My bike has it and up till last year I didn't care one way or another,until it saved my ***! My wife and I were coming down mountain roads at about 70mph(way too fast for the road but I was feeling the need for speed) came around a blind corner and traffic was stopped dead! I locked it down and never slid or lost control.Stopped about a foot from the car in front of me.I know I would had slid into the car without it.So for me,if I have the choice I'll take it any day!

 

Abs!!!!!

 

I had no choice on my RK(classic=orange), I have no fear of not having it, I do have the fear of some chicken poop idiot afraid to buy a bike without it and maybe it does lower your ins. rates. I now have linked brakes and see no effect there because I always knew how to use a front brake.

 

100% yes, get ABS.

 

I'm not an abs fan. When sensors go bad it screws with your braking, at least that's what I experienced on my truck. When I bought my 15RK I looked at it as something I didn't need along with the security, $1200 of savings. Depending on your riding skills this may be something you like, I guess you would have to test ride to find out. I have no problems braking at all but again riding skills play a big choice in this decision. Good luck, now go buy the bike and get riding!

 

Im not fan of the motor either if it goes bad, let alone ABS! Ridiculous comment. Look, ABS "significantly" increases your safety, why you would not get it for any reason other than you just cannot afford it is simply ignorant. Don't tell me if you can increase your riding skills then you don't need ABS, thats BS. $1200 Savings? Gladly pay that for technology that may save my *** or more importantly my passengers. Go ride both, lock up the brakes on each, then let's talk. Guarantee you'll pay for ABS! I have has the displeasure of needing to make emergency stops using bikes with ABS & no ABS - ABS speaks for itself.

OP - Just get it!

 

It’s not an easy question to answer briefly, mainly because ABS on a motorcycle is a very different beast than ABS on a car. The reason is that ABS in a four-wheeled vehicle will help you maintain control in hard-braking situations even when turning or cornering; not so on your beloved Hog.

Harley Davidson’s own Anti-Lock Braking System dvd, which comes with any new Harley equipped with ABS, and can also be viewed on You Tube, is quick to point out that the system helps the rider maintain control in “straight line emergency situations,” and that it isn’t a “cure-all.” This is not merely a CYA statement the lawyers came up with; it is also an important precursor to instructing riders how to use ABS properly.

The way ABS works in both two- and four-wheeled vehicles is that an electronic sensor notices wheel speed during emergency brake application and subsequently modulates brake pressure with a pulsing that applies and releases the brake calipers on the rotors rapidly. This prevents the wheels from locking up. Wheel lockup while riding a motorcycle, particularly on wet or icy pavement, leaves, gravel or any other unstable surface, can cause a loss of control that allows the motorcycle to basically slip out from under itself. Preventing wheel lockup helps keep the bike upright.

The big difference is that ABS on a motorcycle—though a milestone safety innovation—has more limited utility than ABS in a car. The simple fact is, you have to be upright and your wheels have to be straight when braking in an emergency for motorcycle ABS to be effective. The Harley dvd is a very good teaching tool in this regard. First, the narrator tells us several times that the system only works if you apply hard brake pressure and keep it applied. Second, they show an emergency scenario where the riders have the luxury of having enough safe road surface to actually upright the bike while already leaned into a curve before braking hard. In other words, they cross lanes and head for the opposite shoulder of the road during the emergency event, which looks dangerous, but is far less dangerous than applying full brake pressure while still leaned over. But to keep things simple, let’s just say that ABS can help if you’re going straight. Period.

from:
http://thundermountainharley.com/

 

If you took the time to read the four pages of responses, they overwhelmingly agree that ABS is a good thing. Get it, you won't be sorry. My experience is 75K miles using an ABS bike, not one failure to operate as advertised.

 

HD is not saying any improvements were made. However, failures stopped occurring after 2011. Something obviously changed in 2012+ bikes even though HD uses the same abs manufacturer and part numbers. No revision part numbers. For HD to admit changes, would be an admission of guilt in abs safety and design. And lead to recalls, law suits and decreased customer confidence. Get the abs, something changed.

 

Nothing wrong with having ABS, but it's never been part of my vehicle choices. If it's there, great...if not? Fine. Additional safety measures can be a bonus, but it does not define the bikes I have ridden over my life. I will say the additional weight of my RK initially took some adjusting to compared to my lighter bikes in regards to braking distance and behavior. If its your first touring bike make sure you give yourself some additional learning cushion, with or without ABS.

People getting upset or throwing insults over ABS preferences/opinions are just people with other problems of their own.