New SV650s with ABS

[SpankMe]

The 2007 SV650s/n now has an option of Anti Lock Braking for an extra $900US. So why not the SV1000?

Does this actually make any difference on a sport motorbike? I don't think I've seen a sport bike with ABS before. The only ones I have seen are on touring bikes from BMW.

[Cajun]

ABS on bikes in some europe countrys give them a far lower insurance rate i heard, hence reason the new bandit will also have abs (option)

[Indiana_Jones]

Do you reckon it will come more widespread in the bike scene, like in cars?

-Indy

[WRT]

Perhaps the reasoning is that the riders of the thou's are more likely to be experienced, and therefore better at braking. There are a lot of cases of people locking up wheels during emergency stopping, take Bobsmith's crash for example. I've done it a few times as well, as have most riders. The thing is, with an experienced rider, it happens a lot less, and it is also normally recoverable. With a newbie, its more likely to result in an off.

Just a thought anyway, more likely its due to some budget constraint etc!

BTW - Indy - you still here?

[Indiana_Jones]

BTW - Indy - you still here?

Left. Changed my mind. Came back.

It's in the other thread I made before I left.

Back onto the ABS....

-Indy

[SwanTiger]

I like the sound of ABS, as an option it isn't overly expensive. The only problem I foresee is that newbies won't think to get it and will be the ones who crash. The older or more experienced riders will be the ones who will apreciate its value and want to pay the extra money.

[WRT]

Be interesting to see what sort of a difference the ABS makes to the bike. I'm no mechanic, but my basic understanding is that you have a sensor to detect how fast the wheel decelerates, combined with a pump arrangement and the electronics to drive it all. If the wheel decelerates too fast, lock up is assumed and the brakes are released then reapplied by the electronics and pump, preventing total lockup.

Question being, does this add much to the weight of the bike, or detract from the power? Presumably something has to drive the pump, and an SV650 is not exactly up there with a car or the big beemers in the HP stakes. Also, does it work on both wheels? And does it affect the "feel" of the brakes in any way?

I've driven a number of cars with ABS, never had to use it yet other than to "test it out". But I havent driven back to back the same model of vehicle with and without the ABS, so I'm curious if having the pump etc in between the lever (or pedal) and the brakes makes any sort of difference.

And one other thing, has anyone on a bike had to use the ABS mid-corner? Does the pulsing of the brakes affect the bikes stability while leant over?

[Mental Trousers]

It's because SV's aren't sprots bikes Spank

[Ixion]

von Klunken has ABS.

Works on both wheels (the brakes aren't linked though, two separate ABS systems) . Normally you don't notice it's there, even under heavy braking

However there have been a couple of times when I've been braking really hard and it's kicked in. Once was on a wet road, the other time when I ran over a gravel patch. Just a really loud clunk noise, no noticeable effect through the lever, and I continued braking apparently as hard as ever.

You don't really notice any pulsing , it just backs off the pressure a bit.

I have successfully braked very hard in mid corner with it, I think (without having thought through the physics) that it will also protect you from highsides in such a situation. Certainly I feel confident applying heavy brake mid corner when I wouldn't do so on a non ABS bike (not that I do it at all as a regular thing, but the ability is occasionally valuable)

I think ABS is a good thing.

Granted , on a race track, a rider fully concentrating on braking may be able to "beat" the ABS stopping times. But in the real world of an emergency on the the public road, with paint, oil, gravel etc etc , I think the ABS will always win. And it's a big advantage not having to worry about locking up. Means extra attention can be diverted to other things , like figuring out where to go, looking for other hazards etc.

EDIT: There's no pump - the sensors control a valve that bleeds off a bit of the pressure - just like slightly slackening your grip on the lever. No pulsing either.

[Podo]

Be interesting to see what sort of a difference the ABS makes to the bike. I'm no mechanic, but my basic understanding is that you have a sensor to detect how fast the wheel decelerates, combined with a pump arrangement and the electronics to drive it all. If the wheel decelerates too fast, lock up is assumed and the brakes are released then reapplied by the electronics and pump, preventing total lockup.

Question being, does this add much to the weight of the bike, or detract from the power? Presumably something has to drive the pump, and an SV650 is not exactly up there with a car or the big beemers in the HP stakes. Also, does it work on both wheels? And does it affect the "feel" of the brakes in any way?

I've driven a number of cars with ABS, never had to use it yet other than to "test it out". But I havent driven back to back the same model of vehicle with and without the ABS, so I'm curious if having the pump etc in between the lever (or pedal) and the brakes makes any sort of difference.

And one other thing, has anyone on a bike had to use the ABS mid-corner? Does the pulsing of the brakes affect the bikes stability while leant over?

I have ABS on my FJR, it adds about 7 kgs to the weight of the bike, no noticable detraction from the power, it works on both wheels, I don't think you could manually pump faster than the ABS operates. I haven't tried mid corner (it is not such a flash idea to do this, ABS or not), anyway I have had the ABS activate several times, it pulls the bike up fast with no instability, I would not own a bike without ABS now.

[98tls]

have read on a couple of american based web sites that the 1000 wont be around for much longer...........have no idea if its true or not but no ABs offered on the 1000 might support that theory...

[WRT]

Interesting, the reports back on bikes with ABS. Ixion - if it just bleeds off pressure, do you know where it bleeds it too? Is there a return feed back into the master cylinder? And what about under heavy usage from a high speed, does this result in more lever travel? Presumably as soon as you release the brakes and grab another fistfull you would return to normal amounts of travel, but I'm just wondering if you would ever be likely to "run out" of lever travel.

[Ixion]

Dunno, really, I guess so. No, no extra lever travel . You have to be braking REAL hard , at wheel lock up point, for it to activate. Normally you don't notice it at all.

[SimJen]

Have recently been reading a few articles about a new sporty beemer that created a few scary moments as the abs released pressure, on the track with journalists missing turnin and going straight on.
Not my idea of motorcycling but if it helps peeps in some situations then it can't be too bad.
People rely too much on electronic shit these days, traction control in cars, abs, dynamic stability control, fancy auto trannies, radar cruise control. Noone knows how to drive anymore. Hopefully motorcycling doesn't get like that.
Problem is if you make it too easy to ride a bike, then all the wrong people will get involved and kill themselves putting my insurance up......

[SpankMe]

I don't think ABS is a good idea for learners. It should be on the 1000, not the 650. Getting used used to ABS, then trading up to a bigger bike that doesn't have it is only going to cause problems.