abs pros/cons
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,885
Likes: 0
From: Chicago area
Count me as a big ABS fan. For me, ABS is a deal breaker and my personal choice. I want every advantage I can get. A trip to the ER (or morgue) will be considerably more than the cost of ABS ($1,000). Some riders say they can stop faster w/o ABS and I'm not doubting them, but I'm not superman so I'm going with the ABS. My .02 FWIW.
A Ford F150 4X4
Also a GMC 4x4 z71 ( no issue )( other than ONsTar)
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,764
Likes: 50
From: Gilbert, AZ
Just over a year ago, I totaled my 2007 Kawasaki Nomad, totaling it and I ate some asphalt and ended up with road rash on both arms. I am convinced ABS would have saved me in that case. I knew my next bike would have ABS and that's what drove my purchase decision. I have used it a few times, none of them life-or-death situations, but it does work.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,639
Likes: 2
From: Australia
HD ABS is cheap and nasty. If you are a 3/4 decent rider you can outbrake it easily in dry conditions:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...r-to-stop.html
But it is easy to disable. I run with it off in the dry and on in the wet. Each to their own.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...r-to-stop.html
But it is easy to disable. I run with it off in the dry and on in the wet. Each to their own.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,692
Likes: 22
From: Denham Springs, La
I have ABS and like it. It will keep the bike upright in an emergency situation where a non ABS bike could possibly slide out from under you. I got mine mostly for wet road emergency braking.
Riding defensively and situational awareness is a very large part of safe riding and survival on a bike and something that I try to do anytime I'm riding.
While I am a fan of ABS, I can honestly say that if you're trying to stop quickly for a traffic light and the road is bumpy, it may finally stop you in the middle of an intersection due to HD ABS letting off the brakes because they are too sensitive in this situation, even on a dry road.
Riding defensively and situational awareness is a very large part of safe riding and survival on a bike and something that I try to do anytime I'm riding.
While I am a fan of ABS, I can honestly say that if you're trying to stop quickly for a traffic light and the road is bumpy, it may finally stop you in the middle of an intersection due to HD ABS letting off the brakes because they are too sensitive in this situation, even on a dry road.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,277
Likes: 4
From: Austin, TX - Some call it heaven.
Part of my job is to analyze failure rates. I rely on facts to make my case. Sometimes I have a gut feeling on which way a trend will go, based on experience, but at the end of the day I still rely on the numbers. And even a casual observer would have to admit that 37% is HUGE.
Also note that motorcycle cops are some of the best riders out there, and almost all of them ride ABS bikes.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,880
Likes: 33,830
I totaled my 99 EG last year. Topped a hill and there was a line of cars stopped in front of me. Slamed on brakes. The rear end came around on me. the bike flipped twice in med air throwing me off on to the pavement. The bike landed a few feet behind me. Road rash on both elbows down to the bone and hematoma on left hip.
Don't let anyone tell you all you need to do is develope your riding skills. That's bs. If your time comes it's the most unexpected situation and it happens in seconds.
Some will tell you how they use to handle their dirt bike and they can do the same thing with their touring bike. We are talking about a motorcycle that weighs close to a half of a ton.
If I would have had ABS on my 99 EG I could have avoided a very painful wreck. My 2010 Ultra has ABS and I love it.
Spend the extra thousand for ABS that will include security which is nice also. If you ever trade you will get that thousand back. It's a win, win.
Don't let anyone tell you all you need to do is develope your riding skills. That's bs. If your time comes it's the most unexpected situation and it happens in seconds.
Some will tell you how they use to handle their dirt bike and they can do the same thing with their touring bike. We are talking about a motorcycle that weighs close to a half of a ton.
If I would have had ABS on my 99 EG I could have avoided a very painful wreck. My 2010 Ultra has ABS and I love it.
Spend the extra thousand for ABS that will include security which is nice also. If you ever trade you will get that thousand back. It's a win, win.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,885
Likes: 0
From: Chicago area
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,277
Likes: 4
From: Austin, TX - Some call it heaven.
I totaled my 99 EG last year. Topped a hill and there was a line of cars stopped in front of me. Slamed on brakes. The rear end came around on me. the bike flipped twice in med air throwing me off on to the pavement. The bike landed a few feet behind me. Road rash on both elbows down to the bone and hematoma on left hip.
Don't let anyone tell you all you need to do is develope your riding skills. That's bs. If your time comes it's the most unexpected situation and it happens in seconds.
Some will tell you how they use to handle their dirt bike and they can do the same thing with their touring bike. We are talking about a motorcycle that weighs close to a half of a ton.
If I would have had ABS on my 99 EG I could have avoided a very painful wreck. My 2010 Ultra has ABS and I love it.
Spend the extra thousand for ABS that will include security which is nice also. If you ever trade you will get that thousand back. It's a win, win.
Don't let anyone tell you all you need to do is develope your riding skills. That's bs. If your time comes it's the most unexpected situation and it happens in seconds.
Some will tell you how they use to handle their dirt bike and they can do the same thing with their touring bike. We are talking about a motorcycle that weighs close to a half of a ton.
If I would have had ABS on my 99 EG I could have avoided a very painful wreck. My 2010 Ultra has ABS and I love it.
Spend the extra thousand for ABS that will include security which is nice also. If you ever trade you will get that thousand back. It's a win, win.
I think you hit the nail on the head. Some people think that if they can stop a non ABS bike faster, then it must always be better. But let's look at two examples:
Example A: Two bikes are traveling 60 MPH and top a hill. Ahead is a car stalled in the middle of the road. Both riders brake as hard as possible. The one without ABS is barely able to stop, but because of increased braking distances, the ABS rider hits the rear bumper of the car. But because the stopping distance is not that big of a difference, he's not going very fast and his protective gear saves him from major injury when he hits it going 4 MPH.
Example B: Same scenario, but the non ABS bike hits a oil patch as soon as he engages the brakes, locks up the rear wheel, and in a split second the rider high sides off the bike going 55 MPH. He flies through the air for many feet before slamming into the pavement with life threatening injuries.
What I'm saying is that the numbers suggest that the ability to control the bike during panic stops (ABS) is vastly more important than the small increase in stopping distance under ideal conditions.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
ABS yesterday, ABS today and ABS tomorrow. That is my position.
I will not buy a bike without it. I don't think that it will be long and the nanny state will require that it is standard anyway.
The biggest percentage of HD accidents involves a rider going off of a curve with his rear wheel only locked up making a beautiful and perfectly straight mark.
The most accidents on motorcycles is the novice riders. The most deaths on motorcycles is the experienced rider going too fast coming to a curve that he THINKS he cannot make it and locks the rear up. ABS would help. But not as much as experienced riders learning to trust the bike counter steer hard and slowly let the speed scrub off. Trail brake if they know how. But it is likely that anyone that can trail brake won't be in trouble in the first place.
I will not buy a bike without it. I don't think that it will be long and the nanny state will require that it is standard anyway.
The biggest percentage of HD accidents involves a rider going off of a curve with his rear wheel only locked up making a beautiful and perfectly straight mark.
The most accidents on motorcycles is the novice riders. The most deaths on motorcycles is the experienced rider going too fast coming to a curve that he THINKS he cannot make it and locks the rear up. ABS would help. But not as much as experienced riders learning to trust the bike counter steer hard and slowly let the speed scrub off. Trail brake if they know how. But it is likely that anyone that can trail brake won't be in trouble in the first place.
Last edited by lh4x4; Apr 21, 2012 at 11:50 PM.