Thoughts on bikes with ABS

[RoninK6]

The problem with those ABS/non-ABS comparison videos is that nobody brakes like that in real life. You can't treat a bike with no ABS in the same way.

Totally biased.

Biased, how so??? Inexperienced (and even experienced) riders sometimes slam on their brakes in a moment of panic... and get into accidents. They teach 'ya to be easy on the brakes for a reason ~

 

[LeedsRider93]

Expert riders cannot outperform ABS in the wet. There's a video about that.

Whoa whoa! I never claimed expert riders could outperform ABS! I was simply saying that, in emergency situations, people don't apply brakes in the same way as the riders do in this video. They know there's rigging on the side of their bikes, and therefore have no concerns about going for the full grab immediately.

 

[oidirk]

So a couple of days after posting on this thread I was riding home on my usual route (not vlogging) and I turned on the main road that leads to my road. As I am turning I notice a load of gravel about an inch deep across the entire lane. My old and tired brain immediately said straighten the bike upright and either coast through it or slow down. I made the incorrect choice and continued to break with the rear as I was amid turn and was not using the front. Well, the ABS kicked in big time and I did not lock up the rear or slide out of control. If the rear would have locked, I am sure I would have gone down. But, I got through it. Again, I am very much in favor of ABS.

 

[Shirou]

Whoa whoa! I never claimed expert riders could outperform ABS! I was simply saying that, in emergency situations, people don't apply brakes in the same way as the riders do in this video. They know there's rigging on the side of their bikes, and therefore have no concerns about going for the full grab immediately.

I got your point clearly, there was a video of another bike, I cannot remember the brand, a blue one, the rider just grabbed a handful and let it slide.
Check the video I posted, at least to me, they seem to be trying not to lock the wheels. And that's hard to do when you don't know, thanks to the road conditions, where is the point between locking and not. Nobody can think that fast, your body cannot evaluate nor even acknowledge the feedback from the bike to judge if the wheels are locking or not on an emergency situation, you're too busy tring to avoid the obstacle, picturing yourself dead, trying not to target-fixate, playing back the events of your life since you were born, and everything that goes trough ones mind on an emergency.
You can practice braking on the wet and memorizing where the spot is that, when you get past, you lock but you cannot remember that when you're about to crash into a truck and just grab a handful to be safe and end up sliding on pavement or grab too little increasing your braking distance and end up hitting the truck.
ABS plays the cards for you and takes care of the things a human brain cannot process faster.
It is a safety net, and there is no justifiable reason not to prefer it.

 

[Nerb]

Something people forget is that without ABS people tend not to apply as much brake as they can... even experienced riders. This is because of fear of locking the wheel, particularly in the wet. But people with ABS, especially if you practice with it, will comfortably apply full brake. This saves a lot of paint when cars pull out or something appears on the road.
I dont agree that it reduces rider skill. I am sure the vast majority of riders have never applied enough brake to have the rear leave the pavement. They dont know how hard a bike can brake. Add ABS, and people have the confidence to use more brake. And if you want to play, you can nearly always turn it off.

 

[Shirou]

I am sure the vast majority of riders have never applied enough brake to have the rear leave the pavement. They dont know how hard a bike can brake.

This is getting offtopic but no matter how much I brake, my bike just locks and slide on dry roads, no stoppie or anything. Much unpredictable stuff happens on my bike on hard braking, like the bike downshifting on it's own.

 

[TheGriffiss]

I think too many electronics = more things to go wrong. Its nice to have it there but what if it stops working without you knowing. Used to having a extra bit of safety that suddenly isnt there is not good. Its all good having ABS Traction Control etc on 4 wheels, not on 2. I think its better without an aids. Know your bike, how it feels when on the edge.

 

[SenorAsssHat]

My thoughts, is it actually safer then not having it? I never driven a bike with ABS so I cannot voice my opinion.

 

[renegadebiker24]

ABS only saves you when you lock up, Traction control will stop the bikes power spinning the wheel, now that is something you should learn instead of just hitting the stop on the trottle just learn to power it out sideways when i road a ducati 899 i turned all the dtc off quite a nice bike, but if you commute to work on your bike traction control is ya boy

Yeah, that is true. However, ABS and Traction Control are a double plus for me now, because in stop and go traffic, it is vital for me as well as city driving. As I commute back and forth to work on it, it is a life saver in more ways than one. The ABS is great especially for the wet weather that Arkansas has coming on what seems to be a weekly basis. Maybe that is why it is so green here. LOL. ABS has helped me out more than I can know now. It is especially great to have when cornering around hairpin curves. I am going to put it to the ultimate test soon with going on the Arkansas Dragon. which is Hwy. 123 . A video of it is at:

 

[renegadebiker24]

yehh wet its amazing help, dry you wouldnt realise its their

That is true. When it is wet, it really is amazing help, yet when it is dry, at least for me, it is really great. There were times when I was on the 4th Annual Military Heroes Benefit Ride, that it saved my butt, but what makes it worth it, is the way that it handles. There were times when I was going out on the ride to Eureka Springs, where it helped out a lot. Yet, I got a "talking to" by one of the riders of the group, telling me, I needed to speed up, because I was I guess holding him up, yet I told him that I was not familiar with the road, the curves, and that it was my first time on a long ride like this, before my trip, and I got an attitude from him?? Funny how that was, because he was on a Harley, and this guy was supposedly the group leader, yet he kept getting lost, even with the GPS he had on his bike. LOL

 

[renegadebiker24]

So a couple of days after posting on this thread I was riding home on my usual route (not vlogging) and I turned on the main road that leads to my road. As I am turning I notice a load of gravel about an inch deep across the entire lane. My old and tired brain immediately said straighten the bike upright and either coast through it or slow down. I made the incorrect choice and continued to break with the rear as I was amid turn and was not using the front. Well, the ABS kicked in big time and I did not lock up the rear or slide out of control. If the rear would have locked, I am sure I would have gone down. But, I got through it. Again, I am very much in favor of ABS.

Yeah, that is where you can see the benefits of ABS, from personal experience, huh oidirk?

 

[renegadebiker24]

Here is a video about ABS that I find to be interesting on youtube at:

.

This one shows what happens when the roads are wet at:

This is the best video I could find on Traction Control features at:

Also this one is good at:

What do you all think of those videos???

 

[RaggedReckless&Restless]

Cant stand ABS on anything, bikes, cars, or trucks.

 

[renegadebiker24]

Cant stand ABS on anything, bikes, cars, or trucks.

Why do you say that?

Is it because that ABS can fail at the most inopportune time, or something else?

 

[RaggedReckless&Restless]

I dont care for anything that tries to compensate for my actions. I wanna be able to lock my brakes when i want to lock my brakes. So far I've never done it on accident in as many very close calls I've had
I'm just old fashioned

 

[renegadebiker24]

I dont care for anything that tries to compensate for my actions. I wanna be able to lock my brakes when i want to lock my brakes. So far I've never done it on accident in as many very close calls I've had
I'm just old fashioned

Oh ok, no worries. I guess I just love ABS because of a few occasions that it has gotten me out of, as well as some crazy cagers like to pull out here in Arkansas in front, and it was one of those occasions that had killed a fellow rider about 9 years ago, when a lady turned in front of him, and he was instantly killed when he crashed into the car and it killed him. His road name was "Joker". He was studying to be an EMT. For me, it has been a life saver on more than a few occasions and despite what some others may think , like some riders that I was on in a group ride, and go through the twisties here in Arkansas, I can pretty much sit back and let them develop an attitude with me, while, in the end, I come away with no accidents on my bike yet, and I just sit back and let them talk, like what happened to me, when I was on the 4th Annual Military Heroes Benefit Ride. I have ridden bikes without ABS, and now I am riding with one that has it, and I do love that feature.

 

[RaggedReckless&Restless]

Oh ok, no worries. I guess I just love ABS because of a few occasions that it has gotten me out of, as well as some crazy cagers like to pull out here in Arkansas in front, and it was one of those occasions that had killed a fellow rider about 9 years ago, when a lady turned in front of him, and he was instantly killed when he crashed into the car and it killed him. His road name was "Joker". He was studying to be an EMT. For me, it has been a life saver on more than a few occasions and despite what some others may think , like some riders that I was on in a group ride, and go through the twisties here in Arkansas, I can pretty much sit back and let them develop an attitude with me, while, in the end, I come away with no accidents on my bike yet, and I just sit back and let them talk, like what happened to me, when I was on the 4th Annual Military Heroes Benefit Ride. I have ridden bikes without ABS, and now I am riding with one that has it, and I do love that feature.

Yea its cool, we all have our likes and dislikes and our reasons for em

 

[renegadebiker24]

Yea its cool, we all have our likes and dislikes and our reasons for em

Yep, true.

 

[renegadebiker24]

ABS.. mmm. Comparing bikes to cars...

I've nothing against ABS, it's fine proven technology. I know guys who wont even buy a bike unless it's got it on.

But, it detracts from the skill of braking, I've spent years developing that skill, that human fine motor skill that enables me to brake and adjust speed, under pretty much any conditions that I've ever come across on the road, I'm not talking about track riding.
It is possible to lock the front on a bike, the front will skip. I havn't experienced it for some years because tyres have come a long way..

The key thing about braking to remember is do not just grab a handful... slow on then hard, if you are hurtling towards a corner, get off the brakes, settle the bike, relax, and turn it in. Chances are you'll come out the other end and have learnt something.

Good forward planning, and smooth bike operation, learn the skills and you wont need ABS..

Will there be a generation of riders who are totally reliant on technology? I think so, which will be a shame really, because many of the skills of effective riding will be lost forever.

Kevin, check out the videos I posted on ABS and let me know what you think of it after watching it at:

and this one at:

 

[CBRHoonigan]

Not going to lie but that sounds moronic, you want to be able to lock your brakes up ect, most modern cars you can turn it all off, and if its not so modern just take fuse out when you want to be a yob.