Not so! The MoCo will triple the price of the former option and incorporate it into the new "standard" price structure. Now everyone pays for this feature, three times over. the math works out real well.

 

I disagree. The "standard" price structure wouldn't take the hit. You'd have a softail costing as much as a tourer. Same thing happened with power brakes, steering, windows, abs, airbags on cages.

 

It is interesting to notice the list of the things I want on my bike for 'safety' reasons and how much they'd cost. for me, the list is in this order
1 - Tubeless tires (that is an easy 2 grands for new wheels and tires)
2 - LED/HID lights (on the way)
3- ABS brakes (not sure it is available for older models and probably will cost an arm and a leg (no pun intended).).
4 - Loud Horn (already installed).

I must say that the Softails are way harder to kick you off the bike when they lock, on my old Ninja and R1, if I locked the rear wheel, the bike will violently shake down, I rarely used it, on my bike, I did a few times lock one or both wheels emergency braking, the bike slides, fishtails but if you relax, you should still be up on it, would ABS have helped, of course, but not sure as much as it would have done on a lighter bike.

Finally, ABS would be most beneficial for Softies in Rain and gravel with emergency braking, that , nobody can disagree with. but in dry conditions which is 90% of my riding, it is really a tough sale given the price.

 

That is an absolute myth. ABS was developed by the military to stop jets on aircraft carrier decks in the shortest possible distance. They allow for the best possible control in an emergency stop

 

i think what the military designed , and how it applies to a softtail harley can be different. id bet my *** ( and i suppose i do everytime i ride the garley w/out abs ) that in the dry the abs would not out brake a competant rider . the softtail with the single front disk just doesnt have the ability to lock up unless you really really try. if abs on the new Harleys had the option of turning off/on , id have it off on dry roads. just thats just my humble opinion .

 

So the abs is only on the front wheel?. If so that seems pointless since it's far more common to lock up the rear wheel.

 

ABS is on both wheels, of course.

Look at this

 

Is ABS an option on all 2011 Softails?

 

Yes, I think so. Except Cross Bones (Springer-Front-End).

 

ABSOLUTELY. However, it is a "package" with the security system.