TC definitely works well... I ran with it at its standard road settings (8 I think?) at Brands last year (suspecting my bravery and skill levels are not suitably aligned) and it would activate driving out Graham Hill bend. Even on it's higher settings, it's incredibly subtle - just felt like a slight misfire until I straightened up. I also had the TC light flickering on Clark curve, but couldn't feel anything. (and yes, i acknowledge being ham fisted) (btw - check out Kope's video a while back showing the TC gathering up a big slide - from memory, I think he was running on setting 2 or so) Ian
Se Setting two is standard race setting. I run mine on the standard sport settings, five, and as you say the TC is incredibly subtle. Having said that, I have not tracked the bike yet. If I were to use race mode on a circuit, I would alter the TC setting from two to five or six and then, as previously mentioned, adjust it from there. The advantage of race mode is the quicker throttle response..... I've only had this bike two months, so, I am still getting into the extra power....I will eventually run around in race mode all the time on the roads, but, with the higher TC setting and a slightly higher ABS level. Mine is a boggo 1199 ABS, so, no idea if the S & R have more trickery..... other than the superior suspension, etc. It's an interesting debate and I would like to read more owners opinions on their road settings as well as track. How do most get on with the QS for example? includes 899 owners. I find it a pain, when not giving it the beans and using the clutch lever, as the QS software tends to second guess your input. For this reason I have turned it off. On a track... I would have thought it to be fine. The hunting at low revs is another slightly annoying issue and I have read of possible re-maps to address this. However, I wonder whether this would invalidate the warranty. Apologies for the slight thread digression.
The OEM QS on my 1198 is a pile of potatoes. I'm putting money aside for the HM Shift Lever. Across all forums and discussions it always comes out top.
My view on the TC system is that it provides a safety net if you overcook the throttle or hit an unexpected slippery surface while on the throttle, and it can react quicker to a slide than perhaps even the most accomplished rider could do. I think its a great system - it works almost without you knowing and would save you from 90% of potential big slides/highside moments in my view; but it cannot compete with the laws of physics, so if you do get over-excited with the throttle whilst leant right over near the limit, it may not catch the slide before it develops too far. TC is no excuse for poor throttle control though. I bought my 1199S back in October last year and opted to swap tires to Michelin Pilot Road 3's prior to collecting it as i ride in all weathers and had no faith in the wet weather ability of the Supercorsas. As the PR3s only come in a max 190/55 rear i went for this size. I found that settings 8 and 7 on TC would activate in a straight line, even in the dry, so i knocked it down to 6 for road use, and found this to work very well; keeping any form of slide to nothing more than a twitch at the rear even in the wet on corner exit. 5 for dry roads was good for more spirited riding and would allow a tad more rear end slip, but still keep things under control. This is my first bike to have anything electronic, other than ABS, helping out, so it took a while to learn to trust the system. After numerous laps of a local route with some nice quiet roads and good, smooth corner exits i started to push it a bit each time, and found that i could roll on progressively exiting a particular wet roundabout, and let the TC system make me feel like a god as the bike squirmed its way up the road through the following two gears still leant over! This was with TC set up fairly intrusively though, and i must admit I've not yet found the need to set it any lower than 5 as it's intrusion is more a necessity than a hinderence. I have just changed tires from the PR3s which were 5,000 miles old, to Pilot Power Supersports in 200/55. The first thing i have noticed is the TC now is less intrusive, and i find that setting 8 is ok in a straight line now, but does slightly limit the power on corner exits if gassing it hard. Ive changed sport mode to setting 7, left wet at 8 and set race to 6. each mode i've customised anyway to my preferences, but essentially ive added 1-2 'clicks' onto the TC to account for the reduced activation with the new tires. Great tires by the way if anyone is considering them! loads of grip and ive even had a crack in the wet on them thanks to a soaking shower while taking the long route home from the tire shop on saturday just gone. Decent grip in the wet/damp and stick really well on dry roads. Seemingly they dig in and drive hard out of corners moreso than the PR3's allowed too. Anyway, thats my view on traction control! Sam
Agree about the standard qs(899),i only use mine when under full acceleration,it seems a bit slow and clunky under 7k,never use it from 1st to 2nd changes,not 100% confident about using it mid turn.
ah, QS, Along with a really good slipper another epiphany for me in the last couple of years. Have a HM on my track bike and its fantastic, just keep feeding gears and driving forward. I can see why people have them on track
You're not meant to use it from 1st to 2nd. Just from 2nd to 3rd and above. And you don't use it coming down the box either.
