Patent ID: 7267411

Claim:
A brake system for a two-wheeled motor vehicle, the brake system comprising a front wheel brake circuit and a rear wheel brake circuit, wherein each of said front and rear wheel brake circuits comprises: a wheel braking mechanism; a brake operation lever for enabling a rider of the vehicle to operate the wheel braking mechanism; a master cylinder operable in response to operation of the brake operation lever; a main brake line which extends between the master cylinder and the wheel braking mechanism; an electrically-operated actuator for use in generating hydraulic pressure; a hydraulic pressure modulator corresponding to and selectively placeable in fluid communication with said wheel braking mechanism for transmitting the hydraulic pressure generated by the electrically-operated actuator to the wheel braking mechanism, the hydraulic pressure modulator being in fluid communication with the main brake line; an electromagnetic on-off valve provided in the main brake line proximate the hydraulic pressure modulator, the electromagnetic on-off valve situated between the master cylinder and the wheel braking mechanism and provided for controlling fluid communication therebetween; wherein the electromagnetic on-off valve and the electrically-operated actuator of each brake circuit are controllable depending on driving conditions and a braking operation of the motorcycle, wherein the wheel braking mechanisms of the two respective brake circuits are operable to apply a respective force in response to operation of an associated brake operation lever of one of the two brake circuits; and wherein, when a vehicle rider operates the operation unit of a selected one of said front and rear wheel brake circuits to make the selected circuit an active circuit, operation of the system is coordinated so that the wheel braking mechanism of the active circuit operates first, and then the electromagnetic on-off valve of the active circuit closes so that the wheel braking mechanism of the other circuit is operated by use of hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pressure modulator of the other circuit.