Race ABS, ABS Pro and more marketing terms that BMW is using are different ABS features the BMW S1000RR offers. ABS Pro is BMW lingo for Cornering ABS that is relying on Bosch’s MSC base. At the time of writing this it is the latest safety feature that is added to BMWs motorcycle lineup and it is available in numerous models in 2017. It is also possible to retrofit the system to some older models, which is explained in detail in the attached BMW press release.

A Brief ABS History

Before we jump into the details around ABS Pro and how it works specifically on the S1000 RR, I collected some easy to digest information about ABS in general as well as cornering ABS for motorcycles.

This is a great little clip about the progress of motorcycle ABS systems.

BMW Motorrad official clip about ABS PRO

So what did we learn? ABS Pro is not changing the laws of physics, but it is an ABS system that now also considers the forces that apply to a motorcycle while cornering. This allows it to stop a rider from locking up the tires while carrying lean angle and potentially helps to avoid some hairy situations. Notably here is that through smart usage of the front and rear-brake the bike maintains it’s lean-angle and course. This is a huge change, as the use of ordinary brake systems mid corner always cause the bike to stand up, which easily leads to running a corner wide or even leaving your current lane.

But what about the cost ?

484.43 $ for the ABS Pro update is not a cheap software update in my books.

So just the software for the update runs around 484$ and that prior to tax. Obviously you are going to ask :

Is that worth it? — well safety features on motorcycles might safe your and a passengers life in the most extreme case. That considered, yes it is worth it especially if you run your S1000 on public roads. If your’s is a track only bike and you are an experienced ride: don’t get it.

Why does BMW charge so much for a feature my bike should already have anyway ? — Originally BMW announced the 2015 model to have corner ABS at the time of launch. This was later silently dropped from the marketing material and the bike shipped with the necessary hardware installed but no ABS Pro. Probably liability reasons for such a crucial safety feature needed to be properly researched, to avoid making BMW Motorrad a target for lawsuits. Further software development, testing and licensing the product from Bosch must have cost BMW a small amount. Just think about the brave test-riders that had to go down numerous times, until the settings were perfectly adjusted for use on the S1000 RR.

How-to setup ABS Pro on the S1000RR

Once your bike has ABS Pro installed from the factory or your local dealer, as an retro-fit. It will be always on, IF you are in the supported ride modes. There is no extra ABS Pro switch or configuration. Being an actual German engineer, of course I consulted the manual and searched it completely for any ABS Pro mentioning. (A link for the download is at the end of this blog available and I highly recommend reading the manual for your exact bike version)

The most interesting manual section of the 2017 model year in regards to ABS Pro is this part below: