Geezer, have your friend contact mark at http://www.liberatortrikes.com/

He is building trikes specifically for situations like your friend has.

 

Homebrew...please enlarge your sig pic...it's too darn small!

 

Going downhill in rain, or on gravel, linked brakes can be a problem.

 

Having never had linked brakes before, I was a little apprehensive with my current ride (GW). I really like them, so far. As for ABS, the computer checks the wheels 10 times per second and can react to a slide much faster than I ever could. ABS makes a lot more sense on a bike than on a car, imho. If it's available, absolutely select it. It WILL save your bacon (and perhaps your passenger's). There's also a great discussion, pro and con, HERE.

 

No, not anymore. Maybe in the early 80's when Honda first came out with their LBS. But in the 25 years since, they have been vastly approved. I tried, tried very hard, to get the front wheel to lock, as you are insinuating. On a gravel covered asphalt lot, the front didn;t lock. The rear did, but only whe standing on it. I have been in many panic stop situations in rain on that VTX and never once did I ever loose the front end from wheel lock.

 

Harley ABS doesn't update as often as ABS systems on other motorcycle brands. There are only 9 on/off "cogs" in a Harley ABS bearing. A toothed tone ring on a BMW or japanese bike has a hundred or more. Thus, it updates faster. Faster updates means that good ABS acts faster to engage and disengage more quickly because it updates more times per second than HD ABS.

All that said, I have ABS on one of my Harleys. It's weakness is something I tolerate because I like the brand. That said, I will never tolerate linked brakes ever again. I use the rear brake only for cone course work on my Road King. Linking the front brake compromises low speed precision riding.

 

According the the Harley Linked-Brake propaganda it disconnects at low speed, parking lot maneuvering.

Ed

 

Linked braking, where braking with the front and rear wheels is synchronized, is activated at speeds above about 20 miles per hour. At highway speeds, the system will automatically calculate the amount of braking that's necessary under the existing conditions.

http://www.jsonline.com/business/har...220141861.html

 

If they 20mph thing is true then its just crappy ABS compared to everything else. Actually, HD ABS can make you a better threshold braker. Because it takes so long to disengage you really try to brake just short of engagement, stopping distances improve;-)

 

Wait for the parking brake to come out Oh My