As far as I know mine is an early '16 and has hill hold, I use it now and then but doesn't stay on long enough, about 8 seconds
My 16 DVT has hill hold and use it a lot especially when 2up touring, only problem is is the length of time it stays on, so after reading this I hope they can change it on our model as they have on the 1260 and agree with others ....why does it not stay on until your ready to move off
Hill hold is not designed to be a long term brake so you can sit at a light without holding the brake. It's meant to be activated before you're about to pull off to assist with clutch release coordination.
The clue is in the name, hill hold is there to hold the bike on a hill, just like a handbrake. Also, why would the recent update increase the time it holds from less than 10 seconds, up to 30 seconds if it was just to assist pulling away?
A handbrake that releases after 30 seconds? Just don't see this as an opportunity to take your hand off the brake lever.
It auto releases as soon as the clutch is activated, so no need to dis-engage yourself. Also when used it does give a chance to relax the throttle hand even for 20-30 seconds, which during a long ride, especially in stop start traffic, can be a godsend, to relieve the wrist/finger ache. For me anyway and no wisecracks thanks about why I might need to rest my throttle hand........
Only used mine once. Was at a junction for more than 9 secs & it let go. I shat myself as the bike set off backwards. Never used it since. Works on my car a treat.
IIRC the indicator on the dash starts to blink when it's about to release after the programmed time. Once you're used to using it you're aware that it'll do that. Agree that it's really about anticipation of a light change or seeing traffic starting to move further up the road. The release on pulling away is on motion or clutch release/bite in gear which does make for an easy start on hills, especially loaded and two up. Though the ability to rest the brake hand at a stop on an incline is also a valid point.
On a BMW I found the hill hold control held until I moved off. I might have been able to cancel the hold by squeezing and releasing the front brake or engaging gear and releasing the clutch. I’ll check on my pals GSA on Wednesday. BUT my point is the very short time it operates, about 8 seconds or so is sometimes useful, sometimes annoying as you have to keep re applying! And I asked the dealer about a firmware update and got a vague reply as if they didn’t know of such a thing. It’s in for first annual service next week (6700 miles) and can I insist on a Firmware Update and specify the hill hold adjustment? Thanks if you can offer advice as I fear I might get the service but draw a blank on this issue. Cheers, Merrick
If I’m at a set of slow traffic lights on a steep hill, I just leave the bike in gear and turn it off while I wait. Whether or not the bike starts when they turn green is a whole different kettle of fish!
It certainly wouldn't hurt to enquire, however, after a recent service on my 1260, the hill hold range has definitely been extended to around 20 seconds, so something surely was modified or updated.
My hill hold on 1260S was working normally and after update, it seems that it is not working anymore. I will try pulling lever harder, but as far as I remember, it wasn’t needed to be pulled so hard… Any other clues?
My 2016 1200S has hill hold, only just realised after reading this thread and I've owned the bike 3 years
