I was telling a friend of mine, who knows I'm in the market for a heritage softail classic that I was holding out for one with ABS, that I would only buy one with ABS, whenever the time comes. He said he would never have ABS. I mentioned how a biker recently told me how ABS really works. He had to break hard to avoid a cager that cut him off. He skidded to a stop and did not lose control. My friend said he too skidded to a stop to avoid a collision years ago, without ABS, and he didn't lose it either. My friend thinks ABS would increase the stopping distance. That's what they said when cars first came out with ABS, which proved not to be the case. What are your thoughts?

 

After having it for almost 2 years and using it a time or two and NEEDING it once, I'd never be without it again.

 

Think about a scenario where the road is wet, you're banking around a curve on the highway and a deer jumps out ahead of you. With abs you can give it all the brake you have. Non abs, if you skid you'll go down.

personally, I would rather have abs, which I have by the way.

 

I recently bought an Ultra with abs. Man this thing STOPS when you grab the brakes. And I mean STOPS.

 

Love it. Period.

 

Do you think that they will ever bring a kit out to fit ABS to non ABS fitted bikes? My 105th Anniversery Fatboy has terrible brakes, on a few occasions I have completely locked up both wheels and skidded for to long, luckily stayed on, but have little faith in the bikes ability to handle different conditions.

 

Learned a long time ago how to bring a vehicle under control with good brakes.Always keep the brakes in all our vehicles in top shape regularly maintained,so they can be counted on when needed.ABS for me is Dangerous.Period!!!

 

The ABS equipped bike should stop in less distance.....If I would have had ABS on my old Kaw last May, it would have saved a shattered fibula, cracked left rib, sprained right wrist, 3 months of reduced pay, plate, 9 screws and 12 weeks of therapy...not to mention the foot not being 100 % right now....

In a panic to slow down very quickly because a car I saw, (I THOUGHT was a cop)...I accidentally locked up the front brake and did not even know it. I didn't know I was falling until I hit the ground....With ABS, the panic braking, would not have resulted in the brake lock up and the bike going down....

In a car (or even a semi truck), the ABS will haul you down very well and the lack of skid, should keep you straight and more in control. The ABS allows for full on hard braking and the only reason the braking power is reduced is because ABS senses wheel lock up and reduces power to the brake, to keep the wheel rolling. A rolling wheel with reduced braking power actually will stop you faster than a locked wheel. It is a weird sensation to feel the ABS working and you may THINK you are not stopping like you should, but no human reaction can match that of the ABS...Sometimes a wheel can lock and skid without your knowledge (non ABS) but on a bike it becomes apparant pretty quick....

Basically what happens is the wheel speed sensor, senses the speed of the wheel. When you crush the brake hard, you decelarate quickly. If the friction of the brake pad on the rotor becomes more than the friction between the tire and the road (skid), the sensor will see that and reduce brake force. Usually what it will do, is through a modulator, it will stop the flow of the brake fluid for a minute instant so the wheel will continue to roll. Then it will allow pressure back in to brake. It will continue this until the info from the sensor tells the modulator that the wheel is not about to lock up and regular human controlled braking is resumed. The modulation is what you hear and feel when ABS kicks in...

Some cars have advanced ABS with an ESP system (electronic stability program) Mercedes uses this. It actually has a gyro sensor in the vehicle and it is fed info about steering angle, wheel speeds, etc...it actually will cut or apply braking power to one or more wheels to help avoid spinning out when you are driving. Like if you take a curve too fast and oversteer or understeer....It is pretty amazing stuff....

 

I have ABS and would never go back.

 

I have ABS , at first I was skeptical. , since having it I like it. a good skilled rider could stop just about as good if he/she was very very skilled.
Harley brakes are not linked like other bikes where when rear brake is applied the front brake engages. I like having seperate controll.
Skid pad tests have proven the average rider will stop sooner and safer with ABS.
Personally I would not pay a premium for them or add them retro to a bike.