ABS - must/should/maybe?

[GreyAngel]

interested in opinions
With full test date and the greatest ever shopping week-end approaching, the list of bikes to try is actually getting shorter. Interested in what experienced riders think about ABS. The experts/reviewers lately seem to give great deal more preference to ABS-equiped bikes. At the same time on the current market the choice of 600-1000 bikes with ABS is so bleak it's not even funny. In Oz you can get SV650 with ABS at least. Also I realise that if you slam the breaks in a curve you will slide ABS or not. In my experience with cars I only felt ABS working a couple of times over the years but in the moments I really needed it Budget wise I'd with easy mind pay 17k for ABS Daytona and keep it for a while, but paying 16k now and the possibility of the next one coming out with is just too much to bear.... CBR600RR - 21 k whatdya think?

[Swampdonkey]

My vote is ABS. Had to emergency brake the other day when a cage cut me off. Im sure i would have locked up if i was on my old bike (non ABS) . Im convinced and will never go back.

[YellowDog]

I never thought much of ABS. I always reconned I didn't need it. Like you say, ABS won't stop you sliding (but it can help avoid a slide). I mean how silly do you have to go?

Maybe 2WD, Traction control, ABS, Stability control.

For me the thrill of motorcycle riding is that you have to be in full control the bike. Every error or miss-judgement is amplified many times over. Getting it right feels great. Getting it wrong can be fatal.

Last year when I was in the market for a new bike my wife said that if I wanted a new bike it would have to have ABS. Huh, what do you know about bikes? I explained that modern bikes have excellent brakes and I have been riding long enough to get myself out of most situations I will encounter. She however said that she didn't want me to have ABS to cope with "most situations I will encounter". It was for the occasional emergency and especially in the wet (has she been reading I thought).

So to keep the missus happy, I spent some time looking at the options available to me. The other option was to simply buy some ABS transfers and ask the garage to stick them on prior to collection.

As you have already stated, you can indeed import NZ non ABS models WITH ABS from Japan or Aussie, but the bike I'd had my eye on for a while (Tiger 1050) did have an NZ ABS version, so it really did help me make up my mind (I just couldn't afford it). The ABS Bandit with all the luggage was top of the list, as I could afford it.

Anyway, now I do have ABS and have been riding with it for over a year, I must say that it is excellent. It has only kicked in a couple of times, but it has been great in the wet when someone pulls into your path. Sometimes the road is really slippery and it is very hard to control a bike at any speed. I no longer have such issues. A couple of months back I was riding down the motorway in the wet and had a guy pull into my safety gap between me and the car infront before slamming on his brakes. I was able to reduce speed very quickly and make safe turns to get around the tosser. I could not have done this in the wet without ABS and I am fairly sure that in that instance, without ABS, I would have come off.

Some of the early ABS systems were not so good however IME – If you are in the market for a new bike, get an ABS model.

[Devil]

Very happy with the ABS on my bmw. The systems are only getting better.

Go for it, you'll have no regrets. Dont let yourself get talked out of it by someone who knew this guy, who had a mate who had a bike with abs and crashed.

[paturoa]

On the way to porridge this morning I spied a bike on the foot path at an intersection with the rider standing next to it, no helmit etc, which just didn't look right (dark wet etc). So I u turned and went back. It turned out that said biker was tootling along Rata St city bound, and a cage pulled out in front of him from Rimu, for those who know the area, and he threw out the anchors, locked the brakes and promptly hit the deck, missing the cage (broke some stuff and killed the electrics?). Said cage never stopped and drove off.

Anyhoo, I didn't see it, but from the way he explained it, I'd assume that with ABS the outcome would have been be different.

So for panic stop situations - yes for ABS.

I've got ABS on the list of things for my next bike.

[MaxCannon]

I've had a couple of situations where ABS would have helped out.

Both times drivers pulled in front of me and both times I had to hit the brakes hard enough that I locked the front.
In this situation you've got to act quick and fortunately I released enough of the brake to un-lock the wheel and keep control.
Worth noting that both incidents were on wet roads and I avoided a crash by steering around the obstacle rather than stopping before I hit it.

So I'd think it's definetly worthwhile but shouldn't be looked at as something that make you invincible.
You'll still need to think ahead and treat all other road users as mindless lemmings (because for the most part they are).

As for only buying a bike with ABS - for your first big bike I'd look at something a few years old to get some experience on.
It likely won't have ABS but I'd put more value on learning how to control the extra weight and HP than an ABS system.

[YellowDog]

I've had a couple of situations where ABS would have helped out.

Both times drivers pulled in front of me and both times I had to hit the brakes hard enough that I locked the front.
In this situation you've got to act quick and fortunately I released enough of the brake to un-lock the wheel and keep control.
Worth noting that both incidents were on wet roads and I avoided a crash by steering around the obstacle rather than stopping before I hit it.

So I'd think it's definetly worthwhile but shouldn't be looked at as something that make you invincible.
You'll still need to think ahead and treat all other road users as mindless lemmings (because for the most part they are).

As for only buying a bike with ABS - for your first big bike I'd look at something a few years old to get some experience on.
It likely won't have ABS but I'd put more value on learning how to control the extra weight and HP than an ABS system.

Max, you make a really good point here. The situation that you describe is how your riding abilities have developed through your experiences. The reason I didn't initially think ABS was a good idea was because, like you, I can release a lock up situation and engineer a safe recovery (usually).

I believe that the scares you need to survive to get to that stage are at is a critical part of riding. The problem is that gaining such experiences can be highly hazzardous and many suffer injuries gaining such experience.

I have been using ABS for over a year and I must say that I have changed my riding style slightly to be more dependent upon the back brake for added control with the assurance that it won't lock up on me. When I sometimes swap bikes with a buddy, I do get the occasional shock when I manage to lock the back wheel. It is rare occurance and not a problem, but it does validate the point you make about learning to ride (warts and all) on a non-ABS bike is pretty important.

[scracha]

It is rare occurance and not a problem, but it does validate the point you make about learning to ride (warts and all) on a non-ABS bike is pretty important.

But a 748. You could stamp on the back brake on ice and it still wouldnt lock up......no...seriously....every road bike should now be fitted with ABS IMHO. There's no way 99.9% of riders would outbrake ABS in the wet when some dork pulls out in front of them.

Hmm... 5 grand extra. I'd spend it on top notch gear, advanced rider training, ACC coverplus, better suspension and superdooper sticky tyres before shelling out on ABS.

[SPman]

All the test riders reckon the ABS on the CBR1000 & 600 is brilliant - espec. in the wet.

[slimjim]

some will love it, some won't, myself won't yet as i do enjoy that snap the rear and power on, can't with abs system , but i won't knock it, good for learners that won't ever have the chances of riding old school bikes that i grew up on and their limit's , and those had fuck all brakes lol

[Crisis management]

I'm not a fan of ABS although my bike has it (luckily it has that switchy thing to turn it off) principaly because I trust my own judgement more than some electronic thingy and because a lot of the time I am riding gravel and crappy surfaces where ABS is lethal ie; refuses to slow you down.

However my main problem with your original post is that you seem to be looking for an ABS system with a bike fitted to it....I would suggest you find the bike that sets your heart on fire first and then (if ABS is so important) discount it if ABS is not an option. For me, motorcycling is about passion, not gadgetry.

Enjoy the search tho.

[cheshirecat]

All the test riders reckon the ABS on the CBR1000 & 600 is brilliant - espec. in the wet.

Apparently in one test they chucked sand down and it still didn't lock up. If I was in the market for a new bike that would be the deciding factor. An emergency stop is just that, you can't choose the road surface or conditions.
Now if they also came with gear driven cams.

[Tone165]

I have had ABS bikes, and Im not fully convinced so far. I think that I would probably have to admit that ABS up front is worthwhile for emergency use, and that even the best riders can get braking wrong in a panic situation.

I am far less convinced of ABS value on rear. Have had a couple of not so good experiences (no crashes) with rear ABS activating when it was not appropriate, and causing more probs than solutions!

I think that BMW's allow ABS to be switched off/on...that would suit me! Switched off for a sprint over the mountain..then back on for commuting or touring.

My ABS bikes did not have that option.

[Pixie]

For me the thrill of motorcycle riding is that you have to be in full control the bike. Every error or miss-judgement is amplified many times over. .

I just love the way those broken bone-ends protrude from an open fracture.

[Pixie]

I would venture to suggest that those that don't think ABS is useful,have never braked hard enough to initiate it.

When it first came out on cars you would hear this conversation:

Drip 1:"That ABS really makes the new Falcolden brake exceptionally well."

Drip 2:"Do you brake hard enough to make it come on?"

Drip 1:"All the time"

Drip 2:"I found the vibration through the brake pedal a little disconcerting though"

Drip 1: "what vibration".


The main advantage of ABS on bikes is that,in a emergency stop situation,the rider can confidently apply all the force in his right arm to gripping the brake lever without fear that the front will lock.

Most people under-brake for fear of lock-up.

Of course most KBers don't,as they are all Rossi clones and there is always something else to blame when they fall off.