Estimates say it will add $1000 in cost for a new mototrcycle. I don't want this stuff on my dual sport. Furthermore I don't like anti - lock brakes on cars for anything other than wet or snowy roabs. There are times when you want to lock up the brakes. Thoughts?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...?hpid=newswell

 

i hate anti-lock brakes. HATE.
they work ok on my subaru - but when they kick in on the durango it's braking power is cut in half, I can regular brakes a lot better than that.

on a motorcyce I just can't see them being implemented to where they wouldn't become a riding liability. causing unwanted behavior.

 

ABS isnt always a smooth operator, the lock roll lock roll could get messy, and the only way to avoid that is by cutting the braking power. If you havent practiced maximum braking techniques then you may get just as scared when you hit the ABS. I have locked the front tire a couple times and it was scary, but you learn what you can and cant do with your ride.

The problem is that people do not take the time to learn their machine. They assume that as long as they can operate it then they are an expert. Practice makes perfect and if you practice braking you can do a better job than the computer can. The law is only to protect those dumbasses who jump on a bike and think they are invincible and dont bother learning their machine. IMHO, ABS does have a place in the riding world but mandating it across the board is unnecessary, and restricts the freedom of the rider.

 

That would sure shoot a hole in the affordability of smaller bikes. Would seem kinda backward too....No fuel injection, but I have ABS! Dumb.

 

I've taken the time to learn I don't like anti-lock brakes.
I've disconnected them on my SUV. I would disconnect them if I had them on my bike. False sense of security.
I agree, Prom^, the first time the brakes begin to bang-bang-bang in a panic situation, most folks wouldn't know what was happening

 

Hi All:

I am a big fan of ABS on bikes anytime I am on the road… Maybe this will help explain why?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFspgfYotSk

Sorry I do not know the embed code in the Kawasaki forums… If there are any?

Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG

 

They work great in controlled, hypothetical experiments as in the video when people purposefully throw water and hay in the road.

I lock my brakes up in 'controlled' slides down steep off road inclines. There's just no way around it on some ostacles. ABS brakes would cause me to have to bail in those situations. I can come up with plenty of scenarios where ABS brakes cause more harm than good. For example if you want to lock up the brakes to prevent you from rear ending another vehicle, the computer control of the brakes prevents you from stopping in time. Locking up the brakes and sliding is much better than rear ending the vehicle in front of you. ABS cannot differentiate between the times when you absolutely have to lock up the brakes to avoid a collision and the times when people throw hay and water into the roadway. I'd rather be left to my own devices. But, for those that want ABS on bikes then that's great if that's their personal choice for the type of riding that they do. Government should not mandate it.


M

 

That's my point about it....it shouldn't be mandated. If you want it, fine. But to mandate it on cheaper bikes will severely impact the market in a negative way. If I was forking over the money for one of those big BMW cruisers, it probably wouldn't phase me.

 

If you notice the BMW smoothly applied the brakes well before encountering the "obstacle" whereas good old Chuck snagged as much brake as he could once he hit the water ensureing lockup. Chuck was a stunt rider trained to lock up the wheels on his specially modified bike during his sales demonstrations, and did not provide an adequate test. I would have liked to see both bikes apply the brakes at the same time and both using riders determined to keep the shiny side up, and then see the difference in braking distance.

As convincing as their "test" was, I highly doubt the braking distance between a bike without ABS using a skilled rider's inputs to stop the bike without locking the wheels, and a bike with ABS would be worth the added cost and weight of the system no matter what surface you are riding on.

 

True that....no rider worth his salt is gonna grab a handful of front brake like that unless the alternative is sure death. I know he did it for dramatic effect, but it wasn't realistic. I've locked the front wheel on my Virago a couple of times and was still able to keep the bike upright, but I also didn't KEEP it locked. During practice panic stops, none of my sport bikes offered front lock, they just offered 'stoppies'.

I do think grabbing brakes on an ABS bike like that BEFORE you reach the hazard is a good way to demonstrate how well the bike adjusts to changing traction situations.