ABS...Is it worth it?
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 12,653
Likes: 18
From: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Lots of people rode bikes well before they ever invented ABS and never needed it. Just like lots of people drove cars back before cars had seatbelts and never needed a seatbelt.
Just like there are plenty of the unlucky who did the same and are probably saying , from the underworld, how they wished they had had ABS or a seatbelt.
It is a foolish man who laughs off a new safety-feature simply because he survived years of experience without it.
Just like there are plenty of the unlucky who did the same and are probably saying , from the underworld, how they wished they had had ABS or a seatbelt.
It is a foolish man who laughs off a new safety-feature simply because he survived years of experience without it.
I don't think anyone ever said they weren't an advantage, or laugh off a "safety feature". I said it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.
Maybe the foolish person is the one that demands the latest "safety feature", and relies on it too much while he keeps the one between his ears from working.
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,625
Likes: 123
From: Meridian, Idaho
NO fools here just not deal breakers. Some who have ABS and swear by it do not use a helmet,boots, sh*t some ride in frigging flip flops... I'm sure my next one will have it. I assume one day they will be mandatory on all models. I would never knock someone for having ABS. However it works out ,who ever has ABS or not, Ride safe, be aware. One day we will all be in the ABS club.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 13
From: Fort Worth
Add in the linked breaking and the braking system is even better. I had to get used to non-trail braking but once I did, I really like the abs with linked braking.
It came in handy for me not too long along. I had a lady make a right hand turn in to my direction of travel, it was raining and on asphalt. I hit my brakes and I got an immediate feedback that the rear ABS kicked in. Who knows if I would have started a sway if I didn't have ABS but I was sure happy I didn't have to think about it on the wet roads and deal with going sideways.
Not long ago, and I posted about it here, a group of us where heading back from a long lunch ride. It started to down pour, the first rain in about 3 months, on a road with a 70 MPH speed limit and one of the riders skidded sideways through an intersection but kept the bike up. Me and the two behind us had ABS, nine never kicked in and one of the riders behind did. All in all, we were all traveling too fast for the conditions but ABS would have helped this rider not lock up the rear wheel and skid sideways through a red light and maybe a little more front brake. But, with the wet roads, the film of oil and the very sudden red light all contributed to what could have been a serious accident.
It came in handy for me not too long along. I had a lady make a right hand turn in to my direction of travel, it was raining and on asphalt. I hit my brakes and I got an immediate feedback that the rear ABS kicked in. Who knows if I would have started a sway if I didn't have ABS but I was sure happy I didn't have to think about it on the wet roads and deal with going sideways.
Not long ago, and I posted about it here, a group of us where heading back from a long lunch ride. It started to down pour, the first rain in about 3 months, on a road with a 70 MPH speed limit and one of the riders skidded sideways through an intersection but kept the bike up. Me and the two behind us had ABS, nine never kicked in and one of the riders behind did. All in all, we were all traveling too fast for the conditions but ABS would have helped this rider not lock up the rear wheel and skid sideways through a red light and maybe a little more front brake. But, with the wet roads, the film of oil and the very sudden red light all contributed to what could have been a serious accident.
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 38
Likes: 1
From: NH, US
That's kind of how I figured it when I bought mine. There are several videos on you tube. Some that show two police officers 1 with abs, 1 without abs. The one without the ABS stopped quicker. The one with abs stopped better on sand, wet roads etc. ABS only works when bike is straight up not on a curve or anything. For many years we have used bikes with no ABS, seems like now some people assume you can't ride if you don't have ABS. 
Just my $.02
Just my $.02
This is the biggest misconception about ABS out there. In your car, on your bike, on any vehicle at all, ABS isn't supposed to help you stop shorter. It prevents locking up, which causes you to slide much further than normal stopping distance. Like it or not, very few riders and drivers are skilled enough to threshold brake. In an emergency situation, almost nobody is good enough to do it properly.
ABS is cheap insurance, basically. In an emergency or slippery conditions it prevents a bad situation from getting worse. It's that simple. It doesn't make you a super hero driver, it doesn't make the bike stop quicker, it doesn't slice bread or perform miracles. But if it prevents you from over-braking in the rain and going down in front of a car, it might be worth it.
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,625
Likes: 123
From: Meridian, Idaho
This is the biggest misconception about ABS out there. In your car, on your bike, on any vehicle at all, ABS isn't supposed to help you stop shorter. It prevents locking up, which causes you to slide much further than normal stopping distance. Like it or not, very few riders and drivers are skilled enough to threshold brake. In an emergency situation, almost nobody is good enough to do it properly.
ABS is cheap insurance, basically. In an emergency or slippery conditions it prevents a bad situation from getting worse. It's that simple. It doesn't make you a super hero driver, it doesn't make the bike stop quicker, it doesn't slice bread or perform miracles. But if it prevents you from over-braking in the rain and going down in front of a car, it might be worth it.
ABS is cheap insurance, basically. In an emergency or slippery conditions it prevents a bad situation from getting worse. It's that simple. It doesn't make you a super hero driver, it doesn't make the bike stop quicker, it doesn't slice bread or perform miracles. But if it prevents you from over-braking in the rain and going down in front of a car, it might be worth it.
" Some who have ABS and swear by it do not use a helmet,boots, sh*t some ride in frigging flip flops... I'm sure my next one will have it. I assume one day they will be mandatory on all models. I would never knock someone for having ABS. However it works out ,who ever has ABS or not, Ride safe, be aware. One day we will all be in the ABS club."
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 943
Likes: 41
It's a deal breaker for me...no ABS, no sale. ABS is cheap insurance for proven technology that could save your life. It's very easy to over-brake, especially in a panic situation, and on two wheels, I want every advantage I can get.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,889
Likes: 104
From: Mississippi
ABS brakes are worthless if you don't practice with them and learn their advantages and limitations.Just an observation ABS doesn't automatically make a bike safer.There are a lot of people out there that don't have a clue of how the bike will react during an ABS event.If you get a bike with ABS,learn how to use them,practice panic stops on back roads with no traffic,parking lots etc.I see people that never learned how to effectively use conventional brakes get a bike with ABS and get the false sense of security just because they have them.Practice!
