Table of contents

• PS-TuneUp for retrofit traction controls Bazzaz, Rapid Bike and Grip One system
• With good reason slicks instead of road tires
• TC is only as good as the rider and bike allow it to be
• Retrofit traction controls from Bazzaz and Rapid Bike
• Retrofit traction control from Grip One
• Installation of the retrofit traction controls
• Coordination of retrofit traction controls
• Out of the comfort zone and into the limit
• More about technology
• Test with Yamaha YZF-R6 on Metzeler slicks
• Bazzaz
• Rapid bike
• Grip One
• PS-TuneUp parts list for retrofit traction controls

Feulner

15th pictures

Andreas Feulner

1/15
The last TC test was 6 years ago. So it was time again to test the retrofit traction controls currently available on the market.

Andreas Feulner

2/15
Three Yamaha YZF-R6 were equipped with various retrofit traction controls and Metzeler slicks of the same type.

Andreas Feulner

3/15
The tests were carried out at the Sachsenring, where the left tire flank and therefore also the electronics are extremely demanding.

Andreas Feulner

4/15
Now there’s work to be done: Uphill in an even slightly inclined position at full throttle (note the exhaust gas bulges behind the exhaust), the TCs have to show what they can do.

Andreas Feulner

5/15
Driving, resting, documenting impressions and so on – for two days.

Andreas Feulner

6/15
The tire circumferences are entered via the control unit of the Grip One.

Andreas Feulner

7/15
The ZFi TC from Bazzaz only processes data supplied by the control unit of the series motorcycle. Therefore, it can be plugged in fairly easily with prefabricated cables and plugs.

Andreas Feulner

8/15
The Grip One only believes in its own sensors. The brackets supplied for the wheel speed sensors may have to be adapted.

Andreas Feulner

9/15
The scope of delivery of the Grip One: An additional module for intervening in the mixture formation, as is the case with Bazzaz and Rapid Bike, is not available here; it must be obtained from other manufacturers if required.

Andreas Feulner

10/15
The Rapid Bike system can be upgraded with launch control, intervention in the mixture formation and drag torque control. If you can concentrate, you can even adjust the aids while driving.

Andreas Feulner

11/15
The assessment of different software requires identical hardware as possible…

Andreas Feulner

12/15
…As always, the tires are particularly important.

Andreas Feulner

13/15
Anyone who cannot imagine the development effort behind a traction control system can give their imaginative power a boost by looking at the tangled cables that arise during assembly.

Andreas Feulner

14/15
The retrofit traction control test.

Andreas Feulner

15/15
One of the few right turns on the Sachsenring – downhill, which is why the driver’s feeling is required here.

counselor

workshop

Retrofit traction controls Bazzaz, Rapid Bike and Grip One system

PS-TuneUp for retrofit traction controls
Bazzaz, Rapid Bike and Grip One system

Content of

Retrofit traction control? As with all highly complex systems, one initially has concerns. PS therefore tested three common electronics packages from Bazzaz, Rapid Bike and Grip One-System.

Jens Hebisch

09/14/2016

Rear wheel slips are stupid. Highsiders are really stupid. Mostly also extremely painful. But what if you don’t own a brand new super sports car equipped with space shuttle technology? Why not retrofit a traction control? The market now offers really good, well-engineered and affordable material, which makes the trackday safer and sustainably promotes the fun of bold lighting.

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Bazzaz, Rapid Bike and Grip One system

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With good reason slicks instead of road tires

It has been a good six years since the PS editorial team took up the topic of “retrofit traction controls” (TC for short) and went in search of the best electronic helpers. So it is high time to check again what the market has to offer and what the little wonder boxes can now do. We grab the three current house numbers in the sector – Bazzaz, Rapid Bike and Grip One – and throw ourselves headlong into an incline and wheelspin.

Unlike in 2010, however, in our test we do not rely on road tires and an extremely narrow and angled slope à la Contidrom, but choose the brand new super glue Metzeler Racetec RR Slick as the liability supplier and the MotoGP track at the Sachsenring as the venue (thanks to HPS Racing for the Test opportunity). Why not road tires that are much more likely to reach their limit and demand traction controls? The test already answered this good question six years ago: Back then, road tires reached their limits too quickly; there were already problems with the rubbers when entering the bend. In addition, there is an acute risk of sudden loss of grip with overstressed road tires in a maximum lean angle – which is just all too popular on the track. A scenario in which even current TCs can hardly react and protect against cold deformation. You have to know that most TCs can only record the wheelspin, i.e. the slip on the rear wheel, but not the sideways movement.

TC is only as good as the rider and bike allow it to be

Anyone who thinks that they can work with a traction control completely with gross motor skills or that they do not have to take any bumps or other disruptive factors into account will very quickly find themselves on the bottom of their pants. And look wistfully behind its fine stalls as it emerges from its orbit back into the earth’s atmosphere and hits the gravel or asphalt surface without a braking parachute.

So much in advance, before we take a closer look at the individual systems: All three traction controls tested here work, and they do well. But they also require a driving style that allows them to intervene at all – whoever is already flying off in an inclined position on wet curbs cannot be saved by them any more than someone who falls over the front wheel at the entrance to the bend. And all three systems are only as good as their peripherals – meaning driver and machine – allow. A badly tuned bike with rough engine characteristics and stiff or rocky chassis will not get any better with traction control. On the contrary, if you use a spring that is too hard at the rear, for example, this can lead to excessive use of the TC and thus to loss of time. Why? Because the tire can no longer follow the contour of the bumps, it jumps and loses its grip, which leads to slippage and the intervention of the TC. A TC should be understood as an inconspicuous little helper who intervenes as rarely as possible and supports you in approaching your limit without prejudice.

Retrofit traction controls from Bazzaz and Rapid Bike

Let us first come to the working methods of the three traction controls, where Bazzaz and Rapid Bike differ significantly from the Grip One system. These first-mentioned systems work exclusively with the data supplied by the production bike. For this purpose, the position of the throttle valves, their opening speed, the rear wheel speed (with Bazzaz and Rapid Bike picking up these values ​​at different points), the engine speed and the gear are recorded and permanently checked for plausibility. This means that if the system detects that the rear wheel is suddenly accelerating disproportionately quickly to the opening angle and opening speed of the throttle valve, there is slippage and thus the urgent need for control intervention. Sounds easy, but actually deserves a Nobel Prize, because after all, the processors of the systems process this information in milliseconds and not only make the decision as to whether something needs to be done, but also calculate the necessary severity of the intervention. First, the ignition point is adjusted further and further in the direction of retardation, thereby reducing the power, and finally even interrupting the spray supply so that the bottom remains in the saddle and is not catapulted into orbit. As I said, in milliseconds – the blink of an eye turns into a lazy eternity.

Retrofit traction control from Grip One

As far as computing speed and intervention are concerned, the Grip One system also works on the same principle, but its decisions are based on completely different data. The Grip One uses wheel sensors to determine the speeds of the front and rear wheels and constantly compares them with one another. In order for this to work, you have to inform the system beforehand about the rolling circumference of the installed tires.

In addition, there is a lean angle sensor that reports to the system that the load is currently in the low altitude and thus also reduces the wheel circumference. If this sensor were not available, the traction control would regulate every time the bike leans, since the rolling circumference of a tire is significantly smaller on the flank than in the middle, which is entered as a fixed dimension in the TC computer. For high-end racing TCs, there are prefabricated circumferential change profiles for different tire brands, tire types and even air pressures, since every tire and every change in the pressure used provides different dimensions. The Grip One, however, is satisfied with entering the wheel circumference once. It is important, however, to measure every new tire type and to enter the corresponding values ​​using the check box. It is best to mount it on the dashboard or the fork bridge, because it also serves as a command post for the intervention of the TC, the shift light, the wheelie control and the launch control for the rocket launch. In short, all data and settings that the system needs are made using this box; no extra software is available, but also not necessary. As an add-on there is a GPS module that expands the Grip One with a GPS lap timer, as well as an additional inertia sensor that also records acceleration and deceleration values ​​and uses this data to further refine the analysis and subsequent interventions. We hadn’t installed this module and were still impressed.

Installation of the retrofit traction controls

We are less impressed with the installation. Thanks to the supplied wiring harness, the Grip One system can be integrated into the existing electronics without any problems, but one cannot hope for model-specific plug-and-play material for the wheel sensor holders; Universal holders are delivered here, some of which have to be reworked. No rocket science and certainly no reason to shy away from the Grip One, but a point that you should know.

And what about the installation of the other two retrofit traction controls? Bazzaz and Rapid Bike are due to their design – no holders for wheel sensors are necessary – actually plug-and-play and hardly worry an experienced mechanic or experienced hobby mechanic. But a certain skill is required, and in case of doubt we recommend going to the competent specialist workshop or the respective importer of the system, because regardless of whether it is Bikeshop Luchow (Bazzaz), Alpha Technik (Rapid Bike) or Micron Systems (Grip One), all three are waiting not only with enormous expertise, but also operate their own workshops that install parts for customers and, if necessary, coordinate them immediately.

Coordination of retrofit traction controls

Tuning really makes sense with Bazzaz and Rapid Bike because, in addition to traction controls, they not only include functions such as launch control, but also a module for intervening in the mixture preparation. Comprehensive packages, but in the case of the Bazzaz, it is advisable to retrofit handlebar adjustment and indicator light. The Rapid Bike is usefully supplemented by an automatic gearshift, which is subject to an extra charge. With these two it is advisable to invest a few euros more for a competent coordination of the mixture electronics. This option is not available on the Grip One. This requires additional external systems, for example from Dynojet (Power Commander), Rapid Bike or other providers.

For all these systems there are additional modules for a surcharge, which enable a kind of “self-learning function” of the mixture electronics – Power Commander offers the Autotune, Rapid Bike has My Tuning Bike in its range and Bazzaz offers the Self Map Kit. If we were to go into all of these systems and their different procedures in detail, that would go beyond the scope of this TuneUp. After all, the focus of this electronics special is on traction controls, and after all the theory, it is finally time to experience reality and test the systems under the conditions for which they were developed: on the track – at the limit.

Out of the comfort zone and into the limit

At the limit, that is exactly the crux of the matter and the challenge with this PS-TuneUp, because as already explained, the retrofit traction controls should literally help “save your ass”. But to test it out, you first have to move your very best out of the comfort zone and into the limit area – or rather a bit further. In addition, feel the whole thing sensitively and monitor with one eye on the light-emitting diodes, which show you that countless bits and bytes have just been fired through the processors and have caused an alarm on the TC command bridge.

In addition, the mere functionality of the respective traction control must first be ensured. Fortunately, Bazzaz and Rapid Bike can already test this on the test bench due to the construction and operation of the systems, but with the Grip One it doesn’t help, you actually have to prance one foot over the abyss before you know that all sensors are working properly and that the computer is working. Where, after all, the Grip One is the system that grabs the latest in the delivery state and puts a stop to it.

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Test with Yamaha YZF-R6 on Metzeler slicks

Nothing helps, down with the electric blankets and out on the slopes. Yamaha Germany has three of us YZF-R6 (Model year 2016) from the test fleet to enable us to make a direct comparison. All bikes are absolutely standard and only relieved by mirrors, indicators and license plate holders. The only tuning, apart from the electronic systems, are the brand new Metzeler Racetec RR slicks, front and rear in the super adhesive K1 mixture. It’s unbelievable what you can do with series 600s on matching rubbers. After a total of 24 turns over two days and countless “close to the edge” moments, we are through – physically, but also with the test. Everything is safe, everything is good, everything is quick. But how are the systems doing in detail??

Bazzaz

Andreas Feulner

The ZFi TC from Bazzaz only processes data supplied by the control unit of the series motorcycle. Therefore, it can be plugged in fairly easily with prefabricated cables and plugs.

The retrofit traction control from Bazzaz regulates out of the box a little early, but this is not a problem, but rather gives you the pleasant awareness that the system is present and ready for operation. Readjusted on the handlebar control directly during the turn, it doesn’t take long to bring the driver close to his limit. The last few percent to the optimum then require a lot of test work. Even more so, the faster the driver is. After two days at Sachsenring and in the sharpest third of the setting range, we still had the feeling from time to time that the Bazzaz was regulating too carefully. But when she did, she did it gently. The included automatic switch also works very smoothly. In connection with the fuel module for mixture adjustment, a real all-round carefree package.

Rapid bike

Andreas Feulner

The Rapid Bike system can be upgraded with launch control, intervention in the mixture formation and drag torque control.

The Rapid Bike Racing Kit imported by Alpha Technik for the Yamaha YZF-R6 comes in connection with the Youtune control unit. This is necessary in order to activate the TC function and the add-ons Launch Control and Co. in the first place. The Rapid Bike works at Bazzaz level. With gentle intervention, good readjustment via the control unit and coordinated directly by Alpha Technik, it is already closer to the speed from the start. After two days of continuous use and in the middle of the adjustment range, the retrofit traction controls of the Rapid Bike and Bazzaz are only a tenth apart, which is not surprising due to the very similar way of working. In terms of price, the Rapid Bike configuration with an automatic gearshift is a bit higher than the Bazzaz, but it also offers more features, such as launch control for wheelie-free racing or the possibility of adjusting mixture enrichment and engine braking while driving. Nice gimmicks, the necessity of which everyone must determine for themselves and their intended use.

Grip One

Andreas Feulner

The Grip One only believes in its own sensors. The brackets supplied for the wheel speed sensors may have to be adapted.

The Chrono TC from Grip One, which controls via wheel and lean angle sensors, suits my driving style the most and, on the other hand, slows me down the least or not at all. It regulates very gently, and that too damn late. This is a curse and a blessing at the same time, because for the normal hobby racer with two to three track events a year, this control range could be a bit too far above the abyss. If things go wrong, there is no trust in the system. Or – even worse – you fall with a shock reaction when the bike starts to come slowly across with a slight wheelspin in a deep lean position – the electronics would very likely have intervened a fraction of a second later and brought the rocket sliding through hyperspace back on course. As I said, this type of traction control works best for me, it gave me my personal best at the Sachsenring. Ultimately, choosing the right traction control and coordinating it requires a healthy self-assessment and a clear definition of what is needed and what is not.

PS-TuneUp parts list for retrofit traction controls

Parts list for aftermarket traction controls

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