Does Yamaha R15’s ABS work with ignition off? Here is the answer [Video]

The Yamaha R-15 is the most powerful and technologically advanced 150 cc bike on sale in India. Though the price tag of the bike is a bit high, it easily smokes other 150 cc and even several 200 cc bikes easily. A major gripe which many of the R15’s owners shared was the lack of ABS on the bike. However, Yamaha launched the ABS-equipped version of the bike a couple of months back and it is a dual channel unit. However, like many other queries that arise in one’s mind randomly, have you ever wondered whether the ABS system on a bike work with the engine turned off. Or if the ignition is turned off too. Check out the video below by Indian Asphalt, which tests the ABS system of the Yamaha R15 V3 in both these situations.

Since the new R15 V3 comes with a dual-channel ABS system, this means that both the front and the rear wheel of the bike will not lock and slip under heavy braking. For performance-oriented bikes like the R15, ABS is a must as it greatly reduces the risk of slipping or sliding of the bike due to intense braking. Let’s now talk about what happens in the video and whether the ABS system works when the engine is off.

Kill Switch set to off

In the first round, the rider takes his bike to one end of the road and quickly accelerates up to a speed of 60 km/h. He maintains the speed for a bit and then hits the engine kill switch which shuts off the engine. After this, he applies both the brakes heavily but the bike does not slip or lose its line. This means that the ABS system works fine and is not dependent on the engine.

Ignition turned off/Key removed

In the second round, the biker again starts from one end of the road, takes up his bike to 60 km/h and maintains the speed for some time. However, this time instead of killing the engine, he removes the key from the ignition slot. Immediately after removing the key he applies both the brakes heavily. This time thought he bike loses its line and the rear wheel locks up, resulting in a slight skidding of the tire. This validates that removing the key or turning off the ignition completely results in the ABS being non-functional.

The ABS system on a bike, like other electric components, depends on the battery and hence when the ignition is killed, the access to power is killed too. The sensors which detect the wheel lockup require power and turning off the ignition means no power is being supplied by the battery. However, the mere act of turning off the engine does not cut the battery access for the electricals and hence the ABS works in that case.

Talking about the Yamaha YZF-R15 V3.0, it gets powered by a 155 cc liquid cooled engine that puts out 18.7 Bhp along with 15 Nm). The engine comes mated to a six-speed gearbox and gets a slipper clutch as well. It comes equipped with a dual-channel ABS, VVA (Variable Valve Actuation) and weighs a mere 139 kg. The VVA technology Yamaha has introduced on the bike is responsible for its strong high-end performance. Not getting much into the technical details, the VVA enables the camshaft to change the timing of the opening and closing of the vales after a certain set RPM.