Is it worth getting ABS?
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,383
Likes: 3
From: Texas City, TX
I'm a proffesional rider. I practice all the time. I can, and have stopped a few feet shorter on a non ABS bike, UNDER CONTROLED CONDITIONS, ON DRY PAVEMENT. I've had 3 bikes with ABS but have only had to apply the ABS once under real world conditions. Here's what happened. It's dark out,and had just stopped raining. I'm approaching a red light at about 45mph. Just a regular stop, no emergency easing into both brakes, when I feel the ABS APPLY. I don't know why, until I stop, put my feet down and they almost slip out from under me. That's when I realize the ground is wet, and covered with diesel fuel. Without the ABS I would have gone down. Get the ABS.
Everyone here has been concentrating on the "emergency" aspect of ABS and what it can do for you. Yours is not the first story of it's kind I've heard about and speaks volumes to the point that ABS can be of benefit regardless of how careful you're trying to be!
Glad it worked for you!
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Panama city florida
You can bust your butt quicker on a dry road when you lock up that rear tire
I have been praying for abs on Harleys forever I bought one immediately last yr
Dont think about it, your life is worth more than the cost
scoote2008
I have been praying for abs on Harleys forever I bought one immediately last yr
Dont think about it, your life is worth more than the cost
scoote2008
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
From:
I think what you're trying to say here is "generally" true but motorcycles are not cars. If you're on the brakes hard enough to activate the ABS on a motorcycle, it's likely that you'll have very little traction left for maneuvering. I'm not saying it's impossible, just not likely and certainly "not" to the degree that you'd be able to maneuver in a car under the same conditions. "Do NOT" expect the ABS to keep you upright if you're leaned over in a turn when it activates. If you're on the brakes that hard, you'd better be bolt upright whether you have ABS or not!
My oldest (who rides the '08) didn't buy the bike until HD offered the ABS last year. Ditto for me, but on an '09. I feel that strongly about it. Riding a bike is certainly more dangerous than a car but it is what I choose to do; However, I also want to give myself the best chance to survive vs risk.
As always, your mileage may vary. <grin> As we said in the 70's, "Keep the shiny side up, and the dirty side down".
Cheers and all the best, geeded
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 295
Likes: 0
From:
I had a deer jump out in front of me 4 years ago while riding my Fatboy. I was going about 55 mph... to this day, it was the most difficult stop I have ever done. I tried to steer away from the deer while stopping, at one piont had my front wheel between it's rear legs as it was running up the road. I remember letting up on the rear brake 3-4 times to keep the rear wheel in line, with the front forks fully compressed, steering was difficult at best while triing to keep my body from sliding up the gas tank.
I did not hit it!
But I wonder...Would an ABS bike have been any easyer to handle or not? I don't know.
Hopefully I won't have to find out.
I did not hit it!
But I wonder...Would an ABS bike have been any easyer to handle or not? I don't know.
Hopefully I won't have to find out.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,383
Likes: 3
From: Texas City, TX
I had a deer jump out in front of me 4 years ago while riding my Fatboy. I was going about 55 mph... to this day, it was the most difficult stop I have ever done. I tried to steer away from the deer while stopping, at one piont had my front wheel between it's rear legs as it was running up the road. I remember letting up on the rear brake 3-4 times to keep the rear wheel in line, with the front forks fully compressed, steering was difficult at best while triing to keep my body from sliding up the gas tank.
I did not hit it!
But I wonder...Would an ABS bike have been any easyer to handle or not? I don't know.
I did not hit it!
But I wonder...Would an ABS bike have been any easyer to handle or not? I don't know.
Hopefully I won't have to find out.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,750
Likes: 2
From: Bucks County PA
Grateful that you did well; now here is a question: What is the downside to ABS? Is there any situation where one would not be pleased that they spent the 750? Do the Ben Franklin T close. Put the + on one side and - on the other. You will spend the $.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,383
Likes: 3
From: Texas City, TX
As for downsides? The only situation I've heard of where a standard braking system will consistantly do better than ABS applies to cars and is on a heavily graveled road. Without ABS, the wheels simply lock and the gravel piles up in front of the tires and slows the car. With ABS, the system keeps the wheels turning which allows the gravel to roll under the tires with predicable results. I seriously doubt that this situation applies to motorcycles because we're not going to be going that fast on a heavily graveled surface. We'd be too concerned with simply staying upright to worry about ABS or the lack thereof.
I can't honestly think of a situation where ABS would be a negative on a motorcycle from an operational point of view. I'm not saying there isn't one, just that nothing comes to mind right now. One poster noted the cost of repairs if you ever had a problem with it. That might be one negative but considering that ABS technology has been around for a very long time now and has proven to be quite reliable, I don't consider it to be a significant one, certainly not enough to offset the positive aspects that have already been discussed in this conversation.
JMHO!
Ride Safe,
Steve R.
Last edited by Intrepid175; Sep 20, 2008 at 09:28 PM.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
I have also been driving cars as long with ABS brakes. They work every now and again in situations that are not life threatening or car bending.
The point I will make is that we live in safety averse times and ABS panders to that. I have yet to experience ABS in a situation that is helpful or beneficial to me and I reckon most of us will never benefit from it. As it gets cheaper to fit, more bikes will have it as standard and we will increasingly regard it as essential.
But most riders with it on their bike will probably find it never works, just as I have found. In other words not many of us ride in such a way that we are likely to make it trigger into action. It will be interesting to revisit this topic in a couple of years time to see how many Harley riders have actually benefitted from having it. I have not and can see no use for it. But then I see no use for a radio/cd/tape on a bike either, so would prefer to have neither, save some weight and put the bucks to something I would find more useful.
Last edited by grbrown; Sep 21, 2008 at 08:35 AM.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,873
Likes: 13
From: NW Arkansas
[QUOTE=Jim Dawson;3876834]Having spent the last 32 years flying airplanes with anti-skid brakes, I will never have a bike or car without ABS if it's available. There is NO logical argument that can be made against ABS.
O.K. stop using foriegn language on here. Some of us understand what LOGIC means, but it is obvious many don't. Please stick to words EVERYBODY can understand!!!!
O.K. stop using foriegn language on here. Some of us understand what LOGIC means, but it is obvious many don't. Please stick to words EVERYBODY can understand!!!!
Banned
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,036
Likes: 67
Like most things, you will get varying opinions. For me, I just asked myself why ABS brakes were developed in the beginning. The theory behind these brakes was to control wheel lock up. We all know that when wheels lock up they do not rotate. In order to have control both 4 wheel and 2 wheel vehicles need to have their wheels rotating. Unless the wheels rotate you can not control the direction the vehicle is moving. If it is going in a direction that is going to place you in harms way, you are in deep kimchee.
ABS brakes use a computer chip to analyze your braking conditions many times per second. The human brain is not capable of monitoring this nearly as good as a chip can. ABS brakes will let you make a safe, controlled high speed panic stop without letting the front wheel or rear wheel lock up due to uncontrolled pressure from the operator using either the hand grip or rear brake pedal. They work. I have experienced it first hand. I have seen other riders who were in a panic stop condition and it worked for them too. A crash is bad enough when in a car, if you are in a motorcycle that is the last thing you want to happen. Coming in contact with sheet metal and iron such as a car while riding a motorcycle is probably going to result in a 911 call, at best.
So why not spend an extra $800.00 dollars for the best braking technology out there. For me, it was an easy call.
ABS brakes use a computer chip to analyze your braking conditions many times per second. The human brain is not capable of monitoring this nearly as good as a chip can. ABS brakes will let you make a safe, controlled high speed panic stop without letting the front wheel or rear wheel lock up due to uncontrolled pressure from the operator using either the hand grip or rear brake pedal. They work. I have experienced it first hand. I have seen other riders who were in a panic stop condition and it worked for them too. A crash is bad enough when in a car, if you are in a motorcycle that is the last thing you want to happen. Coming in contact with sheet metal and iron such as a car while riding a motorcycle is probably going to result in a 911 call, at best.
So why not spend an extra $800.00 dollars for the best braking technology out there. For me, it was an easy call.