OK, ABS...

[3narf]

...would be a good thing for my 150 mile a day commute, wouldn't it?

Or is the possibility of knackered processor enough of a Sword of Damocles to outweigh the benefits?

Or does it physically outweigh its benefits?

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear the collective wisdom.

Thx, A

[3narf]

Ah, ambivalence. Welcome back, my old friend!

[Blackal]

Ridden 50,000 miles on two GS1200 Adv, both fitted with ABS.

It hasn't cut in - yet.

(If it wasn't self-testing - I'd question if it actually worked! )

Al

[boxerscott]

Not sure about that on a bike, cos my bikes do not have it but I shxt my pants every time it cuts in on my 4 wheel vehicles The soft pedal really freaks me out, arms stiffen up on steering wheel and I just about push my seat back through the bulkhead, two tractors have nearly done for me recently just rolling across cross roads Them that is.. not me.

Never thought I would have locked up anyway and never thought I would stop before an encounter with death.

[nab 301]

...would be a good thing for my 150 mile a day commute, wouldn't it?

Thx, A

Had it on my '99 11S when I bought it , don't have it now (ABS), still have the bike ... It cut in a lot when it wasn't required imo. Brakes were very inconsistent when It was operational . Current versions on modern bikes are much improved (work while banked over) so I guess it would be of benefit especially in commuting situations where the mind isn't always 100% focused on biking (bad day in the office type situations.)
Luckily up till now I've never had one of those moments where I've needed it and dropped the bike as a result.
I do remember a few yrs ago wanting to turn right off a straight damp road which I approached quite quickly ( familiarity breeds contempt and all that) locking both wheels (on diesel ) and sailing straight past the junction Still upright . Excess speed was my saviour I guess.... I'd probably have sailed past the junction with ABS .
Luckily it wasn't a T junction although I have since altered my riding style in those sort of situations to include a what if ? while approaching wet junctions

[f90x]

I'm not really a fan. I've been riding on and off for 35 years and never had a bike with abs until my 12S. I've never locked the front in all that time but he abs has kicked in perhaps half a dozen times on the 12 over the 3 years I've owned it. Always thought there was no reason for it and always thought it was too sensitive. It's given me a couple of heart in mouth moments where I know for sure that I would have stopped the bike dead without it but the abs has had me continue on very close to whatever hazards might be in front of me.

In my current 3 series I've had it cut in a few times over the last 7-8 years but I don't think it's over sensitive in that car. My previous Civic however was massively over sensitive and caused me to bump a car in front of me that had started to pull onto a roundabout from a standstill; I rolled forward after the car in front had pulled away whilst checking for traffic from the right (there was a vehicle approaching the roundabout but still not 'on' the roundabout approx 70-80 feet away but the car in front of me found it necessary to jam her brakes on anyway. I saw that happen out of he corner if my eye, jumped on the brakes and the abs let me continue forward the 4 or so feet between me and her. Nearly lost my no claims over that £150 scratch to her bumper. (Not a mark on my car) If I hadn't have had abs I would have just stopped dead at the minimal speed I was doing. Like I say, I'm not really a fan.

[3narf]

Thanks all.

Lots to be thinking about and different perspectives which always helps.

I've never ridden anything with ABS, my only experience of ABS is on 4 wheels. From what I read in the press and above, I'm unconvinced that it's something I need...

[Motocod]

My R11S had ABS when I bought it. It failed, so I had it removed. It's nicer to use without the servo system, but I'd certainly prefer to have it as a safety feature. Just unfortunately seems a bit of an achilles heel on BMWs, sadly.

[Corvus]

One of the most difficult aspects of bike control is in trying to keep control of the bike when braking in a "critical" situation. This difficulty is usually steering the machine. Yet something in me hates the idea of abs on a motorbike.

For me it remains a negative when buying a bike. That said, I've never owned a bike with it on.

[slparry]

Two of my 5 K100RS's had ABS and I liked the back up it provided for error or emergency.

The other "nice" thing is it allowed "testing" in the wet to see just how hard you could brake before the tyre breaks away. It was surprisingly hard!

After a very long day (13 hours) touring when concentration was waning, in the pouring rain, on some German cobbled streets, two up with a fortnights luggage I was very glad of the system when a pedestrian stepped out from behind a parked van once. That once paid for the premium the system had cost in not damaging the bike or the associated hassle doing so abroad would have been, adding in the not injuring ourselves or the pedestrian.

My BCR doesn't have ABS brakes my KGT and my GS do, it's like guns and condoms ..... I'd rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them

I've no doubt the likes of Rossi can brake better in the wet than the system, I doubt very much if I could match or beat it in an emergency situation.

[3narf]

All valid points...