How do you use your riding modes?

[jay-d]

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My bike has 4 riding modes, with mode 1 being sporty and I rode in this mode most of the time. Having a new exhaust and tune, now riding mode 3 feels like how mode 1 felt before the tune. Mode 4 is rain mode and is still super slow responsive.

I hardly use modes 1 and 2 now because they are just too quick and responsive for commuting or while in traffic.

Anyone else with riding modes just leave it in one mode or do you change it depending on your situation? First bike with riding modes so curious to know how others are using them.

 

[GreyGhost]

My bike has 4 riding modes, with mode 1 being sporty and I rode in this mode most of the time. Having a new exhaust and tune, now riding mode 3 feels like how mode 1 felt before the tune. Mode 4 is rain mode and is still super slow responsive.

I hardly use modes 1 and 2 now because they are just too quick and responsive for commuting or while in traffic.

Anyone else with riding modes just leave it in one mode or do you change it depending on your situation? First bike with riding modes so curious to know how others are using them.

How did tuning work? Did they tune all modes separately? Did they play with a base map and the bike modes offset from that? Was the tune worthwhile when you mainly use pre-tune map? If one and two are too hairy for the street, I suspect the tuner should be able to fix that (eg. reduce throttle response in Mode 2 but keep the max power the same as mode 1).

 

[jay-d]

How did tuning work? Did they tune all modes separately? Did they play with a base map and the bike modes offset from that? Was the tune worthwhile when you mainly use pre-tune map? If one and two are too hairy for the street, I suspect the tuner should be able to fix that (eg. reduce throttle response in Mode 2 but keep the max power the same as mode 1).

Tuning was great! Mode 1 and 2 were super twitchy at first, and I told Speedlab that the throttle response on Mode 3 was perfect. They then mimicked that for mode 1 and 2, but I can feel the torque difference and how much the bike pulls in all 4 modes. The throttle response is good for 1 and 2, it's not too hairy anymore, but I don't see myself using modes 1 and 2 that much anymore as it's just too much power for the type of riding I do.

 

[Lightcycle]

Riding modes have become a lot more all-encompassing than when they originally debuted many years ago, when the introduction of throttle-by-wire allowed you to nerf the horsepower.

With the advent of 6-axis IMU and Electronic Suspension Adjustment, ride modes allowed you to change other aspects of the motorcycle's controls, like the ability to control the level of ABS and Traction Control, and tie it in to lean-angle sensitivity. ESA also allows you to change the damping of the shock and forks for a better grip and ride quality off-road or on the race track depending on the bike.

I've got ride modes on a few of my bikes and I use them differently for each. Most of the ride mode implementations allow you to customize the different levels of throttle sensitivity, ABS, TC, ESA, which I find more useful than accepting the defaults for rain/eco/road/sport.

I leave the throttle unchanged for all my bikes opting to leave it at full-power at all times. I think I have enough experience to tame my throttle hand in almost all conditions: wet, snow/ice, mud, etc.

Plus, I paids for all the horsepowers, I wanna use all the horsepowers!

Same goes for traction control, I typically leave it off because I can sense when the wheel is slipping and adjust manually according on the fly. The only time I can see using TC is for competition use, when excessive wheel spin (or lack of because of a tentative throttle) can hinder lap times. The IMU feeding info to a lean-sensitive traction control on a racebike can allow the rider to whack the throttle WOT in the middle of the corner and the TC will feed power so you get the optimum drive at all lean angles.

That said, allowing some slip to the rear wheel will allow you to change the direction of the bike with the throttle, you see racers do it all the time, backing it into a the corner and exiting out sideways.

For ABS, I leave it on for normal riding, and turn it off when I go off-road because not being able to control a slide manually with the brakes is just not fun and dangerous in some circumstances, like descending a steep, slippery slope.

So to answer your question, on my street bikes, I leave the riding mode on sport with the least intrusive electronic aids on.

For my off-road bike, I've customized two modes that I switch back and forth: Dynamic and Enduro. Both modes have full throttle, no TC. Dynamic has ABS turned on, Enduro has no ABS. Dynamic has sport suspension, Enduro switches it to off-road suspension.

Good question, BTW!

 

[Relax]

My Hyperstrada had riding modes, and after playing around with them, I preferred to just leave it on sport all the time to develop consistent throttle muscle memory when taking off at stops and blipping on downshifts. I remember when I first rode it, I was taking a left uphill sweeper and the tire playfully stepped out. I thought "wow, this traction control still lets you play". Turned out the previous owner had turned it all the way off...

 

[Jampy00]

I have 7 modes on my motorcycle. I'll never use the last 2
Road
Sport
Rain
Off road
Off road plus
Custom
Custom Off road plus

For the most part I use Road or Sport. While I think they are useful I often forget about them and just ride. Road is the default mode.

 

[Scuba Steve]

My bike has 4 riding modes, with mode 1 being sporty and I rode in this mode most of the time. Having a new exhaust and tune, now riding mode 3 feels like how mode 1 felt before the tune. Mode 4 is rain mode and is still super slow responsive.

I hardly use modes 1 and 2 now because they are just too quick and responsive for commuting or while in traffic.

Anyone else with riding modes just leave it in one mode or do you change it depending on your situation? First bike with riding modes so curious to know how others are using them.

Mine has never been out of sport mode except when off road then it is in off road mode that unlinks the brakes and disables rear abs.

Sent from the future

 

[Wingboy]

My new Dragonfly has 4 modes. Anything above the bottom mode scares me.

 

[Priller]

Being an Aprilia, the riding modes on my Tuono make no sense. There's Sport, Track and Race. You'd think Race would be the all-in, balls out mode, but it's actually the opposite. Sport has the most low-down power and the most engine braking, while Race has the least low-rpm power and almost zero engine braking, with Track somewhere in the middle. I actually find Sport mode to be a bit much down low, and it'll bite if you're not extremely smooth with the throttle, not enough to be serious, but enough that it's a bit uncomfortable. Race is too fluffy down low, and I like some engine braking, so I leave it in Track mode, both on the street and at the track...

 

[Baggsy]

My Tiger has five modes, Rain, Road, Sport, Off-road, Custom.
When I first got it, it was mostly in rain mode.
Now it's mostly in Road mode.
I've not needed the extra acceleration of Sport mode yet.

 

[ToSlow]

I just run my AT in touring,

 

[Lightcycle]

I actually find Sport mode to be a bit much down low, and it'll bite if you're not extremely smooth with the throttle, not enough to be serious, but enough that it's a bit uncomfortable. Race is too fluffy down low, and I like some engine braking, so I leave it in Track mode, both on the street and at the track...

Something that throttle-by-wire has allowed the manufacturers to do is shape the throttle response curve. You can still get 100% out of the engine, but how *quickly* you get there can be customized as well. Similar to how we use to do it mechanically in the old days by installing a quarter-turn throttle tube.

Some get it right, some don't.

Modern Ducatis get a lot of complaints about too much free-play baked into the throttle. Rather than fixing it electronically, there is a popular mod that Duc owners install called throttle spacers, which takes up the slack at the beginning of the throttle travel:

I ordered some for my Hypermotard, but by the time they arrived, I had already adapted my riding style to compensate for the free play, so I haven't even bothered to install it.

By contrast, the Riding Modes on our Norden 901 allows you to customize the throttle response to something called Rally mode. You still use 100% of the power like sport-mode, but the difference is that there is virtually no free-play from idle and as a result, the throttle seems very jerky which makes it very difficult to be smooth when starting off.

I thought this was dumb and never used it... until you hit the deep, loose stuff like sand dunes, where you need to be WOT to move a bike that heavy out of the sand. Then free-play off idle doesn't matter one iota - cause the sand is basically your free-play/cush drive. Then the light-bulb moment hit me and I thought, "Wow, that's brilliant!"

 

[adri]

Well look at all you fancy b****** and your ride modes

 

[jay-d]

I'm glad I'm not the only one then that doesn't ride in Sport mode all the time! I think if I spend more time in it, I can fine tune that muscle memory in my wrist, but time will tell.

Well look at all you fancy b****** and your ride modes

Come to the dark side, it's fun over here!

 

[Priller]

Something that throttle-by-wire has allowed the manufacturers to do is shape the throttle response curve. You can still get 100% out of the engine, but how *quickly* you get there can be customized as well. Similar to how we use to do it mechanically in the old days by installing a quarter-turn throttle tube.

Some get it right, some don't.

Modern Ducatis get a lot of complaints about too much free-play baked into the throttle. Rather than fixing it electronically, there is a popular mod that Duc owners install called throttle spacers, which takes up the slack at the beginning of the throttle travel:

I ordered some for my Hypermotard, but by the time they arrived, I had already adapted my riding style to compensate for the free play, so I haven't even bothered to install it.

By contrast, the Riding Modes on our Norden 901 allows you to customize the throttle response to something called Rally mode. You still use 100% of the power like sport-mode, but the difference is that there is virtually no free-play from idle and as a result, the throttle seems very jerky which makes it very difficult to be smooth when starting off.

I thought this was dumb and never used it... until you hit the deep, loose stuff like sand dunes, where you need to be WOT to move a bike that heavy out of the sand. Then free-play off idle doesn't matter one iota - cause the sand is basically your free-play/cush drive. Then the light-bulb moment hit me and I thought, "Wow, that's brilliant!"

Interesting that throttle slack is a thing on the Duc. On the Aprilia, there's no cable, just a rheostat and a bundle of wires. This means there's zero free play, just mapping to adjust. In the three stock maps on the Tuono, all make the same power above roughly 7-8,000 rpm, it's the path to get there that changes.

Having all these variables also makes developing aftermarket tuning setups waaaaay more complicated. All the way through the carb era and well into the FI / Power Commander era, it was just about adjusting to get the most torque and power at WOT. Relatively easy. Now, a map has to be built to account for each level of throttle input at each rpm, all the lean angles, and whatever other data the IMU collects to adjust the amount of fuel to the injectors. There's a guy in Italy, Gabro, whose team develops custom maps for Aprilia bikes, and it takes them hundreds of hours of track time to develop a good map now, because there's so much data to collect beyond whacking it wide open on a dyno (though they do that too). Dynos aren't the be all and end all they used to be, especially with the bigger bikes, because riders spend so little time on the street at WOT anyway. It's much more important to tune for feel at part throttle than max power. Not to mention the myriad other factors, like fuel economy and engine temps.

It's all really cool and interesting, but has definitely upped the complexity and eliminated the local guy with a dyno from tuning a lot of bikes...

 

[Low rider]

My Ducati 848 has one mode, ball to the wall and no ABS.

 

[bigpoppa]

My bike has 4 riding modes, with mode 1 being sporty and I rode in this mode most of the time. Having a new exhaust and tune, now riding mode 3 feels like how mode 1 felt before the tune. Mode 4 is rain mode and is still super slow responsive.

I hardly use modes 1 and 2 now because they are just too quick and responsive for commuting or while in traffic.

Anyone else with riding modes just leave it in one mode or do you change it depending on your situation? First bike with riding modes so curious to know how others are using them.

I left rain mode in mexico, havent looked back.


Oh you mean bikes? on the triumph im 90% in track mode, the throttle response is a bit sharper/fun. The fueling is so good, even during the wet, I just leave it in track mode...only if its REALLY pouring down or im riding on a punctured tire, I go into street mode, which ups the TC, and that is sufficient for me. Granted I havent really moded or tuned the bikes ever, so I have no idea how much that opens things up

 

[bigpoppa]

Being an Aprilia, the riding modes on my Tuono make no sense. There's Sport, Track and Race. You'd think Race would be the all-in, balls out mode, but it's actually the opposite. Sport has the most low-down power and the most engine braking, while Race has the least low-rpm power and almost zero engine braking, with Track somewhere in the middle. I actually find Sport mode to be a bit much down low, and it'll bite if you're not extremely smooth with the throttle, not enough to be serious, but enough that it's a bit uncomfortable. Race is too fluffy down low, and I like some engine braking, so I leave it in Track mode, both on the street and at the track...

I would have thought you would have more than 1 bike?

 

[Priller]

I would have thought you would have more than 1 bike?

I do, but the Burgman 400 (commuter) and RC51 (track bike) don't have riding modes! I also occasionally still do a slow track session on the Tuono, as it's just plain fun to ride and it's a laugh to pretend to be Yvon Duhamel on his '70s Z-1 superbike with the high bars...

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