Struggling ABS
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: North Carolina
Struggling ABS
I posted last week about brakes grabbing or surging on my 2012 Street Glide. Went by dealership Thursday for them to see if everything was alright or if i had a rotor issue. The dealership found nothing wrong that everything was within speck. Still having issues to me. It seems that i stop either to short or to long when i brake at a stop light or stop sign. Is there any trick to getting use to these brakes? I am beginning to wish i had not gotten ABS brakes. I like the brakes that are were on my sportster better than these brakes. Any help would be great.
Big Kahuna HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 20,530
Likes: 2,305
From: texas panhandle
I have ABS on my 2010 and am not aware of any differences in braking from previous touring bikes. Can you have one of your friends ride your bike and give you some feedback? The reason I am suggesting this is because you really need to find out if something is wrong with the brakes.
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 687
Likes: 1
From: Texas
I posted last week about brakes grabbing or surging on my 2012 Street Glide. Went by dealership Thursday for them to see if everything was alright or if i had a rotor issue. The dealership found nothing wrong that everything was within speck. Still having issues to me. It seems that i stop either to short or to long when i brake at a stop light or stop sign. Is there any trick to getting use to these brakes? I am beginning to wish i had not gotten ABS brakes. I like the brakes that are were on my sportster better than these brakes. Any help would be great.
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 247
Likes: 9
agree with previous post, I do not think you have a ABS issue. On my 13 ltd I don't even notice the bike has ABS under normal breaking. I have had a number of non ABS touring HD's and can not tell the difference in stopping distance between the abs and non under normal conditions.
Supporter
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,196
Likes: 10
From: Shenandoah, TX
I had issues with my ABS also on my 2010. Sometimes work sometimes not. Knowone at three different dealers smart enough to find the problem. Pulled the fuse, now I know it's not working. I've been riding for 40 something years without ABS, so no big deal now. If you pull the fuse and it's doing it, you know its not the electronics. Then probly warped rotor like said above.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,928
Likes: 69
From: Near Myrtle Beach, SC
ABS does not engage until one of the wheels momentarily stops turning under braking. ABS helps you maintain control by allowing a modulation of the wheel movement versus the old days when the wheels locked-up and robbed you of any hope of control in a skid.
As far as caliper pressure on the rotor goes, the ABS function is not part of that equation until the wheel locks-up under braking ..... an interruption of the tire to road friction barrier. My 2010 with the Brembos has the best brakes of any of the three HD's I've owned.
Check that your brake fluid is at the proper level in both reservoirs. Check and make sure there are no oil or other materials leaking onto your rotors (fork oil in the front or maybe even brake fluid leaking from the line to caliper fitting). Check the tightness of your caliper bolts. Brakes usually get a bit better after a little use.
Get accustomed to using the front and rear brake together. Over 70% of your stopping power resides in the front brakes. You can use rear trail braking to aid in keeping the bike standing up in tight radius, slow maneuvering. Also I am usually on the rear brake in the turns as I modulate the clutch. Again, that's just a version of trail braking to help the bike stand up better. Hope this helps.
As far as caliper pressure on the rotor goes, the ABS function is not part of that equation until the wheel locks-up under braking ..... an interruption of the tire to road friction barrier. My 2010 with the Brembos has the best brakes of any of the three HD's I've owned.
Check that your brake fluid is at the proper level in both reservoirs. Check and make sure there are no oil or other materials leaking onto your rotors (fork oil in the front or maybe even brake fluid leaking from the line to caliper fitting). Check the tightness of your caliper bolts. Brakes usually get a bit better after a little use.
Get accustomed to using the front and rear brake together. Over 70% of your stopping power resides in the front brakes. You can use rear trail braking to aid in keeping the bike standing up in tight radius, slow maneuvering. Also I am usually on the rear brake in the turns as I modulate the clutch. Again, that's just a version of trail braking to help the bike stand up better. Hope this helps.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,290
Likes: 20
From: Salem, Or
I'm not trying to be a smart *** hear but if you are either stopping too fat or taking too long to stop I would recommend going to a parking lot somewhere and practicing your stops.
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Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: North Carolina
Teardrop, i hear what you are saying, but this is the third bike that i have owned. The first that had ABS, but i have never had this much trouble just doing a normal stop. With my other bikes, just down shift accordingly, squeeze brake until you stop. For some reason somehting just don't feel right about this bike. Dealership says everything is fine. Feel like a dumb *** trying to figure out these brakes. Frustrating.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 762
Likes: 2
From: Fort Bragg, NC Area
If your talking rear brake with ABS, mine sucks too. Goes off too often. Far as front ABS, have only engaged it demonstrating Quick Stop and Stopping Quickly exercises at the MSF classes I have taught. I LOVE having front ABS.
