I think technology is making us lazy and helping us become worse drivers with every advancement.

BUT last month on the way down to my daughters wedding (Portland) my ABS equipped softail saved my @$$ from (most likely) totaling my new bike and getting a trip to the hospital.
Some A hole pulled out from a side street without looking, crossing my my lane.
No way in hell I would have been able to not lock up the brakes with no warning and no room.
I still don't know how I missed her... she didn't even slow down or stop after.
I barley had enough time to grab and stab both brakes.
If someone could have taken a pitcher I would bet there was less than a foot (couple of inches is more like it) between my front tire and the side of her car.

Sorry to say but with cell phones and all the people that do not know how to drive out there we need all the "positive" advancements we can get.

I have tested the linked brakes on the new touring bikes and I gotta say in an emergency that could come in handy...

 

My current bike does not have ABS but it's taught (forced) me to regulate my braking much more precisely. My next bike will probably have ABS, however.

 

It's a love hate thing. None of my bikes have had it until my 17 and I do appreciate it. Saved me after having it for about a week when I was nearly taken out by someone pulling in front of me without looking. The 01 that I have kept has had the brakes locked up numerous times. Guess I prefer having ABS and not that stubborn that I can't roll with advancement.

 

ABS saves control and lives. Period. There is NO downside to motorcycle ABS except slightly increased expense and maintenance. And no use crying about it, soon the U.S. will catch up with the rest of the world and ABS will be standard equipment on new motorcycles.

 

​​​​​ oh The Lies We Tell ourselves. I'm not going to get drawn into a big discussion but here's one scenario where it wouldn't be good. Rider who's driven with abs his entire life is on the way home when all of a sudden the ABS light comes on. He starts thinking to himself I'll head over to the dealership so they can fix it. Lo and behold on the way he gets into a situation where he has to break suddenly to avoid a collision. Of course he has no idea how to break except for to lay on the anchors! And Bam he's dead and your statement is now invalid. I'm actually on the fence about ABS there's good and bads for it. But just like fuel injection and other things it's not necessarily better. Like anything in life there are pros and cons.

 

Ever since the computer in a Jeep I no longer own decided it didn't feel like applying the brakes despite immense pressure I was applying to the brake pedal, I decided that ABS on a bike is something I do not want even though previously I was lukewarm to the idea. The incident in the Jeep resulted in me having to go into and out of a deep ditch to avoid hitting the car stopped in front of me. It happened at 60 mph. Two weeks later, it happened at 70 mph. Dealership claimed there is nothing wrong then went down the path of claiming I don't know how to drive. I almost had a stroke I got so mad.

As mentioned previously, the inconsistency of appropriate technique to use when the system is functional vs non functional is a huge concern.

It doesn't much matter to me though. This is my last bike. It's as technologically advanced as I want a motorcycle to be.

 

 

Why stop there? How about a sudden leak in a brake line in a non-ABS bike, and the lever bottoms out against the grip?

We can all agree that CH!T happens. Better technology is not necessarily a substitute for basic skills, this is why airline pilots learn to fly in Piper Cubs and not 787s. But to quote the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts." Let's hope you're never in a situation where you'll need ABS, but not have it.

OK, I'm done!

 

Well the "pro" ABS crowd is worse at this than anybody.

ABS is amazing on a freshly paved test track...but on a road riddled with pot holes... it can actually increase your stopping distance...a well know fact that the ABS crowd wants to deny.

Since the majority of US roads have become riddled with pot holes...I will do my own braking and take my chances...like I have for the last 35 years.

 

Seems everyone likes to put it down until they are actually in a situation that they need it. I would never ride a bike without it after having it.