FEATURE
BOSCH/DUCATI MULTISTRADA ELECTRONICS TEST
P86
At the end of 2013,
Bosch released its Motor-
cycle Stability Control (MSC)
system, now housed within
certain bikes like the Ducati
Multistrada and KTM Su-
per Adventure. This system
partnered up with the gadget
everyone is talking about
for this year in the Inertial
Measurement Unit (IMU)—an
incredible device that mea-
sures the machine across
three different axes and
two yaw rates to moderate
traction control intervention,
ABS, suspension action,
wheelie control, etc. It's truly
an amazing piece of technol-
ogy and the first genuine
sensor of its kind developed
specifically for motorcycles
This tiny little sensor is called
the IMU and is one of the biggest
advances in motorcycle safety
technology in decades.
WHAT IS MSC?
The Motorcycle Stability Control
system measures areas such as front
and rear wheel speed, lean angle,
pitch angle, acceleration, front and
rear brake pressure and many other
parameters, all with the aim of allowing
the maximum braking pressure to be
applied for a given tire grip.
MSC works with the IMU and allows
the Bosch 9ME ABS to recognize
when you're reaching the outer limits
of your tire's performance. When your
brakes lock, the bike becomes unsta-
ble, so you have to release them again
and re-modulate the pressure, which
in turn makes your stopping distance
longer. MSC is here to correct that.
The MSC module contains an
electronically linked braking system
that modulates how much pressure is
applied to the front and rear brakes.
Too much force through the front and
the MSC system diverts brake pres-
sure to the rear to help pull the back
end into the corner, helping to keep
the bike from standing up and running
wide and into that oncoming car.
MSC also has the ability to prevent
the rear wheel lifting excessively under
braking and the front wheel lifting
excessively under acceleration, and
when working with the traction control
system, helps to control rear wheel
spin under hard acceleration.
