ABS is evil?

[Easy-X]

Ho-hum, another Fortnine video:

https://youtu.be/sDbWZiaUeDY

tl;dr If you know how to brake properly then ABS is a hinderance.

Nothing revelatory in that statement but the video continually says: "in an emergency most people only slam the rear brake" supposedly because they're scared of flipping the bike by using the front. Is this actually the case?

I've said it before but if I see an orange light and there's no one behind me I use it as an emergency brake testing exercise. Obviously it'll scare the shit out of the pedestrians crossing at that point but fuck 'em Anyhoo, I've always found it best to use both brakes - how odd - and I've surprised myself how sharp you can stop without losing control and without the ABS kicking in.

"Yeah but in a real emergency you wouldn't do that!" Right, so the thing you've practiced over and over you wouldn't do instinctively, gotcha
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[jeremyr62]

I practice too. I do it to exercise the ABS pump as well.
The quote about only using the rear brake in an emergency is bollocks IMO. The rear brake is pretty much useless when you need to stop fast. Ideally you use both but if you can use only one, let it be the front.

I won't buy a bike without ABS. It's saved my bacon more than once.

[Skudd]

I've been using ABS for 30 years and its a nice tool to have in your back pocket. Obviously you need to know how it works, so you need to have a few goes in a controlled manner, but it has saved my bacon a few times. Obviously it doesn't beat physics, but I'd rather have it than not. Those who say it's rubbish have a miss guided ego that one day will let them down.
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[stinkwheel]

Mind you, the traffic officer who confidently stated they'd only used the rear brake seemed to be basing it on the fact he'd only seen rear tyre skidmarks.

Well, if you looked at the road after pretty much any emergency stop I've done, that's probably what you'd see because I commonly lock the rear under very hard braking, even if I don't touch the brake because there's no slipper clutch on that bad-boy and the rear tyre is probably hovering just off the road. I do on occasion lock the front too but usually come back off the brake pretty quick when I do.

The whole being able to steer while under hard braking rationale makes sense in a car but not on a bike. Motorbike tyres are extremely grippy under braking and acceleration force OR under cornering force. Not both at once. Start cornering while braking to the grip limit of the tyre and that grip limit will lower. Your ABS will compensate by backing off the brakes.

I find my reaction in an emergency stop, having never ridden with ABS, is to brake as hard as I can in a straight line then if it looks like I can steer round it, do that once the speed has bled off OR just steer round it if it looks like I can do that. Trying to do both achieves neither very well. If a collision seems inevitable, braking as hard as you can in a straight line is probably the thing to go for, it's scrubbing as much energy out of the collision as you can before you hit.
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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.

[bugeye_bob]

As mentioned practice is key, find a empty road and gently find out its limits wet and dry, much like when I buy a new car and drive into TC and see what it does, so you arent surprised when its an emergency,
Rear brake is useful for laying the bike down if things have gone bad,
Low side/slide over a high side normally if its gone wrong,
just my own style,
Id rather hit the bike than get hit with it.

[stinkwheel]

Thing about laying a bike down is it'll decelerate WAY quicker on its wheels even under 70% braking than it will sliding on its side or you sliding on your arse. Stay on the brakes until you hit. If you laid it down and it didn't hit, you could have stopped it on the brakes.

Only real good reason for laying a bike down deliberately would be if it had undergone a catastrophic loss of control due to a mechanical issue or road surface issue. Only time I can think of where I deliberately laid one down was when I hit the point on the A66 where the snowplough driver presumably decided to go off shift (can't say they stopped because it was impassable because I rode a freshly crashed VFR750 over) and abruptly went from doing 50mph on black tramac to 8" of fresh snow. On the third weave, I got off when it weaved towards the kerb side. Got 10ft further than the following car who landed up nose first into the central reservation.
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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.

[P.]

ABS on my KTM was always switched off. It was a hindrance on that bike because it was made to be a tool on the road, couldn't do skids or stoppies. It was on by default next time so you had to turn it off.

My BMW, I wish it had abs, it's been disabled by previous owners. It's a heavy lump to stop and end up having to put more than I feel I should. Could just need better brakes though..

[doggone]

It can be really nasty if you are trying to descend a very steep gravel strewn slope at minimum speed, as it will start pumping on and off which unsettles the bike and could have you off.
It ought to be always possible to turn off - not the case on XSR700

[blurredman]

Never had ABS, in a car either.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k. , 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 49k

[Easy-X]

[grr666]

[stinkwheel]

Traction control in cars is a fucking pain in the arse a lot of the time. I've been stuck on a wet tarmac slope in a RWD mercedes vito before until I turned the ESP off.

My current Nissan van will grind to a halt and refuse to set off again on gravel roads if I leave the traction control on.

Both ABS and traction control on cars are a liability in snow. I doubt they'd be much better on a bike.
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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.

[virus]

Having ridden a few bikes with ABS I can comfortably say I fuckin hate it. the pulsating feels horrible and I feel like I cant get a gauge on grip on the front whilst ABS is activating.

That said, as much as I could take or leave it if i was buying a new bike, Im not enough of a fool to say I can outbrake ABS with a non ABS system.
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own: 81 xs1100g...
owned: 85 rat CG (sold), 91 GS500e (stolen), 84 gsx400f (scrapped), 81 z250 (siezed, siezed, scrapped), 83 cb250rs (sold), 84 gpz750r ratfighter (killed) 84gpz400 (sold), '80 cb650 ratfighter (wrote off) 95gsx6/12f ratfighter (killed) 91 xj900 (sold)
stinkwheel Well I just had my hands up a pigs fanny. Which makes your concerns pale into insignificance.

[to v or not to v]

never had it on a bike.
maybe one day ill own something modern.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[MCN]

Only a fool negates the unseen advantages of ABS.
It's not to improve braking it's mostly for panic braking.
Most humans panic.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Ayrton]

[Nobby the Bastard]

ABS only works when the brakes are on more than the available grip. It's really supposed for when the friction co-efficient is less than optimal so yes, in dry conditions the odds are you'll outbrake the same bike with ABS.

In the wet or when conditions are sub-optimal, however...
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[barrkel]

[Skudd]

Two weeks after picking up my new BMW R1250 GS Adventure I was going along a twisty country road, normally its a free flowing main road, but that day I rolled around the bend to find the traffic stationary. The road was damp from an earlier shower. I just pulled my braked on and the bike came to a nice uneventful stop while still negotiating the bend. ABS had saved the day, a few days later I was giving it the full throttle treatment on the slip road to a motorway, again it had been raining. The over banding was about 6 inches wide with white lines, the traction control kicked in and all was calm. These things are great tools, not to be relied upon, but as a back up. If you have the option to have them, then take it.
____________________
Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".