NO! It absolutely does not!


Both motors in this video are 2012, Harley-Davidson® Road King® Police (FLHRP) models. Both motors are equipped with ABS. Both are traveling at 40 MPH, and both begin braking at the same point. I'm riding the near motor, and stop using “threshold combination braking” (the maximum amount of braking, using both the front and rear brakes, before either a locked wheel or ABS activation), the rider on the far motor; one of the top police motor instructors in the world, deliberately engages the ABS, rather than using proper braking technique. As you can see, the properly braked motorcycle stops in excess of 20 feet more quickly than the motorcycle that is stopped using the ABS as a braking tool.

ABS is not a tool to stop the motorcycle (or any vehicle). ABS has only one function: to prevent locked wheel skids while braking. It does this by releasing and reapplying the brakes several times a second. As should be clear, this has the effect of lengthening braking distance, since the brakes are being released momentarily.

So, it is very important for riders to understand that proper brake application will stop a motorcycle faster, since it uses all the efficiency of the brakes. It is also important to understand that the fact that a motorcycle is equipped with ABS does not – by itself – increase the stopping distance. Unless either poor braking, or a surface change causes ABS activation, an ABS equipped motorcycle will function exactly like one without ABS. The value of ABS is that it allows a vehicle to stop safely, when either of these issues occurs. On a motor without ABS, those things would cause a locked wheel skid, which not only increases stopping distance, but results in instability often leading to a crash.

ABS is a tremendous safety feature, and if it’s available, on any vehicle you are considering you should insist that your vehicle be equipped with it. However, a motorcyclist should no more use ABS regularly than the driver of a car should frequently use the air bags.

If your interested in more on ABS, and how to use it properly, email me at:


motorlessons@hotmail.com


I'll send you back my (free) booklet.


Harris
Denver, CO

www.youtube.com/conedown

 

Couldn't agree more! I have a riding buddy that constantly relies on his ABS and it drives me bonkers. I keep telling him he needs to better his skills, but his reply is always the same..."Why, when I have ABS I don't need to worry about it." Maybe that's true, I don't know cause I've never had a bike with ABS...but IMO his riding is reckless and I can't believe he depends on his ABS. What if it fails? What if it doesn't engage as expected? Not for me. I'd rather be in control of my bike than relying on ABS to keep me upright. JMO though. Hope he never dumps it, but I keep waiting for it to happen.

As far as needing this type of system...I can count on finger when I REALLY needed it. I got lucky, but it would have saved me several gray hairs! Maybe??????

 

To reiterate, I would DEFINITELY want ABS on my motorcycle. It is a valuable safety enhancement. But it's critical that each of us understand that it's a mechanical device, not good judgement, or proper skill.

Harris
Denver, CO

www.youtube.com/conedown

 

My bike has ABS. It had it when I bought it used. If I were buying new I'd definately NOT have it. Harley's ABS engages too early, and pulses too slowly. The ABS rider in the video will never stop as short as his partner. The ABS bike can not be controlled as well.

 

ABS enabled me to be able to do a makeover on one of my bikes this past winter. My bike doesnt have ABS but the bike that hit me from behind did.

 

No but it does change them a bit.
Have ABS Ok with it

 

Actually the H-D ABS engages at a higher coefficient of friction than that of other manufacturers; thus it activates LATER, not "too early". A pulse rate of 6 times a second is hardly "too slowly".

The point of this video is that no motorcycle will stop as quickly in full ABS as one being braked properly. This is not a failure of ABS, this is the reason riders should not rely on ABS as a way to stop.

Any one who would choose not to have ABS when it is available is making a life-threatening mistake, since ABS allows control when poor braking skills or poor braking surface would have resulted in a locked wheel. If an error occurs during proper braking, and ABS activates, a safe stop is still the result. Correctly dealing with a locked wheel - that occurs without ABS - requires skill that very few riders have developed.

If a rider feels his ABS activate, he should immediately understand he has made an error either in braking application or surface appraisal.

Take any ABS event as a time to learn to brake better. Analyze what happened to cause ABS to activate. It's much easier to do this after an ABS event than it is to do it after a locked wheel skid, since those are typically the precursor to a wreck.

Harris
Denver, CO

www.youtube.com/conedown

 

I have ABS and had to use them a couple of times. having had bikes with and without ABS I now am glad to have them.

 

ABS only kicks in when the rider fails at his braking skills.

 

My ABS has only come on once. When I forced it to just so I'd know it works and what it felt like. I hope it never comes on again but I am very happy to know it's there just in case. I feel fairly competent in my riding skills but you can't gaurantee that you will react perfetly every time in a panic stop situation and it's nice to know the ABS is there to cover your behind just in case.

It reminds me of an air bag in a cage. It will probably never be deployed but if it does, it may have just saved your life.

I love a safety feature that you never know it's there until you need it.