In this article, we will take a look at the ESS, or emergency stop signal.
I was out touring when a bike in front of me braked suddenly.
I noticed the hazard lights were flashing.
I thought it was amazing that the rider had the time to turn on the hazard lights when braking so suddenly!
I imagine that was the ESS, or emergency stop signal, being activated.
What's the ESS? Tell me more!
1.Overview of ESS Functions
The ESS, or emergency stop signal, is a system that reduces the possibility of being rear-ended by automatically and rapidly flashing the turn indicators on both sides of the bike simultaneously to notify following vehicles that the bike is conducting an emergency brake.
It is activated when the system detects emergency braking while driving above a certain speed.
Are you saying that you don't have to do anything to trigger the ESS, it just comes on when you brake suddenly?
That's exactly what I'm saying. It's a function that notifies the vehicle following you that you are in the middle of an emergency brake.
The bikes are so small that it's hard to see the stop lights, so this function helps them stand out.
2.Activation Mechanism
Really, all you do to activate it is to hit the brakes.
This only serves to notify others behind you, so it's better to just drive safely so you don't have to activate it.
Not having to brake so suddenly is the best thing for sure.
OK, so I get how it works now. Is there anything I ought to know ahead of time about the ESS?
Different models will have different conditions for the ESS turning off or not being activated in the first place, so read your specific bike's instruction manual to understand the function in detail!
It might be good to know that the ESS is not only found in motorcycles, but cars as well. It activates in different ways too, such as flashing stop lights instead of flashing indicators!
I'll see if my bike has it and under what conditions it activates! Thanks a lot.
Hey! You been enjoying your time out there on your bike?