Would you ABS again?

[edocar]

In three years of ownership on my '04 there have been a three occasions where I attribute making the right decision quickly and the ABS brakes to getting out of a dire predicament! Two of the three situations involved wet pavement and the third involved taking an exit ramp that veered off at about a 60 angle (to the radius of exit) after I crested a hill. I just had enough time to straighen the front wheel and jam on the brakes!! The 30 mph exit sign should have given me fore warning but i was going too fast to have noticed it. I believe ABS helped 100% in the first two and 99.9% in the third occasion.

 

[ELP_JC]

I never needed the ABS in my BMW, but was glad to have them, especially since I could bleed the whole system myself. Oh, and I had FULL braking power with the front lever, while the rear only operated the rear. Best of both worlds, IMO. By the way, I NEVER use the rear brake, since in a nonABS bike it's impossible to know what's happening in TWO tires. Since most of the braking force is in the front anyway, that's my choice.

Anyway, my only gripe with ABS is maintenance. Most manufacturers choose to design the modules to need a computer interface to push the pistons out to bleed the system correctly. I DON'T LIKE THAT, since I do all the service myself. And in the case of the BMW, you get slapped with $400 if you don't know how to do it yourself (11 valves to bleed, but it's easy).

Just like many, I prefer ABS, but it's not a deal breaker. And I don't justify more than a grand for it. By the way, I never ride in the rain on purpose, so for the couple of times I've ever seen rain, and the precautions I take while riding on it, the risk of needing ABS is extremely low. And yes, I also believe in training to become a better rider, and have been to 2 sessions at Superbike School, where they have a 'brake' bike on which you can lock up the brakes to know how it feels. All in all, depends on how, where, how, and how much you ride, plus the size of your pocket. The lower your confidence and higher the touring miles, it makes more sense.

Later gang.

JC

 

[luvtoride]

I own an '04 w/o ABS. When I have it all to do again I will be purchasing a bike w/ ABS without a doubt.

 

[Cdogman]

Yes +100 2 saves, one minor, one half major

I am comfortable with when my ABS will kick in. Sometimes I will take a freeway offramp, check my six clear, and NAIL!! the brakes well short of the stop, to know how fast and what to expect (as in it really stops and tries to toss me over the front). I purposely make my ABS kick in. It is FAR superior to the system in my expensive damm truck.

I will never buy a bike without it again

 

[HaulinAshe]

ABS stands for About to Be Stupid.

The warning you get in the rear brake pedal is reason enough to buy ABS.

I've owned both the Gen-I with ABS, and the now the 07 with ABS. I would pay extra for either one, however, the Gen-II ABS and coupled brakes have been engineered extremely well.

Pay the money for ABS and never look back.

 

[Jackson]

Yes, ABS is invaluable on a motorcycle. I don't usually ride at night, but a year ago in my pre-FJR days, I was unavoidably detained while returning from a ride on my cruiser. It was twilight and I was close to home when a deer jumped out of some trees and appeared right in front of me. It was one of those "oh shit" moments that you can never be fully prepared for. I tried to do everything right, but the rear locked up. It was a hellofa fight over the next 1.2 seconds trying to keep it upright, but somehow I managed.... and even missed the deer.

That's when I decided that I would never own another bike without ABS. I have now tested the ABS on my FJR over a range of conditions, including gravel roads, clean straight pavement, and emergency stops during the Experienced Rider Course. It works extremely well.

It's not just on wet roads where ABS can save your hide, it's all road conditions. The "oh shit" moments.

 

[SPORT]

The overwhelming response is enough to indicate I should buy an ABS equipped bike simply for the resale value. In fact, I just put a down payment on an 05 FJR w/ABS and less than 2,400 miles!!! It is also the fastest color...Galaxy Blue.

The price is right and it has farkles up the you know what. Will hopefully be picking up early next week.

Thanks for your input.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Well Sport, good choice. Welcome to the crew and happy motoring!

 

[NSFJR]

Test rode an 03 in September 03, purchased an 04 ABS by INTENT in early October 03. It saved my ass (I believe) twice in the fall of 03. Currently own an 06AE with the linked ABS, and while I have not had to test it in a "Holy Shit" moment, I believe the linked system is superior to the 04 non-linked, especially the rear tire. Been riding for over 50 years, and I WOULD NOT purchase a bike without ABS, that simple.

 

[War Machine]

Before buying my 06 FJR I was definitely against ABS on a motorcycle. The reason goes back quite a few years to when I owned a Honda 750 & found myself in a situation where a cager had cutoff another cager who was right in front of me. I was riding with my (200 lb) buddy as a pillion & there was not enough distance for me to stop before hitting the car in front of me. I was lucky enough to lock the rear wheel & slide the bike out sideways (like you do when racing in the dirt) turn the front wheel & crack the throttle to change direction. I was very lucky to pull off this manuever & keep the bike upright. I have very limited time riding in the dirt so I would say that limb saving experience was more attributed to luck than skill. But that experience turned me off to ABS on motorcycles. ABS prevents locking the brakes (skidding) therefore stopping you in a shorter distance. I always felt that if I locked the brakes unwantingly I know enough to let the pedal go & re-brake. But what happens when there isn't enough distance to stop. ABS cannot help you then.

In short, realizing that the FJR is heavier than a 750 I probably would not be able to lock the rear wheel with a non-ABS FJR & successfully pull off that same manuever again anyway. After 7k on the FJR the ABS works superbly & I'm very glad it was not an option for 06 cause I would have been stupid enough to buy the non ABS model. In real world conditions on a bike such as the FJR ABS is the only way to go.

I just pray I'm never caught in that situation with not enough distance to stop.

 

[BuilderBob]

I don't know if it's the ABS or the linked system, or a combination or the two, but my 07 has, by far, the best brakes of any bike I have ever owned. It was the first thing I noticed while riding the bike. Much, MUCH better than my recent Hayabusa.

 

[BentAero]

Just two weeks ago my SWMBO and I set out on a weekend trip. I knew the road fairly well, had new Conti Road Attacks mounted and was just bombin' down the road on one of those 'spirited' rides in the mountain twisteez.

I had just rolled on the throttle coming thru a blind right hand curve. I was running at least 45 mph (I admit, that was too fast if something goes/is wrong) when my brain registers that a pickup truck is STOPPED in my lane.

I'll bet when I first saw the truck I had maybe 100' of notice. With reaction time, riding two-up and fully loaded, I was not real confident that I was going to be able to stop in time. Mind you, I'm still layed over in a pretty good lean when I see the truck. I stood it up, not so much for the proper reason, but thinking I may have to head for the double yellow (or worse) to give myself some more space. Grabbed the brakes for all they were worth and pointed it for the center line. Much to my relief, the FJR stopped 4 or 5 feet short of the pickup.

Was it the new sticky tires? Was it the ABS? Was it a miracle? Was it a combination of all of them?

After my heart rate came back to earth, I realized I was riding 'too fast for conditions' and it was no one's fault but my own that I had this close call. But I tell you what, I'm sure glad I had ABS at that moment to save me from my stupidity.

 

[Last Chance]

But the ABS guys will chime in and say how it saved their ass...

I always like those stories. But since the '06 has ABS, I wonder why so many have crashed on them? Including me. ABS didn't seem to help.

I think there are limits to all miracles. Without it you probably would have crashed more.

Unless ABS gives me longer legs, shifts the CG of the FJR down about a foot and prevents me from getting "behind" this scary quick monster I'm afraid this "mature" rider better hope he learns his limits before he exceeds them beyond the point ABS can help. But ABS has saved my A#$ a couple of times. IMHO I am getting better at knowing my limits though.

I'm also looking forward to taking some more advanced riding classes...Couldn't hurt.

LC

 

[Greg E.]

When I first got my FJR, I played with the ABS, saw how it worked and then forgot about it. About a week ago, I had a woman start to back out of a drive in front off me. I grabbed all of the brakes I could and avoided hitting her. The ABS kicked in and I was very impressed with the result. I won't have another big bike without ABS.

-GSE-

 

[boogahboogah]

So far, ABS on my '05 has saved my butt twice. I didn't crash, didn't check out the high speed operation of my sliders, didn't have to experience first hand if my Kilimanjaro jacket pads are sufficient, etc etc

 

[HaulinAshe]

... I was lucky enough to lock the rear wheel & slide the bike out sideways (like you do when racing in the dirt) turn the front wheel & crack the throttle to change direction. I was very lucky to pull off this manuever & keep the bike upright. I have very limited time riding in the dirt so I would say that limb saving experience was more attributed to luck than skill. But that experience turned me off to ABS on motorcycles. ABS prevents locking the brakes (skidding) therefore stopping you in a shorter distance. I always felt that if I locked the brakes unwantingly I know enough to let the pedal go & re-brake.

You can still break the back end loose with ABS. I've done it a couple times, but it requires significantly more intent and you have to be ready for the rapid transition from slide back to grip. I don't think I could accomplish a rear power slide on dry pavement. But I can do it predictably on water or using damp paint stripes.

Just in case you want to go practice.

 

[bikerskier]

Just finished an all day Team Oregon ART course yesterday and several of the exercises included hard braking, both straight line and in a corner. We had a wide variety of bikes among the 16 students and my 05 was the only ABS system. The ABS stops of my bike opened the eyes of many of the other riders and continued to increase my confidence in this system. Have not had to use it in a real urgent situation yet (and hope never to have to) but I'm ready.

BentAero, you did absolutely the right thing in getting your bike upright before hammering on the brakes. You can have either lateral forces (corning) using up traction or braking but not both or you will go down. To get maximum braking you have to pick a new line with your eyes and get the bike up and square and then quickly and progressively harder, get on the brakes. We spent a long time practising this and it really works. Funny, how I instinctively knew this or figured it works like this after many years of riding and needing from time to time scrub off speed quickly, but until you understand the principle and repeatedly practise it, it really doesn't come into your thoughts. Again, the ABS worked perfectly.

The ART course was terrific, especially when we were allowed to get some speed up on the track and were allowed to start passing while using the new techniques. I know I pissed off some participants and could imagine the comments they made to the Missus when they got home about this old asshole going way too fast and showing off, etc. Well, guilty as charged, your honor! I highly recommend taking these kinds of courses in your area. My 2 cents!!!

 

[TruWrecks]

ABS is there for the unknowns. You know, the hot tar snake near the intersection. The pebble on the entry of your next corner. The oil that floats to the top when the road is wet. It's not there to prevent stupidity, but it can help save you for some of it.

I've had it save my bacon a few times already. When the BT020's got low they started getting a bit less grip. I found out the hard way. The ABS started working with any semi aggressive braking.

The only time modern ABS systems really fail to work (when mechanically working correctly) is if you pump the brakes. Let ABS do it for you. It's much more efficient at it than we can be.

Yes I prefer ABS in any vehicle I drive. However, I do turn off ABS and TC on the Corvette when I track the car. If does funky things when you want to drift a corner.

 

[rogerc]

+1 on ABS. Been riding for over 40 years and the brakes just keep getting better and better. The ABS on my 05 is the best braking system I have ever had on a motorcycle. Would not buy a bike like the FJR without it. Wish my 20 year old son's SV650 had ABS, I would sleep better.

RC

OLD GUYS RULE

 

[S76]

Love them..if nothing else it gives you more confidence to hit the brakes extremely hard in emergency situations. Love them in my cage as well. Any future bikes I purchase must have abs brakes!

My thoughts exactly!