First glad you and wife are not hurt.


Front brakes on a motorcycle account for 70% of your stopping power!


parking lots are the only really acceptable place to use rear brake as primary if you want to talk about 'proper' riding.


On the road you should learn to use the front always... especially on a linked ABS bike like you have. The ABS system will automatically apply both brakes in a balanced fashion when braking at speeds over 20 mph.


Find a safe parking lot and start slow, work your way up to higher speeds. Practice emergency stopping, don't feel silly. Silly is laying dead in a ditch, practicing is cool.


That is the first thing I do on any new to me bike I ride, with or without ABS... knowing what to expect is half the battle in bad situations.




Id bet your ABS is working fine and that your suspension is not set up correctly. "The rear wheel leaving the ground easily under heavy braking indicates too much rear rebound damping and/or too little front compression damping" (quote taken from suspension website).


I experienced the same on my 15UL while setting up my Ohlins shocks before I had them dialed in.


Good luck

If you were following a pickup truck and had sufficient assured clear distance; you wouldn't have almost struck a vehicle stopped in front of it.

ABS or not; learn to use the front and rear brakes properly to effect maximum braking; especially if you're going to carry a passenger. You are responsible for their life.

It ISN'T the bike.

its a 2014. its due for a flush. have the dealer check it out at the same time that you have the flush done.

well, except it could be. granted, the rest of your post is spot on, there is no reason that he should have locked up his rear wheel with abs.

My first bike was a Vulcan 750. I never locked the brakes up on that.

I bought my my non ABS '03 FLHTCUI in '11. The first few yellow lights I locked the rear, and went into a skid. It took lots of practice, including the Riders Edge Slilled Riders course, to learn how to modulate the rear brake.

I would guess that your ABS works but not enough to overcome stomping on the rear brake. Personally I can't force myself to panic brake in a parking lot. I do it if a light turns yellow, after checking my six. I grab the front brake pretty hard, a little less than as fast as I can. I apply the rear firmly, but in a controlled manner. If I hear it locking I release and reapply BEFORE the rear slides. In the SRC they teach you not to release after locking, to avoid a high side. In Motor Lessons by Neil Harris he says you should release and reapply as long as you haven't slid out 6 degrees. I could send you a copy of the course, but I know Neil Harris used to want to be the one to send it. I didn't find him in a Google search, but his email is MotorLessons@hotmail.com

I always pass any "billboards" when possible. I too have been surprised because I couldn't see I'm front of a truck. Glad you made it out OK.

I agree with this. Also I think the ABS is disabled under a certain speed but I'm not sure

I will say this you were either going too fast for the situation or following the truck too closely from what I read

Yup. Fluid should be flushed every 2 years, not related to mileage. It absorbs moisture over time.

RomeoTango~

Seldom is a crash the result of a single factor, usually, it's a result of numerous factors, all in

succession.

You've isolated your event and broken it down into parts. This will help you in the future so it isn't repeated.

The most important thing here is...neither you nor your passenger were hurt. That's a huge one.

Most of the comments above have had to do with the motorcycle's condition.

One other factor is the rider's condition.
Riding tired
Riding with complacency
Riding with alcohol/drugs
Riding without due care
Riding while angry/emotional
Riding with a passenger that is new to riding
These are just the "tip of the iceberg" for factors that can effect an event's outcome.

Once the bike has been evaluated, I'd say let's take a look at the rider's training. We know you're weak in the front brake application dept.

This can be remedied by profession guidance. This can be done a few ways~
1. Hire a motorcycle instructor to tutor you
2. Take an advanced rider course
a. Enroll in a rider/passenger course (if one's available in your area.)
3. Practice
4. Practice
5. Practice!

Or, do all 5!

Remember, motorcycling is similar to marksmanship. To become proficient, one must practice. To remain proficient, one must practice all the time.

I've been thinking about this post all morning. Here is my take on it FWIW.

Firstly, good job by the OP. Your wife and you walked away from the incident unhurt, and the bike is OK. By definition that is a good outcome.

My take is this. I think that the ABS and everything about the bike are likely fine. I do think that the OP did not use ABS correctly. With ABS when you are in an emergency stop situation, you are supposed to jam both the front and back brakes and let ABS decide how much and the frequency of gripping for the front and rear brakes. The OP tried to do this himself by underapplying the front brake and making the rear brake do all of the work. Given that the front brake = 70% or more of the bike's braking power this overtasked the rear brake to a degree where ABS simply had to apply the rear brake 100%, which is not normally what ABS "wants" to do in a sudden stop scenario. That is why the rear brake appeared to "lock up." I'm betting that the ABS was fine prior to this incident.

If I am wrong about any of the above I'd appreciate knowing it. But this is my analysis of the situation.

Naturally, the OP should take the bike to the dealer and have it checked out.

No, not good job by the OP. No injuries and little damage is down to good luck.

He got himself and his passenger into a situation that could have been avoided with proper riding technique. Although it is troubling that the rear wheel locked up. ABS either works or it doesn't. I'd have the bike checked out.

Thanks for all the advice, input and assessment. Keeps me honest. I will take it all to heart - and practice to increase my skills. I would not have posted had I not wanted straight-forward discussion about the situation. This is a great forum and I expected nothing less! Much appreciated.

While I will have the bike checked out, I have been over the situation a hundred times in my head. I easily should have done things better. Better SA. Better braking technique. I will service my brake fluid, but after some research I also doubt there is anything wrong with the ABS. Seems like the rear brake can lock up after all (with poor technique). I've read many mixed reviews on the topic. No excuses - just need to be sure my gear is in good working order, and that I know how to work my gear.

This bit of good luck, as some have said and I agree, has me focused on skill improvement. I rode in to work today (catching up on a few things) and exercised proper use of the front brake to ensure I am simply not developing a bad habit. At every stop and in a few parking lots I practiced using the front brake as my primary stopping power and feeling how the bike reacted. Felt solid and "trustworthy."Did not try to deliberately engage the ABS, so not sure if it did. I did not really do any emergency-style stops.

The advanced riders courses are a great idea that I will exercise at my earliest opportunity.