Anti-Lock Brake System Opinions

Isleoman

Isleoman

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First off the weather in New England currently sucks, leading to "trapped in the house" boredom. So I've come here for entertainment.

Now my question have those who have come from non ABS bikes to ABS equipped bikes feel that they are effective on loose surfaces.

I've only ever had non abs bikes. I have never really liked it on the autos/trucks that I own, but I recently changed my rear brake pads , which changed the brake engagement to right at the top. With a new T32 rear I was locking up the rear when ever I would touch them. I'm no newbe to Gen 1s and have about 350K miles of experience on them.

I ended up bleeding some brake fluid out of the line and it's now back to normal (for me) which is to say it now takes a little effort to lock them up vs no effort.

I was reading comments on ADV Rider and saw several poster who felt that ABS on loose gravel/surfaces could be beat by human input and ABS wasn't helpful in that situation but that doesn't make much sense. So my question is if you have experience with both do you feel ABS helps on bikes?
 
Isleoman said:
First off the weather in New England currently sucks, leading to "trapped in the house" boredom. So I've come here for entertainment.

Now my question have those who have come from non ABS bikes to ABS equipped bikes feel that they are effective on loose surfaces.

I've only ever had non abs bikes. I have never really liked it on the autos/trucks that I own, but I recently changed my rear brake pads , which changed the brake engagement to right at the top. With a new T32 rear I was locking up the rear when ever I would touch them. I'm no newbe to Gen 1s and have about 350K miles of experience on them.

I ended up bleeding some brake fluid out of the line and it's now back to normal (for me) which is to say it now takes a little effort to lock them up vs no effort.

I was reading comments on ADV Rider and saw several poster who felt that ABS on loose gravel/surfaces could be beat by human input and ABS wasn't helpful in that situation but that doesn't make much sense. So my question is if you have experience with both do you feel ABS helps on bikes?
Click to expand...

I feel if you have ridden non abs for yrs and have developed your brake control to a high degree than abs is not necessary and could hurt cause you are subconsciously not expecting it in the heat of the moment. However, that could certainly have the opposite affect and it could save your a$$ to. Newer riders that come up with it probably prefer it as there skills have developed to alway anticipate it. I personally do not like it. I am curious what the guys say who ride the “high end” bikes say (like BMWs for instance) because my first and only ABS bike is a recently procured Tenere700 and the ABS is janky at best. Definitely an area that Yamaha saved some bucks on.

As for off rd. All bets are off. It dangerous to keep it turned on. You need that ability lock you wheels up.
 
Thanks for the response. I have it on my cars and truck and really don't like it in the snow. I can easily do better than abs in snow.

I've had high sides before on bikes with the rear coming around and snapping back and that's were it probably would have helped.
 
First, I can't imagine already having to shut 'er down due to weather! I'd go nuts! There are some stretches of a few weeks here and there that keep me in but I'm always able to find days throughout the winter that are "ride worthy". Just hope my luck continues!

Never owned an ABS bike and my one claim to fame on track days (well, other than that black flag one time...) has been getting complimented by the coaches on my strong braking. I've always heard that ABS does not function well on slippery or loose surfaces but that was awhile ago. I have read some recent articles that demonstrated newer systems capable of beating human input every time. A long winded way of saying that, based on what I've read, newer systems are much more subtle and effective...
 
One of the beauties of owning and old high mileage bike is I don't need to get concerned about riding in the winter. I have the Warm&Safe heated winter gear. An expensive investment that's more than paid for itself last winter in New England, which was mild. Will be out later today when temps get over 45. I can enjoy temps down to 40 but below that it's usually a very short ride. The poor weather in my original post was multiple days of rain.

I've read similar comments as yours Doc, about ABS not being effective on loose surfaces. Like you guys I suspect the latest bikes are probably better.

I had a high side in 2010 from a bird strike (red tail hawk) hitting my face shield as it lifted off of a guard rail. The strike itself didn't bring me down it was the disorientation of a couple seconds traveling at 55 and ending up on the opposite side of the road going into a corner. Over compensated at that point with too much rear brake and over the front I went. That was mid summer, on a dry surface so ABS may have helped then.
 
I can't afford a new bike so clearly ABS is crap and I don't need it.

Until I get my new dream bike then it'll be the greatest thing ever.

Sorry, I didn't really have much to add to this thread but I was bored so here ya go.

:)
 
Azoutside, You're sensing the nature of my question. Is a new bike upgrade warranted?

I love Gen 1s, they truly are all I need, which is a reliable 2 up sport tourer with 200 mile tank range and 120hp. With a 30 inch inseam most of the current Adv bikes are too tall, which creates it's own safety issues. I could probably handle a 33" seat height but not with a passenger. I could afford pretty much any bike, but I would then need a new home with multiple garages to house it, and all my other bikes and toys. So the new $20K bike would then add another $600K to my purchase, although I'd get some back on the sale of current abode.

One of my typical riding routes for short trips is down into the hollows of northeast Conn. Great roads and little enforcement.

There's a brand new home I go by on a lake that would be perfect for me. It's one floor, two bedroom, with five garages and small yard to care for. Three garages on one end and two on the other. Perfect set up for a manchild with toys, accepting that the wife will purloin one of the spaces for her coupe.

Today temps will hit high 50s, so it's out of the hollows and off to western mass for a 6 hour sport tour.

Hope I'm helping your boredom.
 
Good write, wish I could do the same…kid duty today. So sitting around about today College FB game day.

200mile tank on the gen 1? Whoa. Thats awesome. Ftrip start about 135 on gen two. So can get about 160 safely.
 
I have no doubt that all the new tech rider aids are goodness that could help bail us out of a bad situation someday. Certainly my "next" bike would have the full suite. For now, I'll have to live with my old FZ1, such a trajedy... ;-)
 
Isleoman said:
First off the weather in New England currently sucks, leading to "trapped in the house" boredom. So I've come here for entertainment.

Now my question have those who have come from non ABS bikes to ABS equipped bikes feel that they are effective on loose surfaces.

I've only ever had non abs bikes. I have never really liked it on the autos/trucks that I own, but I recently changed my rear brake pads , which changed the brake engagement to right at the top. With a new T32 rear I was locking up the rear when ever I would touch them. I'm no newbe to Gen 1s and have about 350K miles of experience on them.

I ended up bleeding some brake fluid out of the line and it's now back to normal (for me) which is to say it now takes a little effort to lock them up vs no effort.

I was reading comments on ADV Rider and saw several poster who felt that ABS on loose gravel/surfaces could be beat by human input and ABS wasn't helpful in that situation but that doesn't make much sense. So my question is if you have experience with both do you feel ABS helps on bikes?
Click to expand...
I had an '09 Suzuki Bandit 1250 with ABS. The ABS kicked in as I was breaking over a bump in the road that had just got rained on. With normal braking the front wheel would have locked going over the bump. I would have slid down the road, didnt happen with the ABS. Somehow it kept the front tire from skidding as it touched back down on that slick road. Dont know if that answeres your question, for me ABS is a good thing
 
Doogie2.0 said:
I had an '09 Suzuki Bandit 1250 with ABS. The ABS kicked in as I was breaking over a bump in the road that had just got rained on. With normal braking the front wheel would have locked going over the bump. I would have slid down the road, didnt happen with the ABS. Somehow it kept the front tire from skidding as it touched back down on that slick road. Dont know if that answeres your question, for me ABS is a good thing
Click to expand...
Thanks for the relevant answer. I've always liked the Bandits. Did you move from it to a Gen 1?
 
Isleoman said:
Azoutside, You're sensing the nature of my question. Is a new bike upgrade warranted?

I love Gen 1s, they truly are all I need, which is a reliable 2 up sport tourer with 200 mile tank range and 120hp. With a 30 inch inseam most of the current Adv bikes are too tall, which creates it's own safety issues. I could probably handle a 33" seat height but not with a passenger. I could afford pretty much any bike, but I would then need a new home with multiple garages to house it, and all my other bikes and toys. So the new $20K bike would then add another $600K to my purchase, although I'd get some back on the sale of current abode.

One of my typical riding routes for short trips is down into the hollows of northeast Conn. Great roads and little enforcement.

There's a brand new home I go by on a lake that would be perfect for me. It's one floor, two bedroom, with five garages and small yard to care for. Three garages on one end and two on the other. Perfect set up for a manchild with toys, accepting that the wife will purloin one of the spaces for her coupe.

Today temps will hit high 50s, so it's out of the hollows and off to western mass for a 6 hour sport tour.

Hope I'm helping your boredom.
Click to expand...

Your math is strong. New home by the lake with more garage than house is a winner. Obviously there would also have to be a new ride involved, can't let all those garage spaces go to waste. Great plan, I like it! 👍
 


This just in: insurance companies from the US are very worried about you, their customers. And as such, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) are petitioning the US federal government to make ABS mandatory for motorcycles.

The news about this latest petition (they’ve done this before) came from a press release on the IIHS/HLDI website on November 13. You can read the whole thing here, but here’s the gist of it:

  • ABS is increasingly common on motorcycles. Between 2013 and 2023, ABS-equipped bikes went from 20 percent of US sales to 59 percent of US sales, and the EU’s 27 states, the UK, along with Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, India and Brazil have all mandated the tech on new motorcycles.
  • The IIHS Director of Statistical Services says fatal crash rates for bikes with optional ABS are 22 percent lower than the bikes sold without the technology. This is supposed to be true across the world of motorcycling, from cruisers to sportbikes.
  • Across all machines, the HLDI says its research shows bikes with ABS have 21-24 percent lower collision claims than bikes without ABS.
  • According to the insurers, European researchers say ABS adoption meant “large” reductions in fatalities and injuries from motorcycle crashes in 2015 and 2016, confirming earlier research.
  • While ABS can create problems when antilock brakes free-wheel over gravel or loose surfaces, the insurance bodies say this is addressable with an “off” switch, similar to what’s currently seen on many adventure bikes.
  • This isn’t the first time the insurers have asked the NHTSA to make ABS mandatory on all new motorcycles, and they say lives have been unnecessarily lost as a result of the delay in adoption.
David Harkey, president of the IIHS-HLDI organization, says the US should be taking a leadership position in safety regulations, or at least keeping up with the rest of the countries in the world as they adopt new technology. The PR closes out with this note:


No technology can prevent every crash or fatality, and even with a government mandate it will be years before every motorcycle on the road is equipped with ABS. But with motorcyclist crash fatalities reaching a record high of 6,084 deaths in 2021, the latest year of data currently available, accelerating adoption with a well-designed regulation is crucial.
Click to expand...
Some thoughts
The above lines were written just to tell you what the insurers are saying, not to editorialize either way. Nobody at ADVrider is saying the US government needs to mandate ABS on new motorcycles, or that it shouldn’t. Nevertheless, this announcement certainly ties into thoughts explored earlier this year, in the piece below:
 
Oh wow. Here I thoight it was already mandatory. Seems like all new bikes have it . Guess not.
Probably a good idea. Just give us the option to turn it off!
 
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