Underwater Traction Control

[TomInPA]

FJRferrier and Bseelbach can attest to the water crossing possibly being slick.

 

[BwanaDik]

That first video looks like it's in Bastrop for the art/antique festival? Yea, I don't do the Hill Country crossings either for that very reason.

Mac, has the traction control ever engaged on you before? What did it feel like then?

 

[SwollenRaccoon]

Gee, a couple people commented about falling down during a water crossing, and that they were going very slow, even with some video evidence. Hmmmmm.....maybe the solution is to hit it at 70 or 80 mph plus. Skim right across, and no worry about standing water getting into places it shouldn't. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Reminds me of a few years ago. I was riding 45 miles or so to meet my riding buddy, and it was a humid, foggy morning. I was on a county road that follows a river very closely for a few miles, and the fog was horrific. I literally couldn't see more than probably 50 to 75 feet, so I slowed way down.

I arrived at our agreed meeting point, and told my buddy that the visibility was so bad that I wasn't even going to see what was going to kill me. His comment was, "Hell, that takes all the pressure off. Open it up and let 'er rip".

 

[mcatrophy]

...Mac, has the traction control ever engaged on you before? What did it feel like then?

It has on a couple of occasions on normal but slippery roads.
Extraordinarily unobtrusive, simply felt as if the engine was lacking power (which is how it works, of course), but none of the on-off effects you get with ABS. Couldn't really detect any transition when it came on (I'd guess this would depend on why it came into play). And perfect bike behaviour, no sign of slippage. On one of the occasions, I was cornering (not extreme, I already knew the road surface wasn't ideal), but even then there was no drama.

I wouldn't recommend relying on it when cornering, though.

[edit]Thinking about it, it's so unobtrusive it may well have operated on other occasions leaving me unaware that it did.[/edit]

 

[RossKean]

On my car, I mostly hate traction control. You "lose power" at the most inopportune moment. I have driven in snow and ice for long enough that I can do better switching the TC off. Don't know about TC on a motorcycle but I expect it would save your bacon when you hit an unexpected slippery patch. (My 2011 doesn't have it so I'll have to wait for the next bike.)

 

[dravnx]

If you consider the amount of surface area the water is pushing against, it doesn't take much current to exert enough force to move the bike.

 

[ElectricFJR]

FJRferrier and Bseelbach can attest to the water crossing possibly being slick.

Ouch, that's painful to watch and brings back a bad memory. Exactly what happened to me--immediate major rear wheel slide and drop with no way to recover.