ABS vs Standard
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Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Miami, FL
ABS vs Standard
Is there a difference in the "feel" of ABS brakes vs standard? I'm aware of the obvious differences and safety benefits of having ABS but here's what I'm having an issue with.
I have a 2010 ultra with ABS. The brakes work excellent but feel kind of strange to me. I didn't think much of it since all bikes have a specific feel to them. All of my previous bikes had standard brakes, never had a problem. Always felt in control. But with this bike it just has this unpredictable feel to it. Required pressure at the lever is not consistent. I thought it might be the bike itself but... I recently attended the Kawasaki demo rides near my area. Test drove a few, loved the Ninja 1000. The idea was to test the Concours 14 which eventually will replace my aging ZX11. When I finally got to ride the Concours I came across the same vaguely strange feeling with the brakes as my Ultra has. This bike also has ABS and felt unpredictable. It was so weird that I'm considering NOT getting this bike when the time comes.
Is this normal? Anyone else feel the difference between ABS and Standard brakes? I don't like it.
I have a 2010 ultra with ABS. The brakes work excellent but feel kind of strange to me. I didn't think much of it since all bikes have a specific feel to them. All of my previous bikes had standard brakes, never had a problem. Always felt in control. But with this bike it just has this unpredictable feel to it. Required pressure at the lever is not consistent. I thought it might be the bike itself but... I recently attended the Kawasaki demo rides near my area. Test drove a few, loved the Ninja 1000. The idea was to test the Concours 14 which eventually will replace my aging ZX11. When I finally got to ride the Concours I came across the same vaguely strange feeling with the brakes as my Ultra has. This bike also has ABS and felt unpredictable. It was so weird that I'm considering NOT getting this bike when the time comes.
Is this normal? Anyone else feel the difference between ABS and Standard brakes? I don't like it.
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
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From: Bedford UK
I recently sold my BMW that had ABS and the brakes on that didn't feel like 'proper' brakes. I haven't ridden an ABS Harley, but wouldn't be surprised if they feel different to 'normal' brakes. With ABS your braking input is not being transferred directly to the brakes, but via a stack of ABS stuff (that's an engineering expression!). You could try riding a demo bike similar to yours with ABS, for a comparison.
Last edited by grbrown; Jun 6, 2011 at 12:44 PM.
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