Antilock brakes on a motorcycle = awesome!

[HotRodZilla]

DO NOT be afraid of the FJR's ABS. Go back to that same parking lot, get up to about 40mph and grab as much brake as you can, front and rear. You will be amazed at how well the bike behaves. I actuate my ABS on a regular basis, just to keep things moving. I've only ever needed it once or twice, but I knew exactly what to expect.

 

[stose85]

Within the first week of FJR ownership, I was cruising south on Buford Highway -- big 6-lane urban street -- at dusk. I saw the van coming with all those ladders on top, and just KNEW he was going to turn left in front of me. When he did, I grabbed all the front and stood on the back. Stopped 3 or 4 car lengths from the guy, which embarrassed me a little but scared the living **** out of the passenger.
Everybody raves at how quickly this bike can get up to speed. I am just as amazed at how fast it can get to zero.

Welcome to an amazing motorbike, stose85. Doesn't she make you smile?

Every time I take her out for a ride ear to ear

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I ride a lot in some of the busiest traffic around. Part of why I ride sport tourers is that I need the nimbleness and stoppability that I cannot find in, say, a road king or nomad. I've been in locked-up drift on both of those bikes, and while it worked out fine, I am compelled to avail myself of the safety of margin both ABS and sport/touring handling provides. But I still like the weighty steadiness of the bike that recently allowed me to perform an emergency mirror assembly adjustment for a wayward SUV, all without changing my line.

 

[ShawnKing2]

Personally, it amazes me that folks won't test BOTH front and rear ABS brakes under controlled conditions so they have an idea of how they work and feel before they really *need* them.

Agreed. I test mine on a regular basis in an open parking lot.

 

[WHS]

Love the ABS! When I practice a hard stop I have felt them engage on the dry. In fact, I learned this trick a while ago and while I probably don't practice as much as I should, I will still find a nice open road and then hit it hard from freeway speeds. If you haven't done so, I strongly suggest that try it. The first time, I was a little leery about it, but now I just jam it hard and practice a controlled stop and I will tell you, the brakes on 15' ES are freaking awesome! I can stop quicker from 70 on this bike then I could on my little BMW F650 without ABS from 60.

 

[danh600]

When you guys are talking about practicing the stops you are still progressively pulling on the front

brake right? I mean pull hard enough to get the front end to sit down. Then progressively pull harder.

I know it might happen in a panic, but I am scared to just grab a fist full of front brake without

letting the bike settle for a millisecond.

 

[mcatrophy]

When you guys are talking about practicing the stops you are still progressively pulling on the frontbrake right? I mean pull hard enough to get the front end to sit down. Then progressively pull harder.I know it might happen in a panic, but I am scared to just grab a fist full of front brake withoutletting the bike settle for a millisecond.

Facts are that a smooth application as you suggest will lead to a shorter stopping distance, but there is no inherent danger just jamming them on. Poor technique, but the bike will behave, just travel a little further. So, well worth maintaining and practising your good braking skills, just use the ABS as a safety net.

 

[Old Guy]

When you guys are talking about practicing the stops you are still progressively pulling on the frontbrake right? I mean pull hard enough to get the front end to sit down. Then progressively pull harder.

I know it might happen in a panic, but I am scared to just grab a fist full of front brake without

letting the bike settle for a millisecond.

I know that on a non-ABS bike it's pretty easy to lock the front wheel if you just slam on the brake. But pull it in the manner you suggest, and you can let the weight shift forward and get much more traction and braking power. So ... with that in mind, it would make sense, to me anyway, that even with ABS you'd get more braking power with a progressive pull. Slam it on before the weight can settle forward, and the ABS may not let it lock, but without that traction I expect you won't stop as well either.

 

[WHS]

dnah600, that is precisely why I practice panic stopping! At slow speeds in a parking lot, but even more from freeway speeds. You will be surprised at how much quicker you can stop and how much better you feel once you begin to understand what will happen. I know that once when I was riding my old F650 I didn't see a car coming as the stupid highway sign in Pendelton is on the wrong side of the road and extremely low... I pulled out and all of a sudden there is a car, like right there! I grabbed brake and was able to turn at the same time, non abs mind you, and avoided the wreck! I suspect that had I not practiced it could very easily have ended differently...

 

[Uncle Hud]

danh600 posted: When you guys are talking about practicing the stops you are still progressively pulling on the front brake right? I mean pull hard enough to get the front end to sit down. Then progressively pull harder.
I know it might happen in a panic, but I am scared to just grab a fist full of front brake without letting the bike settle for a millisecond.

That's precisely what we're recommending: find a deserted stretch of highway, run her up to 60 mph and, WHILE VERTICAL AND TRAVELING IN A STRAIGHT LINE, grab/stomp the brakes like your life depended on it. On second thought, take a few runs at it, slowly testing your limits of nerve and bike-handling skill. Maybe some preliminary trials in a large parking lot from 30-35 mph.

While I agree that slow and gradual application is the textbook way to do it, I wasn't thinking that clearly the two or three times my ABS got activated outside of practice runs. I grabbed/stomped those levers so hard I'm surprised they didn't bend.

And while you're practicing, note that the REBOUND from all that fork compression can be tough to handle, too.

 

[ShawnKing2]

On second thought, take a few runs at it, slowly testing your limits of nerve and bike-handling skill. Maybe some preliminary trials in a large parking lot from 30-35 mph.

This is the best way to do it. Work up to "grab/stomp the brakes like your life depended on it" progressively.

 

[HotRodZilla]

When you guys are talking about practicing the stops you are still progressively pulling on the frontbrake right? I mean pull hard enough to get the front end to sit down. Then progressively pull harder.I know it might happen in a panic, but I am scared to just grab a fist full of front brake withoutletting the bike settle for a millisecond.

NOPE! I mean just like you're riding down the road and something you didn't expect to jump in front of you, jumps in front of you. I've done it from ridiculous speeds on this bike, and it soaks it up.

Uncle Hud has a good suggestion. Get comfortable with it first, but a rider should be able to grab all the brake he can muster and be fine with it. My suggestion is to hover your right foot over the brake pedal. When the front throws you forward, that placement will make it easy to stomp on the rear pedal. You'll feel chatter front and rear, and you'll learn it is very normal and easy to control.

 

[mcatrophy]

You will get the best braking if you apply the rear brake hard first. Before braking starts is when there is most weight on the back wheel, so that's when the rear brake has the most effect. Use the rear to start throwing the weight forward. Without ABS, ease off the rear as the weight comes off, whilst increasing the front as the weight goes onto it.

With ABS, hard on the rear, let the ABS do what it wants. Use your concentration to increase the front pressure trying to just avoid ABS operating. That'll give you the best retardation.

Practise at different speeds and on different surfaces (but make sure there's no-one behind when you do

).

 

[CA G-Man]

Absolutely no risk of doing a stoppie, the bike simply won't do it. Too long.
The physics says that if the maximum deceleration is 1 g (a good guess) and a line drawn from the c of g through the front contact patch is less than 45 degrees, it can't happen.

This is true, but just remember that while your bike may have ABS, you don't! Oh, and neither does your passenger, as my wife likes to remind me.

Yet another good reason they use those nylon bolts on the windshield.

 

[JJnNC]

good information for sure. I have read about the brakes being linked, but can someone explain the percentages, i.e., what percentage with just front, then rear, then both? Thanks, John

 

[mcatrophy]

One pair out of the four pairs of front pads is operated by the rear brake lever after a threshold pressure is reached. In no way can the rear operate the front to give normal front braking, it's just a steadying influence if you neglect to use your front brake.

There is no link from the front lever to the rear brake.