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How often does your ABS engage?

micstumpf

BMW #1
My "old" 99 GS doesn't have them, looking for just another excuse to trade in, ya know. So on your average rider (touring, say 5000-6000 miles per summer, not riding agressively), do you really need those ABS (I know, I know, you may need 'em just once, and they'll save your life) or basically, should I tough it out a while before trading in to a nice, shining new beemer that brakes & looks oh, so sharp?
 
In the seven months of riding my 1100RT last year, I don't ever recall the ABS engaging. That said, I don't recall being in any sub-standard traction situations where I needed to do a panic stop. So, the necessity for the ABS to engage was not there.
 
I think it has engaged once in a real life emergency braking situation. Twice maybe. That's in 10 years of riding my R-RS roughly 9k/year. Mostly touring, some commuting.

It's a pretty weak excuse to go out and get a whole new bike. Butt - if you're in the market anyway, it's a darn good reason to spend an extra grand or two for an ABS-equipped bike. Good selling point for SWMBO also!
 
I've put 85K miles on the RS since 1997, and the ABS has never engaged (except for the times I've intentionally engaged it to see what it feels like).
Still, I recognize that people rode for decades with no ABS, and lived to tell the tale. Whether it engages or not depends a lot on how you ride. Even 'though it hasn't engaged, I like its being available - maybe the situation when I'll need it is right around the corner.
 
Twice for me.

01-drop-01.jpg


First time on a trail with a little mud.:fight

Second time on my 12GS on a sheet of ice, and this time I did not go down!:thumb

I'll keep my ABS, thank you very much!

But I will turn it off off road!

Jim :brow
 
...not a GS but, rather, k1100lt. Kentucky...quiet backroad...two up with Uni-go...deer jumped and claimed the tarmac...ABS on full...counting hairs and exchanging glares... went our separate ways. I love ABS. -Bob
 
Boy you guys are lucky. I guess it depends on where you ride, locally we have a lot of chopppy pavement and small patches of sand. Mine '99 GS ABS engages all the time, I wouldn't trade for a used bike to get ABS. The new system may be better but I would like to try it first, it sounds interesting anyway. I have tried the Ducati and liked their system way way better than mine.
 
Every single time I practice stopping from speed. which everyone should be doing regularly.

In a crisis situation, you react in the manner your have trained/practiced. If you have never had ABS engaged you will be ill prepared when you need it.
 
Isn't it like buying insurance? If you have the opportunity to have abs and don't it's like saying I don't need insurance except when I have an accident. Interesting how the two issues go hand in hand.

I've engaged mine twice that I'm aware of. The first time was on a southern California freeway at 70mph. I missed the fact that the car in front of me had stopped. The abs engaged and if it hadn't I would have had a terrible dental bill to get the license plate out from between my teeth.

The second time was most incredibly when I drove into my garage and hit a slick spot. At least the abs felt like it engaged.

Anyway if abs is available I'll always have it.
 
So on your average rider (touring, say 5000-6000 miles per summer, not riding agressively), do you really need those ABS


How many times have you used your helmet or your insurance policy?

I've used my ABS many times when I've been practicing in the parking lot learning where the thresholds are. Actually out on the road for real maybe two or three and they were worth all the money I paid for them. 70K+ miles on a 03 K1200LT.
 
abs

I have felt abs kick in even on dry road while at maximum braking situation avoiding a deer. I have played with it on grass. Bottom line, It works and I am confident that I can use max braking at any time without fear of locking up and going down.
(Like I have done on HD Electra Glides).
 
I've had it engage twice in one year on my '99 R1100R. Once, while practicing emergency stops and once, on a mountain road (admittedly, a New Jersey sized mountain) after a winter thaw. As I braked for a stop sign at the bottom of a hill, the ABS engaged but I stopped without a problem. When I put my foot down I discovered a carpet of salt, two inches deep that must have been washed down the hill. I can only speculate as to what would have happened w/out ABS.
 
Photo Proof that the ABS is working

Twice for me.

01-drop-01.jpg


First time on a trail with a little mud.:fight

Second time on my 12GS on a sheet of ice, and this time I did not go down!:thumb

I'll keep my ABS, thank you very much!

But I will turn it off off road!

Jim :brow

Jim, hate to see the picture of a down beast, but what a great photo which actually shows the pulsing of the ABS in the mud.:thumb
 
While on an F650 in the Swiss Alps it was all red line & ABS. I needed more horsepower and more brakes all the time, ABS was chattering before most of the switchback. Dang, my face hurt from smiling on that trip...gotta go back.
 
In 78,000 miles my ABS has never actuated as a result of some unexpected incident. (I count that as lucky) I have activated it on purpose many times. Sometimes on cold wet days I'll force it to activate briefly to get a feel for how slick the road is. At this point I have not needed ABS, but I wouldn't buy a bike without it.
 
While on an F650 in the Swiss Alps it was all red line & ABS. I needed more horsepower and more brakes all the time, ABS was chattering before most of the switchback. Dang, my face hurt from smiling on that trip...gotta go back.

Hm...may have been fun but it probably wasn't as fast as it could have been if you'd been working on your smoothness. Ever wonder why race bikes don't have ABS?
 
Did you ever wonder why??

Hm...may have been fun but it probably wasn't as fast as it could have been if you'd been working on your smoothness. Ever wonder why race bikes don't have ABS?

They wire all the oil fittings on a track bike??

Or why they sweep the track after every accident?

Or why the restrict all "leaking bikes" form track use....

The track surface is repaired and kept like new all the time...

they close the track when snow and ice are present....

--------------------------------------

These are some of the reasons you don't need ABS on the track......but you might find it useful on the road....
 
They wire all the oil fittings on a track bike??

Or why they sweep the track after every accident?

Or why the restrict all "leaking bikes" form track use....

The track surface is repaired and kept like new all the time...

they close the track when snow and ice are present....

--------------------------------------

These are some of the reasons you don't need ABS on the track......but you might find it useful on the road....

Apples and oranges.

ABS is certainly useful to help maintain traction if you're braking in crud, or if you're making a sudden evasive maneuver.

But to use it as a braking aid while going as fast as you can around the course (or on a public road)? If it gave the racers an advantage they'd use it. They go faster by being smooth and loading their suspensions in a controlled manner. If you're braking so hard that you need your ABS all the time, where's your margin of error for when you really *do* need it?
 
Apples and oranges.

ABS is certainly useful to help maintain traction if you're braking in crud, or if you're making a sudden evasive maneuver.

But to use it as a braking aid while going as fast as you can around the course (or on a public road)? If it gave the racers an advantage they'd use it. They go faster by being smooth and loading their suspensions in a controlled manner. If you're braking so hard that you need your ABS all the time, where's your margin of error for when you really *do* need it?

I tend to agree with that. You should never be "using" your ABS to try to go faster. If you are your riding technique is flawed.

I love ABS for the added margin of safety, but mine rarely kicks in, and I ride 8/10s pretty regularly, and sometimes harder.

I have never engaged ABS while spirited riding. You should never have to unless the unexpected happens.

Jim :brow
 
When I was running Dunlop 491 tires on my K75, it was pretty easy to activate the rear ABS in the rain at a stop sign. That would always surprise me. I think the big advantage is the knowledge that you can grab a handful of brake in an emergency without fear of over braking.
 
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