BMW Data, Part 1

My experience with harvesting data from my BMW K67 S1000RR using AiM hardware

In 2024, I had decided I wanted to try a proper liter bike. Part of the rationale was that I wanted to learn to ride that class of bike proficiently, but also after spending years developing data for the Daytona 765, I wanted something that offered more native data channels than most supersports offer. I already had my Tuono V4, which shares the same base ECU as the RSV4, so I knew what was available there. I also had an interest in the BMW already as a platform (they’re very neutral, there’s a ton of information on the setup, local dealer support if needed, etc.). Then when an attractive and nicely set-up K67 (2020+ series) showed up, I jumped on it.

Before diving in here, data is huge for rider development; however, it can also be incredibly useful in vehicle performance, and that’s what I’m focusing on in this set of posts. This first part will cover available data with the stock ECU and a fairly simple installation of suspension potentiometers. The second part will demonstrate some of the data that I’ve been able to glean.

AiM Data Channels for the 2015+ BMW S1000RR

AiM has an ECU profile for the 2015+ series of S1000RR that includes the following key channels:

• RPM

• Gear

• Front & Rear wheel speeds (independently)

• IMU data (roll/bank/lean angle) as well as the usual accelerometer and IMU channels

• Front & Rear brake pressure

• Intake & Coolant temperature

• Hand Throttle and Butterflies (which is great to recognize tunes and how the ASC impacts the butterflies)

• Torque Reduction (power reduction due to amount of throttle + lean and/or TC); multiple channels here reflected in percentages as well as Nm

• TC level setting

• ABS engagement (not positive if it’s front, rear, or any)

• ASC on (which is on a surprising amount)

• LiftOff-Wheelie Control engagement

• Suspension rebound & compression setting, as well as rear suspension travel, which is available with the stock electronic suspension option

In addition, Alpha Racing also sells a 2D front suspension potentiometer that plugs in directly to the bike. If you add that to a bike that came with the electronic suspension, you’ll also get front suspension travel and it unlocks the separate compression and rebound damping on the fork; without the front pot, the compression and rebound are linked. As mentioned in the last bullet point above, if the bike came from the factory with the electronic suspension, it also has a rear suspension travel potentiometer.

Alpha Racing front pot mount for the lower end, it comes with the bespoke aluminum mount that goes over the front wheel speed sensor and the new bolt is included. Alpha Racing photo

For the upper end of the front pot, all you do is replace one of the lower clamp bolts, included with the Alpha mounting kit. Be sure to check your own installation to make sure you aren’t over-extending the pot; I ended up using the lower bolt in mine Alpha Racing photo

On my bike, I wasn’t aware of the 2D potentiometer option at the time that I set up the data, so I added standalone Eclipse potentiometers from AiM, but I did use the Alpha mounting kit for the front and rear suspension. This means that I have two separate channels for measuring rear suspension data: 1.) OEM pot, 2.) 3rd party AiM pot that’s attached directly to the shock. In order to add the analog suspension pots, I also had to add an ACC (analog to CAN converter) from AiM.

One thing that I found little reference to with regard to installing a front suspension pot is the fact that installing it with the Alpha kit (which is hands-down the easiest way to do it), it will put the potentiometer in a position that it can get pinched by the radiator at full left lock and potentially damaged. Alpha also sells a set of steering stops that will prevent that from happening. As with other steering stops, it dramatically impacts the amount that the steering head can move, so the first few times you try to turn the bike around, you’ll notice it.

Both cabling the BMW for data and having ample space to stash excess cable, the ACC, and a data hub have been super easy. This is not like the Aprilia, where finding space for even extra cable is a challenge. AiM offers a pre-terminated harness that plugs straight into the BMW diagnostics part. I used an un-terminated CAN harness on my bike to afford me a bit more control over the installation. The extra AiM components fit under the front tank cover easily, and if I wanted to remove everything, it would literally take just a few minutes. I mounted an AiM XLog on the tail of the bike as my primary data logger (I prefer the XLog for its superior GPS reception), but because it doesn’t support an external display, I also cabled a second CAN harness to the front of the bike and mounted a S2DL to the steering stem. Another nice thing about having the two loggers on the bike is that I have backup data in the event one of them doesn’t record (that’s very rare).

Hardware Installation

Front suspension potentiometer, mounted with Alpha kit; AiM Eclipse 150 mm

Here we have two rear suspension measuring pots. The one in front of the shock and parallel with it is the aftermarket AiM Eclipse linear suspension potentiometer (100 mm) installed with the. Alpha kit. The angled one in the foreground is the OEM BMW pot. To be noted, if your bike came with the electronic suspension and you remove the OEM shock and/or forks, you will get a standing error on your dash and a warning message in the info section because it’s not seeing communication with the stock parts.

Below is the SmartyCam 3 GP 84° FoV camera controller attached to a fabricated aluminum sheet attached to the fairing stay. This works with the SharkSkinz fairings but different fairings may not permit the same mounting location.

Hardware List

• AiM XLog - mounted to the tail for best reception (same location MotoGP & WSBK mount their GPS antennae).

• AiM ACC - converts analog sensor data to CAN, installed under the front tank cover trim piece. AiM also has the ACC2 and ACC3, they all work the same but you want to make sure you select the variant that has the appropriate connection to your analog sensors (in my case, 719 connectors on the suspension pots).

• AiM Eclipse Linear Pots - 150 mm for the front, 100 mm for the rear

• AiM Data Hub - Since the XLog only has one AiM CAN port and I have the ACC + SmartyCam, I needed two AiM CAN ports. This is small and sits under the front tank trim cover.

• AiM SmartyCam 3 GP 84° FoV - I have two collars setup for the camera, one on a RAM ball mount where the right front rearview mirror would go, the other behind the windscreen on a sheet of fabricated aluminum. The latter has compromised optics since it’s looking through the windscreen but it keeps the camera out of the breeze and prevents it from getting hit by stray bits of asphalt and rubber.

• AiM - Solo2DL - this is connected to the BMW’s CAN network just like the XLog but it’s really only being used as a display. It’s completely unnecessary but since I have it, I use it.

• Alpha Racing front pot installation kit - includes upper and lower mounts for a 150/175 mm pot

• Alpha Racing rear pot installation kit for a TTX shock - includes upper and lower mounts; I used a 100 mm pot; this works with the Öhlins shock, I can’t say if it works with a manual suspension OEM shock but it does not appear to; it might be possible to retrofit the OEM DDC suspension pot but that might be fairly involved with an additional module and programming, possibly harness stuff too.

• Alpha Racing steering stop kit - this prevents the front potentiometer from getting pinched at the radiator at full lock; it also provides padding for the forks in the event of a tip-over though it dramatically increases the turning radius.

• Potentially additional/alternate cables - AiM offers different lengths of cables and harnesses so select what you’ll need for your particular installation.

With this fairly short list of hardware, I’m able to capture loads of valuable data with what I consider a reasonable expense (for those uninitiated, it’s still expensive, but if you shop around different data logging systems, this setup is relatively affordable and will work with a lot of different vehicles). It could all be done with a S2DL instead of the XLog, but I prefer the finer GPS resolution available with the XLog. As time goes on and data analysis becomes more detailed, I want more precise GPS data. Another option for that, though, is an external GPS antenna connected to the S2DL, the GPS09 from AiM. While this works fine with a S2DL, when I’ve used it with my S2DL and a SmartyCam, I lose the on-screen predictive timing on the video overlay, but it still works on the S2DL display in real time and offers better GPS resolution.

If you have the stock manual suspension, the front Alpha mounting kit should work fine, but the rear with the stock shock might be tricky. Alpha does have several different parts for attaching pots on their website, but you might be on your own for sorting out something. Again, if you don’t have the electronic suspension, you will need to use 3rd party pots, such as the AiM pots. If you do have electronic suspension stock (and whether or not you remove it), you can use the 2D pot, and you’ll have suspension data natively in the BMW ECU stream without the need for an ACC.