ABS or Not

[oldgeezer]

I think the motor company should install a switch that the rider can enable the ABS or disable them. I wouldnt mind them when its raining. But rather not have em on when the pavement is dry.

RJ

If my information is correct the abs is applied right at the beginning point of going into a skid.

If this is information is correct- shouldn't the skilled rider know where the skid point is and never feel it kick in?

I have felt mine kick in, but I was trying to engage it just to get the feel of it. I really had to apply the brakes HARD to engage it.

 

[09ultra]

I can tell ypou from experience, it is not that hard to get them activated. Especially if you are on a rough surface. This is the biggest downfall I have experienced with mine. If you are braking and hit a bump or are crossing RR tracks on a routine slow down, they will activate quickly and easily. You can release the brake and reapply to eliminate. In a real emergency this would not be a problem anyway. Mine have activated more than once when I would rather they did not. With this said, I still recommend them and am glad I have them. Ride safe.

 

[Rubbit]

im with smitty ride like you dont need them. if you anticipate what could happen you wont need them. yes im sure they help to a degree but if you are paying attention you wont need them. i drive a 70,000 lbs firetruck in emergency traffick and if you dont anticipate for the idiots that dont know how to pull to the right, well there is all lot of dead people. in other words there is no insurance for anticipating or watching out for other people to do what you expect them to do, not see you and pull out in front of you. look out for the idiots and ride safe!

 

[09ultra]

So.... every dead motorcyle rider is an idiot or just did not pay attention. Just pay attention and you safe, just like you are in your 70,000 LB truck. I suppose if we would just pay attention to the frickien cagers we should not need helmets or seatbelts either. Not their fault, just pay attention and we will all be fine. Real life we need all we can to improve our odds, rather is be ABS or higher skill levels. Ride safe.

 

[Rubbit]

Its amazing, i have always said i do not need them to justify not paying extra money for something i cant see or add to the style of the bike. Truth is, i know abs works on my truck and with the defensive driving courses i have done for my job on the fire department, there is the certain technique of when you panick break in the rain, then you make yourself take your foot off the break and then steer where you want to go and reapply the breaks in a more controlled fashion all within a fraction of time and seconds. In other words the more i look and listen to others opinons and thoughts and compare them to the riding i do rain or shine, if the dealer can make a change on my bike i order 2 weeks ago, im going to get them on my 09 RG.

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Its amazing, i have always said i do not need them to justify not paying extra money for something i cant see or add to the style of the bike. Truth is, i know abs works on my truck and with the defensive driving courses i have done for my job on the fire department, there is the certain technique of when you panick break in the rain, then you make yourself take your foot off the break and then steer where you want to go and reapply the breaks in a more controlled fashion all within a fraction of time and seconds. In other words the more i look and listen to others opinons and thoughts and compare them to the riding i do rain or shine, if the dealer can make a change on my bike i order 2 weeks ago, im going to get them on my 09 RG.

Unfortunately ABS is only available on baggers, I am unaware of any aftermarket companies coming out with a retrofit kit...probably due to the high cost development, time to market, risk management and potential for product liability lawsuits. Took a long time for the aftermarket to take on building full braking systems (Brembo on HD for example) to compete with the OEM makers in order to ensure their matched parts would work w/ popular specific models...interchangablility of parts came much later. :bigsmiley30:

Likely we will not see retrofit ABS systems available for our bikes in our lifetime. :wall

 

[Rubbit]

After thinking about it for a while and some reasoning on the subject, against my inititial vote, i actually called my dealer and told him that if its not to late to go ahead and add it to my 09 RG thats on order. He did and i figure its just another tool in the tool box and might help with resale if i ever actually sell it. plus i seem to get caught riding in the rain alot and figure it cant hurt.

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

After thinking about it for a while and some reasoning on the subject, against my inititial vote, i actually called my dealer and told him that if its not to late to go ahead and add it to my 09 RG thats on order. He did and i figure its just another tool in the tool box and might help with resale if i ever actually sell it. plus i seem to get caught riding in the rain alot and figure it cant hurt.

Good choice, especially when buying new...no chance for buyer's remorse if you take full advantage of all the new tech the industry is moving towards.

I embrace technology, but will never naysay old tech, I like my old ride with a carburetor just because it is simple, easy to work on and has decent performance, different but not necessarily better...:s

 

[glider]

Here's a video about ABS.

Harley-Davidson ABS

 

[buddybr]

I have them on my bike but have not had occasion to use them in an emergency. I tried them and like the idea of having them though the pulsing is not as fast as on a cage. They felt a little wierd at first but now I don't notice the difference at all.

Honestly they were on the bike that caught my eye but now that I have them, I like them. IMHO, the extra cost isn't that much and very much worth it.

We all spend many $$$ adding accessories to our bikes that add nothing to the safety of our ride. If ABS increases my chances of making it through in an emergency. I think the ABS wins over a piece of chrome. I'll get that once I've paid for the ABS.