[Birch]

Well... I guess that's a majority of the question!

I'm looking at a few bikes. Some have them, some don't. Any clue on a decent price differential on that as well?

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[PaulF]

NADA Guides quotes $550 difference at the average retail price for a 2010 1050. Down to $465 difference on an 2008 1050.

 

[inspector tom]

if you can afford the ABS do it. i don't see a down side. if you have ever been in a panic stop & had your rear end come around on you until you are sideways in the lane you will appreciate it.

 

[Birch]

if you can afford the ABS do it. i don't see a down side. if you have ever been in a panic stop & had your rear end come around on you until you are sideways in the lane you will appreciate it.

Kinda what I was thinking

 

[McKay]

I wouldnt buy one without ABS (If offered) now that Ive got the XC with ABS, it is a very effective safety item. I can really lay on the brakes now and Ive come to trust their response in keeping the rear end where it belongs.

 

[PaulF]

I had forgotten what it was like to ride a non abs bike when I picked up the 99 900 trophy last fall. I took in to Canada in June after a rebuild, and during the trip as the rear end of the bike started to slide around, I suddenly remembered.

 

[Silverado57]

My next bike, whatever it is, will have ABS.

 

[M.G.Vig]

My Ducati had ABS, as does my BMW. I wouldn't be without it. My Hustler has an early type of ABS as well................it's called drum brakes!

 

[johnjo]

I had a great deal on a left over non abs bike.

If I had my time again I would have spent more and gone for an abs model.

JJ

 

[PixMan]

It's said that there's no advocate like a convert...count me among them.

The ABS option was on the '11 roadie I bought at the end of March 2012. In july I was heading down a 2-lane road in Connecticut, following 3 cars in a line. I had taken my left hand off the bar to click on the instruments and check trip odometer mileage. As I looked up, all the cars were slamming on their brakes so I instinctively grabbed a handful of brake with my right hand.

I could fell the ABS kicking in before I could even get my left hand back on the bar. Amazing, and quite a relief. ABS will be on any future bike of mine as well.

 

[berkdogg]

Has anyone ever heard of anyone adding ABS to a bike?

 

[Birch]

Have to say, I'm sold.

With this kind of praise, no wonder the price differential in the used market.


Sent from my iPhone using MO Free

 

[PixMan]

Has anyone ever heard of anyone adding ABS to a bike?

I imagine it could be done with most any bike that was sold with that as an option. I can't imagine a maker creating two different wiring harnesses. It seems to me the wiring harness for an ABS-equipped bike and non-ABS of the same model year would be the same, just less bits plugged in along the harness.

To retrofit you would need a great many expensive parts. The wheels or brake rotors have inducer disks (don't know if that's the right term), those feed sensors, then feeds the computer your non-ABS bike may not have, which then fires the valves and pump.

Adding it is possible, but without a dirt-cheap donor bike it seems far too expensive to justify.

 

[kback]

Has anyone ever heard of anyone adding ABS to a bike?

IndyTiger over on the Tiger1050 forum did it, and it was a long and involved project. A very interesting thread which should convince (almost) anyone that buying an ABS bike is a much, much better option! To the OP, if you haven't tried it, Searchtempest will show you all the Tigers for sale in your area on Craigslist. And I'll cast my vote in favor of ABS.

 

[Jonny955]

I had forgotten what it was like to ride a non abs bike when I picked up the 99 900 trophy last fall. I took in to Canada in June after a rebuild, and during the trip as the rear end of the bike started to slide around, I suddenly remembered.

This is an example of how riding a bike with ABS de-skills the rider.

Jon

 

[PixMan]

This is an example of how riding a bike with ABS de-skills the rider.

Jon

I disagree. He did say he remembered instantly just what to do.

I think you're reading too much into his post. Shall I also make assumptions and suggest you don't have a bike with ABS or just don't think it's worth having?

 

[Jonny955]

I disagree. He did say he remembered instantly just what to do.

I think you're reading too much into his post. Shall I also make assumptions and suggest you don't have a bike with ABS or just don't think it's worth having?

Perhaps I am reading it wrong - that's the trouble with forums.

The point being (that I share with Honda's philosophy) is: For ABS to be a true safety aid, the rider should not have to modify his or her behaviour. The way I read that post, the rear end was sliding around due to the way he was riding it.

I do ride a bike with ABS although I didn't really want it. Luckily, it is easy to disable and when enabled, it does not interfere as much as I had feared it would.

I'm not knocking ABS for what it is but it should be remembered that it doesn't have the same benefits on a bike that is does on a car. Purely on the basis of preventing an accident, my feeling is that riders should look to better training first.

Jon

 

[PaulF]

it was a wet road with ice patches ... don't know if that helps you figure out whether I was deskilled or not ...

 

[Moogs]

Invest the extra cash and get ABS. If it saves your ass once it's worth it. It's also the future and will be a standard eventually, so if you do sell your bike odds are the buyer will be lookin' for ABS even if it's a couple years down the road.

 

[bigtay]

eerie. was in the exact same situation in CT a long while ago. looked away from the road for half a second and cars swerved into my lane and jammed on brakes in front of me. unfortunately bike i had didnt have ABS. end result, a long scary slide down the blacktop.

lessons learned:
1) never take your eyes off the road for an instant when any other vehicles are around, 2) give a really long lead to any vehicle ahead of you 3)my next bike will have ABS. it will make up for that one lapse in judgement or unavoidable situation (child runs across street, etc...)

It's said that there's no advocate like a convert...count me among them.

The ABS option was on the '11 roadie I bought at the end of March 2012. In july I was heading down a 2-lane road in Connecticut, following 3 cars in a line. I had taken my left hand off the bar to click on the instruments and check trip odometer mileage. As I looked up, all the cars were slamming on their brakes so I instinctively grabbed a handful of brake with my right hand.

I could fell the ABS kicking in before I could even get my left hand back on the bar. Amazing, and quite a relief. ABS will be on any future bike of mine as well.