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Found out how much i like ABS.

ind1mrg

New member
Went for a ride with the wife yesterday and took a road home that i know well. Nice road two lane out in farming country. This streach of the road as we were traveling, Hwy 250 between I 65 and Paris Crossing, has two 90 degree turns then it straightens out but then comes a rather large hump in the road that i have on a few occasions in my younger days ramped over to get a little air born, nice little rush. You cannot see over it. As i crested the hill way less than fifty feet away there sit a hay mower\ conditioner with the person backing up the tractor to hook up to the machine, it must of come unhooked when he came over the hill. The right lane was blocked with the mower and the tractor had 2\3 of the left land blocked with it's ft end. OMG no time to be scared, on the brakes and go for the little bit of space i did have to the left. I know i heard two different noises from my tires,Anakees, ft and rear, but no squealing and i was able to steer around with no contact. Anyone that knows what a mow conditioner is knows the rear part of the machine has a nice deflector on it made out of sheet metal that would of cut us into, is what i was thinking at the time. Never want to go through that again. If i would of been on another bike i have without ABS i know it would of been a sliding.
 
Nothing like having 100% of the braking/traction threshold calculated and used in a split second. Those that say a professional in a controlled situation can stop faster are correct (maybe), but when the ship hits the fan, and the adrenalin is dumped into the body, I will take ABS every time.

Glad it turned out good, you only need it once for it to be priceless.
 
Man, reading that account just flat gives me the old creeps and does make me wish I hadn't lost my mind and removed all traces of ABS system from my '04RT. I can just picture that heart stopping event as you crested that hill...OMG!
 
Had a similar, but not as harrowing an experience on my '04 GS. I crested a hill on a very wet 2 lane road with a center turn lane. My view field was immediately filled by the broadside of a school bus that had turned right coming out of a small side road. It had filled my lane and the center turn lane. I immediately grabbed probably too much brake and headed for the hopefully open open left side of the road. Forunately the bus' decreasing turn radius opened up a sliver of the center lane by the time I got there and I was able to slip by without encroaching into the left oncoming traffic lane. That is the only time in 50,000 miles of riding the GS I've ever been aware of my ABS kicking in and feel reasonable certain it saved me from going down.
I agree that when the adrenalin kicks in optimally controlled braking suffers.
 
Before cresting hills on two lane roads, I always reduce my speed. Twice I had surprises waiting for me on the other side of the hills, both times, no big deal as my speed had been decreased. Glad that the ABS kicked in and you were able to navigate around the farming equipment.

The only time that I think that my R1100's ABS must have kicked in was while riding in a heavy downpour, in late afternoon 70 mph rush hour traffic, while crossing a bridge in Montreal. As I was about to pass the car in the right lane, it pulled out, without signaling, right in front of me. My front tire has never been so close to another vehicle, (even at a stop light). Inches separated us. I was already riding with my brakes covered and my reaction was immediate. I wasn't listening for the ABS but I'm certain it came into play as I remained upright. Had I been riding my K without ABS, I'm certain that the vehicles behind me would have been going thump, thump, thump as they drove over me. That could've hurt a lot. :)
 
Before cresting hills on two lane roads, I always reduce my speed. Twice I had surprises waiting for me on the other side of the hills, both times, no big deal as my speed had been decreased.

Amen!! If you can't see the road, you don't know that there isn't a hazard awaiting your arrival. If your speed is appropriate, it's no big deal.

As a friend and riding instructor says: "Good riders tell lots of boring stories." As in-

Rider - "I came over the crest of the hill and there was a refrigerator completely blocking my lane."

Friend - "Good grief! What happened?"

Rider - "It wasn't a problem. I was at the proper speed, so I was able to stop in plenty of time. When traffic passed, I just went around the errant appliance and continued on my way."

That doesn't mean you ride around at 15 mph all day. If you can see, enjoy the performance. If you can't, operate at an appropriate speed until the view opens up.

--

No threadjack intended. I use my ABS frequently (I practice braking a lot). I'm glad my current ride has it, and I'm convinced that if my last bike had been ABS-equipped, it would have saved me some "pain and suffering."

Tim
Student Rider
 
Amen!! If you can't see the road, you don't know that there isn't a hazard awaiting your arrival. If your speed is appropriate, it's no big deal.

As a friend and riding instructor says: "Good riders tell lots of boring stories." As in-

Rider - "I came over the crest of the hill and there was a refrigerator completely blocking my lane."

Friend - "Good grief! What happened?"

Rider - "It wasn't a problem. I was at the proper speed, so I was able to stop in plenty of time. When traffic passed, I just went around the errant appliance and continued on my way."

That doesn't mean you ride around at 15 mph all day. If you can see, enjoy the performance. If you can't, operate at an appropriate speed until the view opens up.

--

No threadjack intended. I use my ABS frequently (I practice braking a lot). I'm glad my current ride has it, and I'm convinced that if my last bike had been ABS-equipped, it would have saved me some "pain and suffering."

Tim
Student Rider

+1
 
ABS is on the required list.

I was riding with a friend - I on my 2001 r1150gs and he on a 2009 KLR650. No rain but the road was damp from dew or earlier light rain.

We were side by side at a light, and as we got up to speed he was maybe 3 car lengths ahead of me and a couple behind a van. With no warning ( found out later the van had no lights working due to a fuse issue) the van stooped suddenly and turned left. I watched as my friend tried modulating and alternately locking up the brakes as he slid into the back of the van. Fortunately we weren't going very fast - maybe 35 mph. Where was I? I stopped so quickly I had time to put on my emergency flashers before the KLR hit the van.

I've had 4-5 ABS moments where I'm pretty sure emergency braking saved something pretty bad rom happening.

Ride hard, but ride safely.

John
 
I was riding with a friend - I on my 2001 r1150gs and he on a 2009 KLR650. No rain but the road was damp from dew or earlier light rain.

We were side by side at a light, and as we got up to speed he was maybe 3 car lengths ahead of me and a couple behind a van. With no warning ( found out later the van had no lights working due to a fuse issue) the van stooped suddenly and turned left. I watched as my friend tried modulating and alternately locking up the brakes as he slid into the back of the van. Fortunately we weren't going very fast - maybe 35 mph. Where was I? I stopped so quickly I had time to put on my emergency flashers before the KLR hit the van.

I've had 4-5 ABS moments where I'm pretty sure emergency braking saved something pretty bad rom happening.

Ride hard, but ride safely.

John

not discounting the value of ABS for you whatsoever, but comparison to a KLR is really not fair.
They have notoriously craptastic binders.
 
Glad to read that ABS is working for many riders. I strongly suggest that anyone who has a bike with ABS to pratice ABS stops. It keeps your skills sharp and gets you familiar with how ABS braking feels. On the bikes with servo-assist ABS it keeps the systems active and I feel it helps to avoid ABS system failures which can occur on the servo-assist brake systems.
 
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