDC will be introduced to the first BMW Motorrad series motorcycles in the near future.

BMW Motorrad Concept Vehicle BMW E-Scooter.