So You Didn't Buy The Abs Model?

[GunMD]

I didn't get the ABS...but there have been several times on the road that I've regretted not having it. I've never really "needed" it, but I think that I would have had some peace of mind in some less than perfect road conditions if I had ABS. Has anyone else regretted NOT getting ABS? And what about you ABS folks? Do you think it was worth it? Are you more confident riding in bad weather / road conditions since you know the ABS is there for you?

 

[radman]

I think it's most definitely worth it. When I got Frank, I was looking for a non-abs. ABS was all they had (05, found at dealer). It's the kind of thing where you don't, I believe, really think about it or do anything differently because you have it, but when you need it, there are no substitutes... :blink:

 

[chadhargis]

I've never been ham fisted enough to activate the front ABS, but I've kicked in the rear a few times, especially on down hill corner entries.

 

[user 213]

I have it, and it's been excellent. I ride like normal, but if I read the conditions wrong or something unusual occurs, it's there to give me an edge. Stopping in 3" of fresh snow on I-5 last January it was a must have. It wasn't supposed to snow dammit, but it did. Glad I had the ABS.

Another time, Albuquerque, NM in traffic; The pickup in front of me anchors it and his tail gate is coming up very fast. That's the only time I've engaged the front ABS on dry pavement. I could have done a better job of braking, but it happened very fast and caught me off guard. My bad, but the ABS made it a non-incident that I learned from instead of a pancake into the back of that truck and an accident report. -_-

 

[RickL]

Hmmm..regret might be too strong a word, but if I had a do-over, I'd get the ABS. Got my '03 by walking into the dealer and finding out the one on the showroom had been abandoned by a PDPer who wanted an '04 with ABS. Being into immediate gratification, I snarfed it up. I've never needed the ABS yet, and haven't locked up the back brake, principally because I hardly use it (just for trail braking and wet stops). Locked the front up at the ERC (decomposing asphalt on the parking lot we were using), which was pretty exciting for me - kept the bike up, but had to change underwear.

I'm going to wait until the '07s come out - heard that ABS is standard, and they're going to have rocket-assisted take-off as an option. And the color will be orange and green stripes. :lol:

 

[fjrloveland]

I've had my ABS on about 3 times during the last 8 months.

I know that is not good. I should be practicing power braking.

It was a no brainer for me to get ABS........for an 05 ABS out the door with no addition cost ...$11,300......I would not pass that up.

 

[XLR8]

I have it on the FJR and I've used it once for real and I've fooked around stopping with it a little because I knew it was there and wanted to see what it could do.

I'm pretty much thinking that any bike I buy in the future will have ABS. So do you think they'll have it as on option on the R1? B)

-r

 

[cole]

not only is the abs great to have add to that the shaft and it is the best bike i have ever had and oh yeah i would definately get abs on all bikes in the future if available.

cole

 

[Penforhire]

I'd put it a different way. I've never been really unhappy that I've had it. Spiegler lines should improve my brake feel shortly.

 

[markjenn]

Don't beat yoursefl up about not having it. There are advantages to keeping things simple and ABS helps in some situations, but in the final analysis, the best safety feature is a well-trained nut behind the handlebar.

One of the editors in Sport Bike remarked in the FJR vs. ST vs. ZZR comparo that he likes ABS, but thought that Yamaha system was a bit crude - for this reason, he'd skip it.

- Mark

 

[user 213]

That's ok, I always thought the editors of Sport Bike were a little crude too, so I just skip that mag.

I wonder what he was comparing it to in his experience?

 

[Butch]

I bought ABS. So far (luckily) I haven't had a need to activate it. I figure only in a panic situation (which I never look forward to) that I'll need it. Would I buy ABS again? Yeah probably. I did some research before I bought and it looked like a nice option to have, although I read that if you're on gravel ABS could actually work against you.

 

[markjenn]

That's ok, I always thought the editors of Sport Bike were a little crude too, so I just skip that mag.
I wonder what he was comparing it to in his experience?

He was comparing it to the ST1300's ABS system. The ST has habitually had a great, unobtrusive, fast-cycle time ABS system. Honda knows how to build (or spec and get supplied) a great ABS system.

And Yamaha's history with ABS has not been very good - there have been a ton of problems with the ABS on the FJ1200 and the GTS, although I'm sure the system on the FJR is improved.

- Mark

 

[HIGHLANDER]

I bought ABS.  So far (luckily) I haven't had a need to activate it.  I figure only in a panic situation (which I never look forward to) that I'll need it.  Would I buy ABS again?  Yeah probably.  I did some research before I bought and it looked like a nice option to have, although I read that if you're on gravel ABS could actually work against you.

I disagree with it being no good in gravel. Up here in twisty country someone had lost two or three bags of sand / gravel / concrete mix in the middle of the apex. Course it was eye opener for me... hit the brakes hard, abs kicked in and steered through the apex , slippin and grippin through the corner. Without ABS the bike would have lost traction and down it would have went. I regularly use the ABS ( rear ) function, always testing the threshold !! It's pretty hard to get the front to kick in, but it will!

 

[markjenn]

This is an old discussion with no right/wrong answers. In most situations, including gravel, ABS will help, but it will also freewheel you into a dusty/bumpy corner that you would be skidding and slowing down without ABS. For most riders in most situations, it's a plus, but "most" does not mean "all".

- MKark

 

[luvtoride]

I'll tell ya'... I sure coulda' used it last weekend!

 

[Rogue]

The FJR is my first Yamaha and I had no data on Yamaha ABS (linked or not, ABS experiance, ect) so I ordered non-ABS. If I got another I would probally get ABS. I haven't needed it yet... knock on wood.

 

[GunMD]

Rouge, that's basically the same reasoning that I had for skipping the ABS option...no feedback from anyone as to how well the ABS worked /felt. Of course now that I've been communicating with lots of you fellow FJR-ers I get the feeling that I would have liked the ABS. I'll be getting it on my 2008 FJR1800.

 

[FJRocha]

When comming to a turn, I tend to power-break, I also use both breaks to complement the deceleration. If the power-break is too hard, the use of the rear break tends to lock the tire (chirping has been heard from time to time back there), ABS has kept the tire from locking on a couple of ocasions that could have ended in a fish-tailing slide. Back when I was waiting for my FJR, I passed three chances to get non-ABS FJRs because I specifically wanted it with the ABS system. So far, I have used it and I love it.