ABS whats the script

[yorkie_chris]

The metal bits would be dead easy, it's all the computermabobs that would be hard.

Maybe studying a DL or SV-ABS manual would help as you could see if the ABS wires link to the ECU or if they have a separate ABS box.

I saw a test in either ride or bike magazine a few months back, they had professional riders on 3 different bikes and tested them with ABS on and off, and on all 3 occasions ABS out performed no ABS, this test was also done in the dry, I would imagine the results would be amplified in wet conditions.

Although all 3 riders believed ABS took longer to stop as you get the run on effect.

I have ABS on my bandit and I cant see the issue with it, it has only ever kicked in once and without it I would of been off.

One more noteworthy thing: Even if ABS is generally for minimizing braking distance, its most important effect on bikes is that it keeps you upright. This is not something of worry with cars in most situations, but it does concern us a lot. If the front locks up (and it will when the going gets really tough) you wash out immediately and loose all manner of control.
With regards to braking distance, I don't really care that it's 1m longer then the absolute minimum, it's still bloody better then what I would get with some serious practice. For me, it's a definitive must on my next bike.

Oh, and one more thing. Hydraulic brakes will soon be a thing of the past. Electric motor - based brakes will take over. And the ABS on those is simply amazing. On non-deformable surfaces they squeeze every single drop of available possible traction. Electric brakes with ABS beat hydraulic ones with ABS hands down (-15% braking distance!!!) simply because they can pulse so much faster.

Chris, the electroabobs are all available regardless of whether they are tied to the ECU or not... so if someone was keen enough to do it then it can be done without any engineering. Retrofit to a curvy might be a different story if it is an integrated system.

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by MattCollins

I don't know why you'd want to use DL bits when the SV650 is produced with ABS for some markets.

I wouldn't - but that was the question that was asked.

[Biker Biggles]

Im told the new Honda fly by wire ABS linked system takes some beating.Even experienced national level racers cant better its stopping distances,and ordinary riders stop very much quicker.The only downside according to one racer was that having the rear brake on can make the bike squat more than usual altering the steering geometry.
Id settle for that.

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by grimey121uk

Although all 3 riders believed ABS took longer to stop as you get the run on effect.

Only an issue if you just haul on the brakes like a muppet and expect ABS to save you.

If the brakes are used properly - ie in a way that would not cause a lockup normally, then I would expect an ABS vs Non-ABS test to say "They are the Same".

As said, if ABS is kicking in, you are not braking correctly.

It's a safety net (and teaching tool, you certainly know if its been applied, so can aim to not let it happen again), not a wonder tool.

Wow, how times change. I expected this thread to be full of ABS haters by now.

I had put ABS down as a definite prerequisite for my bike, but it limited my choices somewhat, which in turn limited me to spending 4 grand or above, or having a bike I didn't want. In the end my new bike budget got eaten up by other things, so I canned that pre-requisite to give myself a wider choice of bikes.

The more new bikes that have ABS the better IMO and in another 3-4 years time, there will be a wide choice of ABS second hand bikes.

My issue with non ABS bikes is that you don't get day to day practice of the Stig's panic exclaim 'Deary me, that was close', scenario. However much you may think you're a riding god, when that day comes and a sudden shot of adrenaline gets hold of you, you probably will grab the lever in a panic, and you probably won't get 100% braking potential out of your front end.

I have promised myself that I'll spend a few car park sessions a year practising hard braking and emergency stops, now that I have bought a non-ABS bike. I'm still not under any illusion that I'd be safer with it than without it.

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Im told the new Honda fly by wire ABS linked system takes some beating.Even experienced national level racers cant better its stopping distances,and ordinary riders stop very much quicker.The only downside according to one racer was that having the rear brake on can make the bike squat more than usual altering the steering geometry.
Id settle for that.

The new ZX10 is said to have the most advanced ABS system for road going bikes of all. So I have read.

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

Only an issue if you just haul on the brakes like a muppet and expect ABS to save you.

If the brakes are used properly - ie in a way that would not cause a lockup normally, then I would expect an ABS vs Non-ABS test to say "They are the Same".

As said, if ABS is kicking in, you are not braking correctly.

It's a safety net (and teaching tool, you certainly know if its been applied, so can aim to not let it happen again), not a wonder tool.

It was bike magazine, and that was the test. 'The best braking you can do' vs 'grab the lever and pull as hard as you can'. Grab the lever and pull as hard as you can won.

The bike mag journos do a serious amount of mileage commuting on their long term test fleet bikes, never mind the unrecorded mileage that goes in on all the other tests they do. They also do a lot of track time both at track days, new bike launches and in some cases club racing. They are not exactly novice riders, and I'd expect them to know how to brake properly.

Even with their skill levels (which whatever you think about that they are better than mine), they didn't brake as hard as they could have done when their heads were having to worry about locking up. As soon as you took their 'feel' and their brains out of the equation and said "just hit the lever", they stopped more quickly.