ABS brakes vs non ABS | GTAMotorcycle.com

ABS brakes vs non ABS

Even in dry weather its saved me a few times :)

I love the bike in the video but then again I might be a bit bias :)
 
I would have liked to see him apply full ABS braking with some lean angle in the wet. I'd want outriggers for that ABS test though LOL!
 
fastar1 said:
I would have liked to see him apply full ABS braking with some lean angle in the wet. I'd want outriggers for that ABS test though LOL!
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Do you always like to lean when in full braking?
 
fastar1 said:
Never done it before, I don't have the braking sensitivity to pull it off and stay upright. That's why I want to see how ABS would handle it.
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I definitely trust the newer ABS systems more than the older ones (my bikes an '09) the older ones re-acted slower and different than the newer ones. A friend had an older VFR with ABS and that system reacted way different for some reason.
 
One does not have much skill or presence of mind if one locks up and holds while braking in wet conditions.

Let's have roll cages, pop out training wheels ... on all bikes. Life is too short to have real skill development requirements. Then the insurance companies can save money & will have less payouts = more profits for them, and no reduced premiums because they will highlite some other reason.
 
Ikan said:
One does not have much skill or presence of mind if one locks up and holds while braking in wet conditions.

Let's have roll cages, pop out training wheels ... on all bikes. Life is too short to have real skill development requirements. Then the insurance companies can save money & will have less payouts = more profits for them, and no reduced premiums because they will highlite some other reason.
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Yeah but then all the lane splitters here would be ****** if bikes had those outriggers
 
I dislike abs on cars and can't imagine the annoyance it would cause on a bike - which for me is all about simplicity....
 
I bought my first ABS bike last year and this safety feature is the only thing besides the seat that I don't like about my new ride. The ABS kicks in too often and easily. Also I don't like the feel of the bike when the ABS activates. The first time I felt it I was braking for a corner on damp pavement. My forks were compressed from the shift of weight to the front from the braking force. Suddenly, the front end popped up and the brake lever shuddered and had a very "wooden" feel to it. It caught be off guard but I realized what had just happened and began to form a negative opinion about the bikes ABS.

If it only occured in low traction situations then I might be willing to cut it some slack but the thing activates far too easliy for my liking. If there is a slightly raised ( or sunken) manhole cover or just a bump in the road surface while I'm braking the ABS tries to save me. I've been riding for 30 years and I've always survived these hazards before. I know I can turn the ABS off by pulling it's fuse but if I did crash while riding in a heavy storm after that I'd feel like an idiot.

It's interesting to note that my owners manual states that there are situations where a rider may be able to stop in a shorter distance without ABS. This makes perfect sense to me since I think if a rider finds a vacant parking lot and practices aggressive emergency stops, he or she should be able to haul a bike down to a stop very quickly. When you practice that type of braking you learn where the point of lock-up is and you then know how to react to it or avoid it.
 
I have had ABS for a number of years ... the only time I have actually used it are when its wet or when its snowing / ice on the ground... other then that my ABS does not activate in regular riding ...

do I like it ? yes
would it stop me from buying a bike without ABS ? probably not
if it was an available option to buy if buying new ? yes i would buy it
 
I've activated the ABS a few times on my F800R. Every time I was hooligan riding and stopping a bit quickly (but controlled) and it seemed the make the brake lever feel very mushy. I felt that I'd be able to stop faster without ABS, though I suppose I might've locked up the front wheel too. So I'm not sure whether the ABS is oversensitive or not; I wasn't braking THAT hard.

I suppose a side-by-side comparison on the same bike without ABS is in order.
 
Oh yeah, I noticed that all the ABS-equipped bikes had really mushy brake levers at the bike show. I don't think the system gets pressurized when in operation so that's something that would annoy the hell out of me.

Otherwise ABS rocks.
 
again this site is quite amazing.

The sheer number of individuals that are able to outperform electronic aids is staggering.
 
For me, ABS caused an accident and saved me from a big one!

In one instance, I had too much confidence in ABS and jammed the brakes on in gravel with a very slight lean... lesson learned. I think I also may have pumped the brakes which I was later told that under a certain speed it will not work... I should have held it all the way. Damage was minimal as I was at that point under 10kph.

The other time I was just riding along enjoying the scenery when a car jammed its brakes on for no apparent reason... I had very little time to react and hit the brakes as hard as I could. I already had visions of the front wheel locking up and I was expecting to hit the pavement in a shower of sparks but no... I stopped about 1m from the car fully upright on a very sh**ty road. That's when I was convinced that ABS can save your a**!

Barna
 
The question came up of leaning into a corner and applying full ABS braking. This is a question which should not be asked if people knew enough about ABS.

The main reason for having ABS is to prevent lock-up so that one retains full steering control to steer away from an obstacle. If that means you need to lean, then so be it. Same as a car, you need to slam on the ABS and steer away from the obstacle at the same time.

I would have gone down a few weeks ago if it weren't for my ABS; I leaned coming into a corner when I had to stop suddenly from low speed because of another vehicle. With an ice-cold road and minimal grip, the front ABS came on and I stopped nicely. Had I not had ABS, I would have locked-up and gone down.

Only as a secondary function is ABS better for stopping in a straight-line in the wet.

And as we all know that when there is snow on the road, its better NOT to have ABS since locking up the brakes in snow creates a wedge in front of the tires meaning it has more surface area and therefore stops shorter. I won't be giving that a try with a non-ABS bike any time soon.
 
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chiller said:
I have had ABS for a number of years ... the only time I have actually used it are when its wet or when its snowing / ice on the ground... other then that my ABS does not activate in regular riding ...

do I like it ? yes
would it stop me from buying a bike without ABS ? probably not
if it was an available option to buy if buying new ? yes i would buy it
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Totally agree! +1
 
jeffjones said:
I wish the Non-ABS bike would have actually tried to stop instead of trying to lock it up though.
I know the ABS would have won but it would have been a much better comparison.
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Exactly! That's the first thing I thought too when I saw this bs video.
 
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HarleyHare said:
And as we all know that when there is snow on the road, its better NOT to have ABS since locking up the brakes in snow creates a wedge in front of the tires meaning it has more surface area and therefore stops shorter. I won't be giving that a try with a non-ABS bike any time soon.
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I think you mixed up cars with bikes in this scenario.
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