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How do you feel about ABS?

2K views 13 replies 12 participants last post by  Stagger Lee 
#1 ·
Since it isn't available on our bikes, this topic rarely comes up, but I'm curious about the opinions of the group on ABS. I'm thinking of a Weestrom as a 2nd bike and it's available on them. On the one hand, I'll take any safety feature I can get. On the other hand, I take riding as a challenge and am always working to hone my skills. I worry that knowing the ABS is there might make me a lazier rider. Also the thought of switching back and forth between ABS - non ABS just seems weird to me. I may just be over-thinking this, but what do you folks think?

Mike
 
#2 ·
abs is a great feature but

If you dual sport the wee and are off the tarmac a lot it is terrible, unless it is off. you can use it best in straight line slick road cond. There is no rider alive that beats it straight line wet road peroid, look at the tests. it is of limited use during cornering, still only light trail bracing helps here. It is a great safty feature for straight up quick stops to save yourself, and the wee system is good,the one I rode had a disabler in the system for off road work.
 
#8 ·
If you dual sport the wee and are off the tarmac a lot it is terrible, unless it is off. you can use it best in straight line slick road cond. There is no rider alive that beats it straight line wet road peroid, look at the tests. it is of limited use during cornering, still only light trail bracing helps here. It is a great safty feature for straight up quick stops to save yourself, and the wee system is good,the one I rode had a disabler in the system for off road work.
Jon - what are they using ... the new Bosch ABS system? I'm thinking about buying a WeeStrom as a general purpose bike. Two of my good riding buddies own them, and overall they are very pleased with the bikes, especially considering the price to value ratio of it.

Bob
 
#3 ·
I had to make that decision when I bought my CB, but what put me off was ABS and linked brakes, I felt it was too much and that I would lose the feel and there are a lot of times I don't want to use the front brake. You don't get that choice with linking. In the end I feel I made the right decision for me.

Some say it will benefit newer riders with less experience, that could be true, others say it will benefit everyone.

I've ridden a friend's bike with them and I am not totally sure I like them atall. My brother who has them says he will not get them again on his next bike. In the end it's personal preference, it will suit some but not others.

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Ride on ! :)


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Ride on !
 
#4 ·
Call me crazy, but I would have bought a Bonnie with ABS if it had been available. Too many riders believe that they can beat ABS, while the thruth is probably that most can not. But in your case it would probably be weird to switch between having it and not.
 
#5 ·
ABS - Yes

I have ABS on my BMW, If I could, I would have it on all of my bikes.
A friend of mine just had a mis-hap and went down on a brand new bike (one day out of the showroom) that would have NOT happened if the bike had ABS.







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#6 ·
I never tried them but I read a lot of articles and tests about them. In gist here's what I came up with:

1. They don't make you stop shorter. On dry roads people who practiced their braking actually stopped shorter with regular brakes.
2. Except for some of the latest ABS, in turns it does not help much.
3. There's no actual proof, but is suspected that those with ABS take more chances thinking they have that tech feature.

-Where ABS has shined is on wet roads because most riders don't practice braking on wet roads. I need to do more of it.

-The newer ABS does help quite a bit on slippery roads even in turns.

It does add more weight to the bike and makes it another thing to fix because you just added more electronics.

So if you're a person who does not want to practice braking on dry and wet roads, make turns without much regard to road conditions you are turning on, or just wanting the added safety feature yet knowing it is YOU that is the biggest safety feature, then go for it.

Here's an example of the YOU factor in braking from Proficient Motorcycling approaching an iffy intersection at 40 mph which would take about 127 feet to stop and yet you could cut it down to 37 feet by:

-Slow from 40 to 30 mph -40 feet
-Already have both brakes covered -30 feet
-Marginal braking technique -57 feet
-Proficient braking technique -37 feet

Difference in braking: 127 vs 37.

So if you didn't follow the first two techniques, ABS won't knock off that -70 feet.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I've been around ABS-equipped bikes off and on for nearly 20 years. My first with it was a 1989 BMW K100RS.

I personally like it. If the system is engineered properly, there is no difference in braking feel, since it doesn't kick in until you've braked so hard a wheel is going to slide. BMW's original system, ABS1, was designed so even when the ABS kicked in, there was no vibration passed back thru the brake controls. I think I only engaged mine once or twice during several years of ownership. But I could rely on it being there. Sort of like having insurance and not using it. It's there when you need it.

Where it comes in really handy is when road conditions are less than optimum ... wet, oily, gravelly, and for some reason you're called on to make a panic stop. And that's where lots of riders, experienced or newbies, lose it. They overreact, hit the brake too hard for road conditions. The front wheel locks up and washes out, and the bike goes down in a low sider.

It gave me a feeling of confidence to know that if I overbraked in this situation, the ABS was there to let me know I'd exceeded the bounds of traction.

The original BMW marketing video showed an ABS-equipped bike running fast and hard on the brakes across dry pavement turning to wet pavement turning to wet pavement covered with wet straw. They had painted a white mark on the tire, and it was facinating to watch it 'strobe' as the ABS pulsed the brake, while the bike came to a controlled stop.

The price has dropped considerably on ABS since these first BMW units. As Uzidzit commented, it is available on the WeeStrom, and I think it adds no more than $500 to the MSRP of the bike. He also noted that it isn't good off road. BMWs GS bikes have a switch that''ll let you disable ABS when riding off road. It sounds like the WeeStrom also has a switch. Once you turn the BMW GS off and back on, ABS is reactivated.

When I pick up a WeeStrom as a do anything bike (I'll use it for touring) I'll order it with ABS.

Bob
 
#13 · (Edited)
But are you ready?

ABS works wonderfully well, when you understand how it works and under what conditions, and has definitely saved my butt at least twcie - once in the wet and once on diesel.

From personal testing, I know I can stop faster without ABS but ONLY if my hand is on the brake and the stop is at a predetermined point. My belief is that there are very very few riders who are (a) as good as they'd like to think they are, and more importantly (b) can systematically and consistently beat ABS every time.

It's the "every time" part that is important, not just beating the mechanics and electronics occasionally.

Anyone who's done any decent amount of riding will admit to having made a panic stop probably through mis-judgement of a problem scenario (not leaving enough distance, not seeing the cage driver clearly attempting to kill you, not considering the red-light runner etc) - standing on the brakes as hard as you can, modulating like crazy if you're good enough to prevent skidding and hopign you can stop in time.

Most of us can only think of a couple of things at once, especially in emergency situations for which we almost certainly haven't practised as much as we should have done. In those circumstances, there's a great deal of comfort knowing that you can brake at very close to maximum efficiency, and waste no time at all on potential skid control and simply be looking for alternative exits or ways out of the problem. Instead of trying to multi-task, I can be thinking about what not to hit.

Of course, YMMV especially if you regularly practise maximum braking techniques.

And let's be honest - how many people on this forum, or that you know, actually go out and practise maximum braking?

If I could have ABS on any and every bike, I would. Call me a wimp, but I'd have an air bag too. It isn't about being risk-averse, it's about risk management. Too many friends over too many years...

Alex

PS On my now-regretfully-sold BMW R1150RT, and with ABS, I could stop hard enough to lift the back wheel off the ground. And yes, it surprised the cr*p out of me - if a friend hadn't been videoing the bike shop demo-day, I'd never have believed it could be done with ABS. I know I couldn't have stopped that hard without.
 
#14 ·
Tried the ABS sprint on a 200km test and loved it, I was doing all sorts of hooligan tricks trying to mess up the front wheel and was pulling spectacular stoppies. I can not recommend triumph enough for producing an excellent product. If I had bought the sprint it would have been with ABS. (got the speedmaster instead, trying to behave these days).

It would be great to have this option on a bonnie.
 
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