Do I need ABS and a fairing?

[Rob1970]

Looking at getting first proper bike after passing 33bhp test

originally looked at bikes with screens and fairing like transalp, Deauville, CBF600, ER6f etc

Some have ABS some don't

is it worth spending a little more for it?

The bandit 650 looks very good value as does the CBF500

Neither have fairings - will I really get pissed off without a screen when I'm commuting in the rain?

[Clive L]

[Kickstart]

Hi

ABS is probably something that is worthwhile for road use. Something to save you when you fail to observe something and land up braking hard very suddenly.

As to a fairing, possibly depends on the journies you are doing. Long motorway journey it will probably be of great benefit. Short journies round town then no great gain.

All the best

Keith
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[Rogerborg]

ABS should pay for itself the first time you need it.

I've added or extended the screen on each of my bikes while I was using them as my main machine, then removed it again as they were relegated to shorter trips.
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[Rob1970]

i guess my question should have been...



....does ABS work on a bike?

[P.addy]

An opposing question is, do you have a vagina?

I have no ABS.

I am not dead. Forward planning helps

[c-m]

[Andy_Pagin]

There's nothing magical about abs, It's there to save clowns whose obs fail and don't know how to e-stop without locking the brakes. A biker cannot afford to be a clown.

Fairings though are nice, even a half fairing makes a long ride more pleasant, especially this time of year.
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[barrkel]

[P.addy]

[haroman666]

Not having ABS may teach you the hard way when the day comes, but sometimes the hard way is the best way to learn.

If you take ABS for granted while you're learning the ropes, then what are you gonna do when you jump onto an old bike in the future and suddenly you're in unfamiliar territory?

IMO, learn on a bike without these added luxuries, so you don't get used to it in the most important period of becoming a better rider.
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[barrkel]

[CarlosCBR]

ABS on bikes is fantastic but as haroman says, it could be easy to take it for granted if you buy a bike in future without it.

On the other hand, if you know you have bought a bike without it, it should be easy for you to recalibrate your brain.
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[Rogerborg]

[barrkel]

[Matt B]

[esullivan]

The first time I locked my front wheel I went down like a sack of potatoes. Not pleasant. Subsequent times, I learned to recognize the wheel locking and let up and re-apply ("manual ABS"), but there have been a few times in London traffic with my 125 where I nearly spilled it again.

I think you should learn how to brake without ABS, but all things being equal, I'd have it.

Also, as has been mentioned, you can generally avoid e-stop situations for very long periods by being a good, observant rider. But that can be a problem -- too little practice. A good rule of thumb is to practice a few e-stops (on a quiet road somewhere) about once a season.

I have a naked (except a very tiny screen). It's no problem at all up to about 65mph or so, but even slightly higher speeds become annoying after an hour or so.
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Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
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[nowhere.elysium]

Fairings are a thing that I've always been largely ambivalent about.

As a rule, the standard screen that comes with them usually doesn't deflect wind all that well - at least that's my experience of them. The whole "Do I need a screen" debate has got more to do with seating position than whether or not the bike's naked; on my GS, sitting at 90-100 isn't a problem at all for me, thanks to the position that it imposes on the rider. The SV, not so much; I have to tuck in behind the screen as much as I can. The further forward you're leaning, the harder you tend to have to work against the wind, if there's nothing to get behind.

ABS; I've only experienced it in cars, and I don't like it much. I was taught how to brake properly from the get-go, so I find that if ABS is self-invoked, then either I've not been paying attention, or it's doing so inappropriately. I'm not in the habit of getting into the sort of situations that require external intervention by such gizmos. Reading the situation and the road conditions is far more profitable, and more likely to keep you away from the sort of trouble that ABS and the like are designed to scrape you out of at short notice.

Short answer; I'd say spend more time on practising your skills, as opposed to buying kit that does it for you.
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[haroman666]

[chris-red]

[Rob1970]

"Bandits will rot"

What about a GSR 600? Are they any better?

Seen one with a flyscreen in my price range - flyscreen would help with windblast I guess....or not?

[nowhere.elysium]

[chris-red]

[nowhere.elysium]

[kawashima]

I am a poor level rider.
Price wise,
If ABS cost +500, you can usually sell it +500 (or less).
So even if you didn't need to use it luckily, it's not expensive.
I was told this from a bike shop when I asked how much I can get if I sell it. "Oh if yours were TDM900A, you can have +***! "
Mine is TDM900. without ABS.
I still can't have confidence in my panic braking on heavy wet surface.

Cons of ABS : ABS unit decreases under seat space.

Regarding screen, I sometimes wonder which has better protection CB500S and CB500 + GIVI screen.
I had W650 with big screen attached(you can see it in my sig link). Its handling becomes interesting at high speed. Frame mount half fairing won't have this problem.

Buying naked bike and attach GIVI screen is interesting cause you can feel the difference. If you buy half fairing bike with good protection as a first bike, you can't know the wind pressure on naked bike unless you borrow someones naked bike.
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own:2020 Serow 250
owned: 2012 YB125SP, 2008 TDM900, 2005 W650, 2002 LS125R, 2002 CB400SF, NS50F, C50 / Trip to UK(2009), Hokkaido touring(2013)