
guys & gals pro OR JUST starting WITH YOUR, 1ST RIDE, I have over 400,000 miles on BMW motorcycles with ABS barkes from a '09 R1200HP2 SORT @ 420LBS,'99 R1100S 2 501 lbs,'02 K1200RS @ 620LBS PLUS 2 rides . I will not have a motorcycle with out ABS. it will not make you stop faster it will let you stop SAFER.
Gee whizz, a real motorcycle aristocrat, who must spend a lot of time on highways on some fancy heavyweight metal.
By comparison, I am a mere serf. I have only about 400,000 mostly byway kilometers on bikes I have owned since the mid '70s. I have done a few more on bikes I have been provided with for work, or loaned (including a BMW K1000 for a couple of weeks) and a whole lot of time off road, mainly on farms, starting in the mid 60's. I am not a fair weather blacktop biker.
I have owned five Hondas and one Suzuki, all of which were second hand 100 - 325 cc, each costing less than $US1000. My current ride cost about $US400 eight years ago, and has done 190,000 km, about 100,000 of them mine.
I have been involved in only one potentially serious accident, back in 1976, and braking had nothing to do with it. A car passed another car at high speed and knocked me off as pulled ahead of the car he had just passed. The driver accepted that he was at fault, saying that he didn't even see me.
But I realised that if I had been more aware of what was going on around me, and was in a better position on the road I could have avoided the accident. I took that on board and learned from the experience.
I don't deny that ABS and other technology can be of assistance (especially on heavyweight machines and highways, both of which I find boring), but I do feel that the claims made for it are exaggerated. Wow, it seems there is some pretty fancy stuff available now that can allow for lean angles and so on.
However from what I have seen and deduced, ABS is of limited benefit on two wheels, certainly not the game changer it was in cars.
Can it allow for over-confidence (that technology and gear seems to inspire in some) and arrogant stupidity?
A bit of common sense would be a bigger life saver.
From SilverShadow:
I think that over - relying on technology might make people overconfident & take undue risk or people might not be that alert or reactive to situations.
From the CBR250R Owner's Manual:
This model is also equipped with an Anti- lock Brake System (ABS) designed to help prevent wheel lock up during hard braking on uneven or other poor surfaces while running straight. Although the wheel may not lock up-if you are braking too hard in a turn the motorcycle can still lose traction, causing a loss of control.
In some situations, a motorcycle with ABS may require a longer stopping distance to stop on loose or uneven surfaces than an equivalent motorcycle without ABS.
ABS cannot make up for road conditions, bad judgment, or improper operation of the brakes. It is still your responsibility to ride at reasonable speeds for weather, road surface, and traffic conditions, and to leave a margin of safety.
But poor old pleb that I am, what do I know?
If I knew a little of what far superior bucks and blades know, then I would know a little.