![]() To the home mechanic, this can be irritating at best – I once struggled to wire in a set of high-intensity spot lights before discovering that the power lead to a KTM Adventure’s main beam also carries the crank position sensor information. This ‘Controller Area Network bus’ enables communication between almost every part of a vehicle, which allows for much more complex systems to operate – with fewer cables – than with a traditional loom consisting of wires that are either powered or not. Not all bikes have the latest OBD II connector, but the majority do now use the CAN bus protocol. OBD, or On-Board Diagnostics, is a standardised system for accessing the ECUs of a vehicle (and yes, there are usually many Electronic Control Units, not just what most of us consider the main ‘brain’). Hex Innovate has been making diagnostic equipment since 2000 for VW, Audi, Porsche and other car brands, but now offers a tool for owners of most BMW motorcycles, which allows the user to safely communicate with the control modules in their bike via the OBD port. ![]() Understanding why the brake light doesn’t work, or why the engine won’t fire isn’t a simple matter of tracing a bad earth anymore, and with multiple ECUs sending data throughout the loom, the consequences of getting it wrong could be very, very expensive. With motorcycle electronics now controlling everything from the indicators to the cam timing through a complex CAN bus wiring system, home servicing and fault diagnostics is beyond the scope of many home mechanics.
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