I have a question about ABS on my 2012 Limited. Can the ABS go out on the front brakes while they still function properly on the rear? I ask this because as I was driving along and and the light was about to change on me I hit the brakes and felt the typical effect pulse on the rear and not the front. I then proceeded to test the front brake only, at a fairly good speed, and squeezed hard but no pulse effect and quite a bit of front end dive.

 

The front and rear brakes work independently of each other, a wheel has to lock up before ABS takes over on that wheel.

 

the rear wheel skids "first and easiest"- and as you brake, the weight shifts forward ( I'm sure you know this)...unloading the rear tire, making it easier for the tire to "skid" which would have the ABS start pumping.

in the front as the weight shifts forward the traction increases and the tire will continue to roll- the abs comes on when the bike is moving but the wheel is not ( which is a skid).

so I am guessing you didn't get into a situation which would activate the abs.

a good test is hammering both brakes on a clear piece of open road at 40 MPH--- you should feel it working front and rear- and then release, you will have enough momentum ( speed) to make for an easy recovery, with out loosing balance.

of course it is possible the front abs is not working at all ( sensor/wiring failure) but that should light the ABS icon

mike

 

Thanks for the info. I'm going to test again. The icon on the gauge works as intended.

 

MK is spot on,

The back does trigger much easier than the front. In addition to the mechanics reasons MK so correctly explains, I also believe one is prone to being less sensitive on bike brakes due to the foot being used and the more complex mechanical lever / advantage

 

I have an 09 Ultra and the original factory setup allowed the front and rear ABS to kick in pretty easy. I tested the brakes shortly after buying the bike and found the front ABS was easy to engage and the rear even easier.

HD later improved the threshold for ABS and I got the update. I tested the brakes again and found that it took more input on the lever/pedal to engage the ABS. On the front brake I had to almost yank the lever to get the ABS to kick in. I'm much happier with the brakes now.

 

He usually is!

I reckon your experience indicates that Harley has got a handle on its ABS at long last. Early bikes had an awful set-up that frankly couldn't be trusted, while yours sounds just fine.

Getting the front ABS to kick in while braking on a good surface is always going to be difficult. If you can bring yourself to trying it, find a dodgy surface, like a greasy truck park, or somewhere with a loose topping, where grip is bound to be poor.

 

It's a 2012. Then why not have a qualified H-D facility check the entire system out under warranty?

 

I might will have chitown check it out when the bike goes in to have the VR replaced. Thanks everyone.