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ABS in the news
- Thread starter fj40dave
- Start date
Knowing it works and is safer does not mean I can afford it. I wish I could. I think it makes sense in every way and would not be shocked to see them mandate it for every bike someday. I just wish that someday was ten years ago so I could have it now for my safety. ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.
<p align="left"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20211686@N05/">My Photos<br
Up here in Seattle if you don't ride in the rain you don't ride, and ABS is essential (especially in the traffic I see in the mornings!). I have to say though, I think my ST1300's ABS felt a little more assured than my new 09 C14's ABS. The C14 seems a little sensitive in the rear; I feel the pumping come on a little early. Still though, I would not buy one without ABS.
I didn't have them on my C10. I knew that the rear tire locked if a cloud came out It was going to bite me some day. It did. Now I a permanent injury to show for it. My C14 has ABS. I can say without a doubt that the ABS saved my life in September. When a couple from England were driving on the wrong side of the road. Had I been on the C10, the brakes would have locked. I would have been killed. The ABS allowed me to grab the brakes for all they were worth, and still maneuver. I barley made it through. I can understand how you might not be able to afford them. But if it were me, I would wait longer to save the extra. That little bit of extra money could save your life someday. It did mine!
Most motorcycles are capable of out accelerating, out braking, and out maneuvering 95% of the cars on the road. That said, if you maintain a safe following distance,scan the road for hazards ahead,and maintain a safe speed for conditions this should keep you out of trouble. If someone runs a red light or a stop sign ABS isn't going to save you. Some surprise hazards require that you lay the bike down "lock the rear wheel and let the bike fishtail out". You can't do that with ABS. Rain is different story I can see where ABS would be useful but I don't ride in the rain, it's not fun for me. I practice hard breaking. I know the threshold of brake lockup.What if your Abs system fails what happens then? Being from Pa where they repealed the helmet law a few years back I find it ludicrous that Abs will keep you safer. A good helmet,the proper gear,and good riding technique are your best bet. Some systems I want complete control over and the brakes are one of them.
ABS isn't some new fangled, untested technology. They're proven to work by over 30 years of use on countless types of vehicles, starting with fighter jets. Whether or not they improve your braking distance isn't in question. They do, fact, not speculation. All ABS does is pump your brakes to keep the wheels from locking, the same thing a talented driver will do. The difference is that because the system is mechanical, it can pump the brakes 10s or even 100s of times faster than a human being can. It's not the difference between a manual and automatic transmission, where the manual transmission gives you more control over the car if you're proactive. ABS brakes are superior in every scenario because all they do is brake the right way automatically. That in and of itself dramatically reduces or even eliminates the possiblity of a high-side from rear wheel lock, misalignment and release. ABS has been around a long time, the last two cars I've had had ABS systems on board and I can tell you first hand, I could not stop the car as quickly with manual brakes and I do know how to do it right. The only problem with ABS is that you're much more likely to get rear-ended because you can stop on a dime.
If you have been working on your brakes, be sure you test them in a safe and controlled environment. If you position the sensor too far from the sensor ring, you may encounter a situation where you have no brakes - this is particularly true on the front brakes (on the rear you will notice other strange behaviour such as an erratic speedo). The following is a quote from someone who has experienced this: It was VERY scary. At the first squeeze of the lever, it began pulsing and there was ZERO brake force being applied. It didn't have anthing to do with stuck pads at all. After about 100 yards of travel, the ABS unit realizes something is out of whack and disables itself and the brakes function normally again. ... It was due to the gap on the abs sensor being too wide. I removed the shim and all was well. ... gsatlanta The Speedo, Fuel Injection system and ABS are all affected by the two speedo sensors, and are particularly sensitive to the clearance between the sensor and the sensor ring. This was an article I found searching for the pros & cons of motorcycle ABS. It suggests these systems aren't fool proof. I'll stick with controlling the binders by myself
I think "pulses the brakes" is a more correct term. Pumping implies releasing the brakes, which on a motorcycle can cause issues. When using max braking weight is transferred forward allowing more brake pressure to be applied. If brakes are manually "pumped" it can unload the front suspension and cause a potential front wheel lock up when brake are reapplied. A talented rider will apply the brake properly. One continuous progressive squeeze with full application of both brakes. IMHO most riders can not duplicate what ABS does since the mechanical action of pulsing happens at a high rate and weight transfer does not change. -- Steve Smith, #3184 COG Northeast Area Director (somewhere in south central CT)
Ron_Fairchild_OH
Tricycle
After owning several bikes with and without ABS,I was going to get it on my 09 Connie. The dealer told me that he wouldn't get the ABS because the brakes are so good and predictable. There is also less to go wrong mechanically. He also said they were having issues with the rear ABS kicking in too soon. I was skeptical till I took a few long test rides on one. I ordered my 09 without ABS and I don't regret it. The brakes are so good and predictable, even in emergency braking, they let me stay in control. I am not arguing against ABS,- I'm just saying that they aren't everything. And some ABS's work better than others. If you can't afford the extra bucks for the ABS or simply choose not to get it, don't feel that you're getting an inferior bike. 
I for one am gonna do my best to stay on the MC and in control it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to crash to avoid a crash. That said if I've managed to lock up the rear I'll take a low side to a high side any day. Here's a little something on it that provides a little food for thought. http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=092 http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=093
I've been reading a lot lately about abs in the magazines. In one story they talked about the myth of motorcycles out breaking cars. While it used to be true it no longer it. The reason is that almost all cars today have ABS and drivers no longer lose control no matter how hard they break. While a world class rider in good practice (If you put your bike away for the winter you may be back to speed by august or September) with several tries may be able to beat a novice in a panic stop the novice will stop shorter, remember you don't get a second chance in an emergency. You only get one try. I'll take ABS how about someone farkleing up a c10 with abs?