Drop Sensor - Installation

[Rainman]

So here is another install I completed today.

First, I'll admit I was confused by what the terms "drop sensor" and "lean sensor" might mean. With a little bit of reading, you can find a lot of discussion about the "lean sensor" or "lean angle sensor" in the literature concerning DTC and the different ride modes you can select. But the "drop sensor" isn't mentioned much. It's only briefly mentioned and relagated to the BMW accessories list as an option.

If I might simplify this for you. The lean or "lean angle sensor" is tied to throttle control at riding angles - primarily as a rider safety feature. It's a basic part of the bike.

The "drop sensor" is used to shut the engine off when it senses the bike is down. I'd call that a bike safety feature. It is "an electronic acceleration sensor with angle-of-heel recognition", It is not a mechanical sensor. What it does is cut off the fuel injection and fuel pump whan a laternal acceleration of 0.7g is measured over a period of 2 seconds.

So I bought it. Here is a picture of the unit itself on my invoice. Here it is called a "Camber Sensor". And by the way, I didn't pay that much.



So on the right side of the bike at the rear of the fuel tank, you will see a plastic bracket, and a connector zip-tied to the frame. The connector here is for the drop sensor pictured above.



The first step is to remove the two zip-ties so the the connector is free, like below.



Then you pull off the protective cap from the connector. It looks like this below.



Here is another look at the sensor and the connector.

[Rainman]

And one more shot with the ends that will be joined. As you can see they are keyed, so no screw ups should happen.



Now here is where a screwup can happen. The sensor and it's connector need to be in the bracket as designed. Since it is going to measure lateral acceleration, it can't start out in the wrong position. Check it out below. The part of the lower connector with the lock goes to the front, and the bracket clips around the sensor between the ridged parts. In this position the braket and sensor are help in the correct position.



Here is a shot from the top to show how the sensor and bracket are mated.



And here is one more picture which shows both the slick mode plug on the left of the tank, and the drop sensor on the right.



One Final Note:
You can buy and install the drop sensor on your bike by yourself. But,... in order to work, it needs to be "encoded" to the ECU by the BMW dealer using their diagnostic equipment. I plan on having them do that when I get back to them for my 600 mile service.

Enjoy

[Rainman]

My dealer gave me some descriptions of all the optional accessories. Thought you guys might want to see this. I haven't found anything that was this complete. Description of drop sensor.
Note: The reference in the text to "45 at standstill" is really "45 degrees at standstill".

And here are the drop sensor installation instructions. They didn't come with the sensor. The dealer had to print this off for me.

[ratemut]

Thanks Rainman

Posts like these are why I love these forums

[sfoster]

9.8% tax? Too bad you live so far from Oregon.

I also noted the following from your attachment:

For note on installation see the RSD (Repair & Service Data BMW Motorrad) service-data DVD.

This relates to another post where they were told there will not be a service DVD for sale. I guess there is one, just don't know if it's for public sale.

[viperclaw]

Very nice Rainman

[Devyl]

Originally Posted by Rainman

And here are the drop sensor installation instructions. They didn't come with the sensor. The dealer had to print this off for me.

Picked up the part this weekend. While your installation explanation above seems straightforward, I thought I should still read the instructions but the link does not seem to work for me. Mind posting a new link or emailing me the pdf?

Thanks!

[Sonic RR]

Am I missing something? every bike I have ever owned came with this safety feature from the factory?





Chad

[Rainman]

Yannick - but the link does not seem to work for me. Mind posting a new link or emailing me the pdf?

Looks like my Drop Sensor Installation pdf didn't make it to my web site.
I'll add it back tonight. Thanks for noticing.

Sonic RR - Am I missing something? every bike I have ever owned came with this safety feature from the factory?

Believe it. This one doesn't. This is a good lesson for everybody. Don't assume that everything you've ever had on one bike is going to be on every other bike you will ever buy. I've never had DTC or a mode switch on any another bike, so I'm not going to assume it will be on my next bikes until I check it out.

[street]

My dealer was kind enough to install during the PDI. Software will get downloaded at the 600 mi service. Not available until mid March, I'm told.