Continental offers cornering ABS on bikes

Safety features for motorcycles have proliferated recently, with Bosch developing a number of features that provides safety on high performance bikes to mitigate certain risks. German auto parts maker, Continental, has stepped into the ring with its new ABS system that comes with what they call ‘Optimised Curve Braking’.

Essentially an evolution of their Motorcycle Integral Brake (MIB) that makes sure that brake pressure is applied to both the front and rear wheel in ideal proportion, the Optimised Curve Braking system monitors roll, pitch, lateral acceleration and lean angle around 100 times per second to help maintain stability under braking whilst cornering.

From the above graphic, it looks like the days of cornering sideways on your motorcycle may be over, as the ABS kicks in more gradually, modulating braking pressure more smoothly to improve handling in curves.

The 2015 BMW S 1000 XR (which debuted at EICMA just last month) will be the first production motorcycle to be fitted with the new cornering ABS system, and is expected to launch internationally during the summer of 2015.

“Thanks to optimized curve braking, braking in curves is more stable and therefore more predictable. The danger of having an accident in a curve is reduced and safety increased,” said Ronan Le Roy, head of the motorcycle business in the Vehicle Dynamics Business Unit of Continental’s Chassis & Safety Division.