Traction Control

[badf85]

Has anyone come up with a way to swap the function on the traction control? Meaning it is always off until turned on. I have done a search and not come up with anything.

[The Pope]

Nope. Mama Kaw decided that you will have it active when you start up the bike, then you can deactivate it if you like.

[maxtog]

Nope. Mama Kaw decided that you will have it active when you start up the bike, then you can deactivate it if you like.

Yep.

My car has the exact same thing- it will not remember the traction control setting and defaults to "on" for both that and also laser controlled cruise control (instead of just speed).

Hey- at least it doesn't default to FEAM on (Fuel Economy Assistance Mode), remembers windshield position, and remembers combined breaking mode.

[Deziner]

I'm sure Mama Kaw did that to protect herself from the ambulance chasers.

[philipintexas]

I had an '08 without Traction Control. On about my fifth ride, I started out of my driveway, the off-idle sag/then-accelerate glitch kicked in and caused me to swing wide in the cull-de-sac and I accelerated right into an unseen patch of dust in the gutter. This launched me over the handle-bars in a classic high-side with about $5,000 in damage and a very bruised ego and body. I never knew what happened until I was lying in the street and saw the cloud of dust! Sometimes those safety features are there for a reason. I cannot imagine why one would disable a safety feature that can save your life when you least expect to need it.? From experience I can tell you, human reaction speed is abysmally slow compared to that of a computer!

I guess maybe I'm just too old, but, other than a Sturges Rally "Burnout", under what circumstances is a spinning rear tire on a motorcycle a "desirable" thing?? 

[VirginiaJim]

+1!

[maxtog]

I had an '08 without Traction Control. On about my fifth ride, I started out of my driveway, the off-idle sag/then-accelerate glitch kicked in and caused me to swing wide in the cull-de-sac and I accelerated right into an unseen patch of dust in the gutter. This launched me over the handle-bars in a classic high-side with about $5,000 in damage and a very bruised ego and body. I never knew what happened until I was lying in the street and saw the cloud of dust! Sometimes those safety features are there for a reason. I cannot imagine why one would disable a safety feature that can save your life when you least expect to need it.? From experience I can tell you, human reaction speed is abysmally slow compared to that of a computer!

I can certainly understand that, and I personally would never want to leave traction control off [permanently/across starts].  It is nice to have the ability to temporarily turn it off for certain occasions (occasions I will probably never need, though).  So I do understand why they would have it come back on at each start...  one might accidentally turn it off and then not know it was off and it would just stay off and not be ready when you needed it.

The ultimate solution would be to have an option to turn it off temporarily AND a more complex/difficult option to turn it off "always".  Of course, I bet more people want the ability to turn off the combined brakes

[badf85]

 I traded my '06 c10 last October for this new '13 c14. I found out within a couple of days I didn't like the traction control being on until turned off. I got in the throttle pretty heavy and the front wheel came up and down 3 times before I thought to back off of it. I personally don't mind packing the front wheel at times. This thing shuts down even if you skip it on a hump in the road. If there was a way I wouldn't think twice about changing it to stay off until turned on.

[gPink]

I don't have an inferior 2nd gen so i'm speculating here...  You have a switch to turn the tc off after the bike powers up...could you not add a second switch to interrupt power while the the main switch is on leaving the brain to think the tc is operable?

[maxtog]

You have a switch to turn the tc off after the bike powers up...could you not add a second switch to interrupt power while the the main switch is on leaving the brain to think the tc is operable?

You could wire up a relay to the switch with two delays, one has to wait X seconds after starting, the other has to break/make contact for X seconds as described:

"To set the KTRC -Depress the KTRC button on the left handlebar for more than one second but less than three seconds to switch the KTRC function on and off. When the KTRC function is off, the KTRC indicator light goes on. When the KTRC function is on, the KTRC indicator light goes off or blinks slowly.  The KTRIC is switched on and off once the button is released."

[Deziner]

Why would you turn it off?  Is traction control bad?

[maxtog]

Why would you turn it off?  Is traction control bad?

*I* wouldn't want to turn it off, but some people believe they can do a better job of control than the computer can (and some might assert that a particular implementation of TC isn't very good or has certain flaws).  Similar argument with people who say they are better than ABS.  I am sure there are some people that in some circumstances might, indeed, be better at control than some TC or ABS.  But with modern vehicles, I believe they are very few people who can and even fewer circumstances and vehicles.

Otherwise, one might want to temporarily turn off TC because they intentionally want to lose traction- burnouts, wheelies, slides, experimenting, stuff like that.

[AlbertaDoug]

Why would you turn it off?  Is traction control bad?

Plus one.
I personally like my Traction Control, cool mornings wet roads or wet paint(merge hatch's or centre lines) , dusty roads.

[Conniesaki]

I imagine that if you turn TC off, the moment you really need it ... well ... too late to turn it back on now, isn't it? Or ... bear with me here ... if, as you're flying over the bars you very quickly reach down and re-engage TC, your bike may very well straighten out, stabilize and you land right back on the seat, saying to yourself, "Hey that traction control really works!"

On my ZX14R, TC basically stops the ability to wheelie, so there is that, which is sometimes lame but in reality probably a good thing 

The ZX's default is to turn TC back on once the bike has been turned off and back on ... but I believe an ECU re-flash can disable that default so TC stays where you set it. If riders of flashed bikes are forgetting to turn TC back on and crashing because of it, I've never read about that happening.

Yeah ... I'm old too.

[Scaffolder]

I was rushing out of Boston today. A nice early window before the Friday afternoon rush. I was following some chicks car in the right lane that is the only lane to go onto Rt.1 North off from Rt 99 East. We were the only 2 vehicles in the lane and maybe 100 feet or so to go. Here comes a big stinking trash truck half way past her with his blinker on. She accelerates to stay ahead of him as any normal person would have done. I followed suit and jumped on the throttle. Then she changed her mind and locked up the brakes to let him in. I thought for sure I was going to eat her rear-end. My traction control handled this situation like a pro. I am pretty good at judging the right times to do and not to do things. This really was a good test. I will keep loving my traction control in the on position.
I also would like it to stay in ECO mode. I switch to ECO mode within the first mile of every ride.

[maxtog]

I also would like it to stay in ECO mode [FEAM]. I switch to ECO mode within the first mile of every ride.

Good point, I don't think FEAM is sticky (persistent) either.  That is rather puzzling.

[firehawk618]

I was rushing out of Boston today. A nice early window before the Friday afternoon rush. I was following some chicks car in the right lane that is the only lane to go onto Rt.1 North off from Rt 99 East. We were the only 2 vehicles in the lane and maybe 100 feet or so to go. Here comes a big stinking trash truck half way past her with his blinker on. She accelerates to stay ahead of him as any normal person would have done. I followed suit and jumped on the throttle. Then she changed her mind and locked up the brakes to let him in. I thought for sure I was going to eat her rear-end. My traction control handled this situation like a pro. I am pretty good at judging the right times to do and not to do things. This really was a good test. I will keep loving my traction control in the on position.
I also would like it to stay in ECO mode. I switch to ECO mode within the first mile of every ride.

Aren't you talking about your ABS working like a pro?  Were you accelerating to get around her or something?

ABS = brakes
Traction control = throttle


Personally, if someone designed and sold a device to disable traction control on every start up I wouldn't spend the money on it.  I like it enabled until I say so.

[PlaynInPeoria]

The ultimate solution would be to have an option to turn it off temporarily AND a more complex/difficult option to turn it off "always".  Of course, I bet more people want the ability to turn off the combined brakes

This. I disabled the linked brakes a long time ago and love it, best mod I've done and I've got a lot of mods I really like.

[VirginiaJim]

Mine are disabled as well.   Whoa there!  Wait a minute!  They came from the factory like that!