How important is ABS for a new rider? Winter ahead!

[daifuco]

I am still quite interested to get a ABS machine. But I can't afford to pay a lot of money considering this is going to be my first big bike.
I have found a nice well kept bandit with ABS 3 hours away from me.

But now a local dealer that my instructor recommends is selling this bike for amsimilar price.
https://www.aardvarkmotorcycles.co.uk/bike/yamaha-xj6n-2010

Even though I like the bandit. I find the xj6n nicer and more modern looking. But it does not have ABS!. II plan to use the bike a lot. All year all weather.
As a 125 rider I have felt the bike slipping a few times and I know the feeling. And it is not nice.

Should I go with the bandit or should I get the xj6n?
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Pft, I wouldn't have ABS as the deciding factor between two bikes. It's a nice to have if you've no interest in track riding, but it would be the be all and end all for me. Just buy whichever bike you prefer.

For me, I'd have the Yamaha, purely because I don't like the Blandit.
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[ScaredyCat]

ABS will help you a slower speeds, potentially preventing you from dropping your bike. You shouldn't trigger it in anything like normal riding on the road.

I'd go for the bike with ABS given the choice of two of the same.

However, if you like the XJ more and buy the bandit you may well spend your time wishing you'd got the XJ - that'd make the bandit feel worse.



Probably didn't help much
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[someotherguy]

ABS is good. You want it, if it's an option.

However, I wouldn't set out specifically to buy a bike with ABS. Draw yourself up a list of potential bikes. If one has ABS, count it as a pro, but I wouldn't let it be a deal-breaker.

[stinkwheel]

It's only in the last 5-10 years ABS has become a "thing" on motorcycles (instigated by a European comissioner who also has a large shareholding in Bosche who make -you guessed it- ABS systems for motorcycles. But that's another story.).

Before then, everyone managed fine without it.

I'm not even convinced I'd want a bike with ABS on the basis it's another complex system to go wrong. I have enough trouble keeping the normal braking system in good working order.

ABS from a motorcycle industry who can't make a brake light switch that lasts longer than 5 years.
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[Matt B]

I'm agreeing with Ham here (at least I think I am because he is much confusing and probably typing on a phone, pissed, at 3am...).

Do not let ABS be the deciding factor in the bike that you buy. You need to go ride them both and buy the one that you feel the most comfortable with, or gives you the biggest grin.

I had an FZ6 with ABS, just happened to be a nice bike with it on when I got it. Had the bike for years and never once did it kick in. Had lots of bikes without it and never once dropped or crashed due to it not being there.

ABS - don't believe the hype.
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[someotherguy]

But, it might be the thing that saves you one day.

You don't need it until you NEED it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ_UkAFW6cA

I've had a couple of moments in the wet where I would have definitely been able to stop quicker with ABS. That might make the difference between binning it and not binning it.

[chris-red]

I'm not bothered by it. It adds a level of complexity to the braking system. Especially if it is something like Honda's C-ABS. Part of me things its more important for a rider to learn how to brake properly than rely on ABS. That said I've nothing against ABS on my car. There are pros and cons I wouldn't let it be the deciding factor. Many people will tell you if you lock the front that's it, crash, this is nonsense if done it many times and never dropped it.
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[NJD]

£3.3k is a lot for a brand new first big bike, not attempting to tell you how to spend your money but your looking at very well up-kept bikes that you intend to ride through winter, are you not better off getting something a little cheaper as a winter hack and then possibly changing the bikes over when summer arrives?

Anyhow.. I locked up the rear wheel on my CBT, lesson learnt and haven't done it since, never felt I needed the bike to help me control it.

[Teflon-Mike]

[someotherguy]

[stinkwheel]

How much does ABS add to the price of a bike?

So:

1) Buy a bike with ABS.

or

2) Spend half a day, one-on-one with a motorcycle instructor teaching you how to use the brakes.

I bet the latter is cheaper and more effective.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[pinkyfloyd]

Just for what it is worth I own a non ABS XJ6N and I love it. I did not want to justify the extra £500 the ABS would have cost me when I bought the bike new 2 years ago.

I ride my bike pretty much every day and use is as part of the job, I am a DAS instructor and a typical DAS course can see me doing in excess of 200 miles over the 3 days training.

I can count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times I have locked my back wheel and each one of them were me playing in the yard.

But to follow what Ham said. I would take the XJ over the Bandit as bandits are boring, I love my XJ and it is agile enough to throw it around like a toy but fun enough to really enjoy. And very easy to ride.
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[someotherguy]

[Matt B]

[Teflon-Mike]

[redeem ouzzer]

ABS is extra weight. Therefore you don't want it.

[someotherguy]

[Val]

[FlightRisk]

Bandit is an old heavy blunt instrument.
Get the XJ6, it's way sexier.

ABS (assuming it's actually any good) is better than no ABS. I can imagine people were having the same debate when everyone had drum brakes and discs were starting to appear.
However, I'd guess good tyres and keeping your brakes serviced is more important.

I'm in my second year of riding and I've never locked up the wheels on the road. I've never even nearly done it. I have, especially in winter, had unintended wheelspin, little front wheel slips, little rear wheel slides and general squirming around on horrible greasy roads. ABS isn't going to help any of this.
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[ADAMH0]

If you are that worried about braking and decking the bike then perhaps look into getting some of those fancy stabilisers that are in the vids posted by Surbitom and Val?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ_UkAFW6cA

Joking aside, as others have already mentioned, ABS wouldn't be a deciding factor for me, however, it might be worth drawing up a list of what is really important for you, (E.g, Colour, Price, Make, model, mileage, age, style, safety, power, engine size, weight etc.) Then put them in order and see how far up ABS is?

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[BTTD]

Never triggered the ABS when I've had it, but I have locked up the front wheel on other bikes on a couple of occasions.
Managed to keep it standing up, and not hit anything which was more instinct than skill, just released the front long enough to save it and then brake again. I was pulling this face behind the visor.
ABS would certainly have come in handy on those occasions, but the experience also taught me to leave a bit more space in the wet and watch out for idiot learner riders (who I was already giving a wide berth) and any woman with cuddly toys on the parcel shelf. Same rule should probably apply to blokes with cuddly toys on the parcel shelf.

[barrkel]

ABS removes fear of braking hard in wet and slippery conditions.

Whether you think that's good or bad depends on how you ride, when you ride, and where you ride.

How often do you brake hard in regular riding? If not at all, then you probably don't need ABS.

But if you ride "optimistically", and find yourself occasionally needing to lose speed quickly when things don't work out as well as planned, and you ride in a dynamic (i.e. city) and slippery environment, in all weathers, then ABS is fantastic. It lets you carry more speed when it's wet because you know you can stop pretty damn quick.

On a weekend bike, I could leave or take ABS. When touring, ABS is nice to have, because touring often means riding through summer thunderstorms at least once, but it's by no means essential - wet days touring are for making distance safely, usually on motorway.

On a commute in all weathers, in a city, ABS is great. Lots of surprises, silly pedestrians, cyclists on rental bicycles doing stupid manoeuvers completely oblivious to what's behind them, cheeky people changing lanes at the last moment, etc. Where you dial your riding depends on how much you can see and how quickly you can stop. ABS just gives you confidence in stopping quickly and safely.

All the above said, I'd take a fun bike to ride without ABS over a heavy unagile bike with. It isn't wet often enough on a London commute. I'd have a different opinion back in the west of Ireland.

It's worth bearing in mind that the stats say ABS reduces number of insurance claims even though it encourages more aggressive riding in the wet.

PS: You still need to be careful riding in the wet, don't get me wrong. My riding style changes dramatically when it's wet, my cornering is far more upright, I'm much more smooth on the inputs, I accelerate hard only when straight up - it's an enjoyable challenge, but the feeling of slipperiness doesn't go away.
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[Kaya75]

Well I'm pretty much in love with my heavy blunt instrument of a bandit 2k 600 but then I do find heavy blunt instruments pretty useful for most occasions, no abs ( figure not) practice sliding the the back end a bit, to be honest I'd prefer a set of goooooood tyre road pilots 4's end of the month, I don't think abs is going to stop you water skiing or ice, could be wrong tho.

I'm in love but the love affair has to end but at the moment it's good, next up is a hornet me thinks.

I prefer a more analogue approach to life, also truly believe you learn the best basic on a basic tool.

Blandits, after a year on a ybr, being able to cruise around in fifth gear, or sitting on the edge of the power band at 7k It's like two different machines. Making her scream in the 9's is beautiful - I'd never have had myself down as a inline 4 boy, always fancied a mans twin v thud thud, but hey loves astringent thing

I dumped a tinted windowed, lowered beemer m3, at the lights the other day, creep creep rev Rev, green Go! he had me the first second or so, I hit the limiter in first, shite start shite changes and I still dropped him in my mirrors, blunt, heavy but effective fun all the same boy racers in sweet little hatches have a go too sometimes, I know it's childish but makes me smile, got to sort my launch out though, gonna have to find a strip soon reminds me of when we first started drop scooby engines into vw's funny as hell, rats on speed