I've been riding for about 10 years or so and have never owned a bike with ABS. Just wondering if ABS is really worth it or is it more for a beginner?
Actually, no; in fact, it will sometimes result in a tad longer stopping distance. What it DOES do, is keep the tire from skidding out from under you because with ABS you can't lock the wheel.It will almost always provide a tad shorter stopping distance, especially in wet conditions.
in wet slippery conditions when a rider intentionally jabs the brakes as hard as he can and keeps them applied even when the wheel initially locks up because he knows he cannot fall off, yes it is a no brainer in those conditionsWatch this-It's pretty much a no brainer...
Mandatory ABS on Motorcycles? - YouTube
You have ridden for 10 yrs, so give it a try, you'll love the novelty.
Here is my take on it, (first bike with abs in 40+ bikes)-
The Good-
Its fun to push to crazy limits,
Works well,
An experienced rider will feel what its doing and be able to take advantage of it,
it's more sophisticated than the $500 price suggests,
Has a nice front caliper with a bigger pad area and better feel than the poverty pack version.
you recoup the price back in resale (and insurance with some companies) anyway.
The Bad-
The combined part works, but is as useless as tits on a bull if it makes riders too heavy on the rear brake.
Heavy,
cant fit a headlift stand. (but thats only for track riding mostly)
ABS is a double edged sword for new riders,
It may save them,
but they wont know why it saved them, (but not your issue)
And when they get on their Gixxer 1000 in 3 months time ('because the cbr cant go on the highway' lol )
they will bin their shyt in spectacular fashion .
Sadly for me its the the reason I have to sell my 'Lil black nugget,
(But I didnt know at the time that I'd end up not road riding on it eventually)
you serious? only racers know how to brake properly without locking up? before i had my cbr250r i had a Yamaha DT175 trail bike i rode on the road with a much worse braking system than the cbr, with a drum brake on the rear. I had to panic stop a few times and came inches from an accident but i applied maximum braking and no i didn't lock up the brakes. On my cbr when i've had to hit the skids i haven't locked up the front either in a e-stop.When in a panic stop situation the last thing on a person's mind is to not brake too hard. Only professional and maybe a few amature racers can keep their head well enough in an impending accident to not over brake without ABS and it's only because they drive at the max capabilities of their vehicle on a regular basis. If you don't race at least weekly, I would recommend ABS.
Hmm, sounds exactly like what a new, unskilled rider would do in an emergency to me, as you go on to say.By the way - the video on page one is crap - obviously put together by someone who wants ABS. The rider on the non-abs cycle is locking up both brakes solid and holding them with no attempt whatsoever to modulate. ...