ABS with or without
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 498
Likes: 28
From: Iowa
I've had ABS on my last 3 bikes. It saved my bacon twice, and I mean 2 times where I thought I was fugged. I would never ride without it again, never.
If I want to go kill myself that's one thing, but my wife sits behind me and I don't have the right to mess with her life. I owe it to her to get her back home safely.
It's just something that's there. It doesnt interfere in any way shape or form with your riding or performance. The only time you know about it is when you need it.
If I want to go kill myself that's one thing, but my wife sits behind me and I don't have the right to mess with her life. I owe it to her to get her back home safely.
It's just something that's there. It doesnt interfere in any way shape or form with your riding or performance. The only time you know about it is when you need it.
99% of the time, I can stop pretty darn fast/hard without engaging the ABS. But, like others have said here, I will never have another big bike without it. Not that having it (so far) has saved my ***, but because not having it kicked my ***. Non-ABS 2009 FLHTC, hit the brakes hard on a drizzly day, locked the rear and took me down. While I practice practice practice all the time, including panic stops, having an 800+ lb bike lock the rear end on a slick surface is nasty.
I also ride a 2002 BMW R1150GS. Most BMWs (I think) have ABS. However, being intended for on/off road, there is a button on my GS that when depressed while starting the bike, will disable the ABS. Reasoning is, ABS on dirt is not nice either. You want to be have direct access to locking the wheels, and going down a hill or something and having ABS start opening the calipers sucks. Most adventure-turing bikes have the ability to turn off ABS.
Anyway, just my $0.02, but I see no reason to disable ABS on a Harley touring bike. I'm in the "never own another bike without it" camp.
I also ride a 2002 BMW R1150GS. Most BMWs (I think) have ABS. However, being intended for on/off road, there is a button on my GS that when depressed while starting the bike, will disable the ABS. Reasoning is, ABS on dirt is not nice either. You want to be have direct access to locking the wheels, and going down a hill or something and having ABS start opening the calipers sucks. Most adventure-turing bikes have the ability to turn off ABS.
Anyway, just my $0.02, but I see no reason to disable ABS on a Harley touring bike. I'm in the "never own another bike without it" camp.
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 803
Likes: 1
From: Port St. Lucie FL
That said, I agree with pulling the fuse to see. If you want to be safe do it in an empty parking lot and test it there so there are no worries about finding out if anything else depends on that fuse the hard way.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 723
Likes: 62
From: Cape Cod, Ma.
In an ideal condition you should never activate the ABS. Nothing in life is ideal. As a motor cop and instructor I would never buy a new bike without it. We are taught/teach threshold braking. That is maximum braking before wheel lockup. In fact, in a maximum braking situation the activation of ABS will slightly increase your stopping distance. That being said, ABS is there to prevent wheel lockup. The best trained rider will encounter a situation that can/will cause lockup and the ABS gives you a chance to react and not go down. If you find the ABS activating often I would have to say there are two issues; system fault or rider error. If you find the rear ABS kicking in frequently I would suggest that you are using too much rear brake and not enough front. Keep it!!
Neil
RDMC
Neil
RDMC
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 10,363
Likes: 127
From: Yooper North of da lift bridge
Don't fight it ride it ! Unless you're a professional road racer or a motor officer with 100's of hours of training I doubt you will know its there until you need it, I know some are diehard and will say yea but, and that's there choice and that's cool, but its technology that I personally would not ride without.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,532
Likes: 132
From: SoCal
Someone on here did put a switch to activate and de-activate the abs. I don't remember exactly but If I remember it was in the wire that came from the front wheel sensor. I think his broke inside the insulation(common problem) disabling the abs. He fixed the wire himself and added a switch.
I understans your frustration with this woefully inadequate sham of an abs system that hd has seen fit to equip these bikes with. It's pretty sad.
I understans your frustration with this woefully inadequate sham of an abs system that hd has seen fit to equip these bikes with. It's pretty sad.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,459
Likes: 2,900
From: Oklahoma
A couple of things not mentioned so far, and this is just for knowledge, NOT a for or against ABS discussion. Your bike has ABS and that means if you keep it long enough to need a full brake fluid flush, it will need to be done at the dealer. He has the digital technician gadget to cycle the ABS unit to let new fluid in during maintenance. That is extra expense as you can't do it in your garage. Perhaps someone will develop a work around for that soon.
ABS can't out smart a rough or washboard surface. When under light braking a tire "jumps" off the top of a bump losing road contact, the wheel will stop abruptly and the ABS will interpret that as a skid and release the brake. If the brake is still released when the tire again touches the road, no braking effort will applied for your gentle stop. Once the spinning wheel jumps off the next bump, the cycle is repeated. You can wind up with almost no brakes for an otherwise gentle, controlled stop. If you see a rough approach to a stop or even an intersection, this can happen with no notice. Be alert for rough spots approaching intersections.
There a a lot of ABS equipped Harleys out there and I have only seen 2 reports of this other problem. The brake lever/pedal feels normal when the bike is off, when powered up, the pedal or lever won't travel the normal distance, Fluid flow is blocked by a malfunctioning ABS controller preventing pressure being passed to the caliper(s). That brake won't work. If that happens, you should call for a tow. I haven't heard if pulling the ABS fuse is a temporary "fix" to get the machine to a shop with both brakes working without ABS protection.
You have read the "war stories" about ABS saving the day. Be aware that it also has limitations and make your own decision.
ABS can't out smart a rough or washboard surface. When under light braking a tire "jumps" off the top of a bump losing road contact, the wheel will stop abruptly and the ABS will interpret that as a skid and release the brake. If the brake is still released when the tire again touches the road, no braking effort will applied for your gentle stop. Once the spinning wheel jumps off the next bump, the cycle is repeated. You can wind up with almost no brakes for an otherwise gentle, controlled stop. If you see a rough approach to a stop or even an intersection, this can happen with no notice. Be alert for rough spots approaching intersections.
There a a lot of ABS equipped Harleys out there and I have only seen 2 reports of this other problem. The brake lever/pedal feels normal when the bike is off, when powered up, the pedal or lever won't travel the normal distance, Fluid flow is blocked by a malfunctioning ABS controller preventing pressure being passed to the caliper(s). That brake won't work. If that happens, you should call for a tow. I haven't heard if pulling the ABS fuse is a temporary "fix" to get the machine to a shop with both brakes working without ABS protection.
You have read the "war stories" about ABS saving the day. Be aware that it also has limitations and make your own decision.
Last edited by btsom; Apr 6, 2014 at 10:24 AM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,924
Likes: 3,066
From: USA
I'm in the "Won't buy another bike w/o it" camp. I was heading down a local road when a school bus turned left in F/O me. Yes a full size school bus that blocked the entire lane. I hit the brakes hard and steered left which put me into the oncoming lane of traffic. I went from the pavement to a small grass section with a guide rail along side it. My ABS kept the tires from locking up when I went from pavement to grass. I was able to control the bike until stopped. I have been riding for many years and can state with absolute certainty that if I didn't have ABS, I would be paralyzed or dead. Leave it alone. When you need it, it will be there for you.
My $.02
My $.02
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Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Allen... north Texas
I really appreciate all the comments.... The reason I was asking is that this is the first bike I've had with it (08 retired police road king) and it acts really weird. When slowing down to a traffic light, I can feel it "pulsing" at about a 1/2 to 3/4 second interval. If I increase the braking any, it will sometimes "chirp" the back tire. I just don't like the uneven feeling of the pulsing. It doesn't do it every time, only when I'm braking a touch more aggressively. If I slow down gradually, starting 8 or 10 car lengths back, it doesn't seem to do it. And I'm not the kind of guy that races up to a red light then tries to stop in the last 50 feet. I ride fairly conservatively.
From all the comments, it sounds as if there is something wrong with my system. Maybe a bad wheel speed sensor or something?
From all the comments, it sounds as if there is something wrong with my system. Maybe a bad wheel speed sensor or something?