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[Richard230]

Bosch has just announced a new motorcycle stability control system that will be fitted to KTM motorcycles and (it is claimed) can be retrofitted to their 2013 models.  This is the first ABS system that is designed to prevent low-sides when cornering, as well as a lot of other rider-induced riding problems - such as wheelies.  I figure that it is only a matter of time before Google makes a motorcycle that will drive itself so that you won't have to do anything but sit on it and enjoy the scenery as you ride along.   

Read more and see the Bosch video here:  http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/New-bikes/2013/September/sep2413-ktm-first-with-anti-lowside-abs/

[Justin Andrews]

Nice for some I guess.

Personnaly I'd be looking for a way to turn it off.

[Richard230]

Here is a short video by the British magazine Motor Cycle News showing how the system works when cornering:

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/videos/2013/October/oct0913-new-cornering-abs/

[WindRider]

I am with Justin on this.

ABS, wheelie control, dynamic suspensions?   What is next?

I would like to control the motorcycle, thank you very much.

[NoiseBoy]

I am with Justin on this.

ABS, wheelie control, dynamic suspensions?   What is next?

I would like to control the motorcycle, thank you very much.

I have never understood this attitude.  What people seem to forget is that the ABS only cuts in when the wheel slips.  Ergo, if you don't screw up and lock the wheel the system won't cut in and you will never know its there.  So what is the problem?

I used to be last of the late brakers on my supermotos but on the Zero, on a wet cold winters day with the terrible OEM tyres made of teflon, I wouldn't mind ABS being there just in case when im half asleep on the way to work and too concerned about the idiot cager tailgating me to notice the patch of oil in front. 

[Justin Andrews]

My attitude is this.

Due to the lack of ABS / traction control on all my bikes, I've become reasonably good at feeling when my bike starts to slip and controlling the bike, including in wet and dangerous conditions.
Frankly I can get my bike out of many of these conditions (including a couple of occasions hitting a diesal spill and losing traction on both wheels*), had I spent my life with ABS I doubt my riding skills would be that honed. As another example how useful is ABS when your rear wheel blows out. (A very skilled friend of mine once held a bike straight when his front tyre blew out...)

Frankly I think that ABS is a bad idea, it stops riders learning the deep end of the craft.

Its fine for weekend bikers I guess, but if you mostly ride bikes, then I think traction control is counter productive.


Thats only my opinion however.



(* I also suspect a good deal of luck was involved as well, and swearing, I recall a LOT of swearing...)

[protomech]

Frankly I think that ABS is a bad idea, it stops riders learning the deep end of the craft.

Its fine for weekend bikers I guess, but if you mostly ride bikes, then I think traction control is counter productive.

For a far-too-large number of motorcyclists each year, the first time they learn the deep end of the craft is when they plant themselves deep into the end of the stopped car in front of them.

A properly tuned ABS *should* be non-invasive except when the wheel starts to skid. And when it does step in, it will stop even professional racers faster than they can stop themselves.

It's absolutely worthwhile to find a parking lot when it's raining and learn how the bike brakes under wet conditions in a controlled environment. If your bike has ABS, try it with both ABS on and ABS off. However, far better to learn by noting the flashing ABS light than by skidding through an intersection or into a stopped vehicle.

ABS, in a lot of ways, is like wearing a helmet. It adds a little weight and the first time you try it, can seem like it impedes with the control of the vehicle (ABS because I wanted to skid! Helmets because they impede FOV). However, when you need it, you REALLY need it .. and outside of saving lives they improve the riding experience overall (ABS because it gives riders confidence to ride safely in the rain, full-face helmets because they keep bugs out of your grin).

[Justin Andrews]

Honest question because I don't know the answer, Does an ABS system control a sideways skid on Ice or fuel, or a blown tire?


As for ABS itself:
Yes I'm sure it does save many lifes, thats good and I'm actually all for that.

But I don't really want it myself. It's a bit like loud pipes, many people have a good(? / debateable) argument that they save lives (no I'm not really equating Loud pipes with ABS), but I don't want them either...

[Richard230]

I paid $1000 extra to get ABS on my BMW R1200R as I wanted to see how it worked, never having had ABS during my 50-year riding experience.  So far, after 29,000 miles of riding my BMW, the ABS has never kicked in and I don't even know if it works - although my on-board computer says it will.  Besides the extra cost, there is the extra weight that you have to carry around and the cost of changing brake fluid is around $150 (compared with $0 when I can do it myself) as there are 6 or 7 bleed valves to vent air in the system and you need a special BMW computer to activate the four bleed valves on the ABS pump.  So, so far, ABS hasn't been worth it to me.

However, it would have been helpful when I was heading downhill on a wet street covered with eucalyptus tree oiland both of my Zero's tires slide when I tried to brake for a stop sign.  That caused me to slide into the intersection and I just missed a car that was expecting me to stop at the stop line.  ABS would have helped - or a different tire than the supplied Road Whiners.

Having said all that, I really do believe that ABS is of great value to a new motorcycle rider and will help reduce accidents due to their braking inexperience.  That will not only reduce injuries but will also reduce the cost of vehicle repairs.

[WindRider]

For the reasons of cost, complexity, and weight I do not want ABS on my motorcycles.   I have been riding for many years in many situations and I have always been able to adequately control my motorcycles without ABS.

I think it should be an option, not a required technology for motorcycles to have.   Those that value it can choose to pay for it and live with it's benefits and it's downsides.

I would like to control the motorcycle, thank you very much.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

ABS saved my body (on a 2012 V-Strom 650) when a 15-year-old girl driving her mother's car without a license plowed through a stop sign at a right angle to my direction of travel with two seconds to spare. Instead of high-siding via a wheel lockup, my bike performed a stoppie, and I flew over the car instead of into it. I can feel ABS kick on (smoothly) when going over railroad tracks and so on. The weight these days is low, and if you're not a BMW customer, you're not going to get gouged on the maintenance prices.

[NoiseBoy]

For the reasons of cost, complexity, and weight I do not want ABS on my motorcycles.   I have been riding for many years in many situations and I have always been able to adequately control my motorcycles without ABS.

I think it should be an option, not a required technology for motorcycles to have.   Those that value it can choose to pay for it and live with it's benefits and it's downsides.

I would like to control the motorcycle, thank you very much.

I remember a couple of years ago on a local forum that someone said something fairly similar and then when I went on a group ride with them their bike control was so poor and erratic that I pulled off as I considered him dangerous.   If you survey motorcyclists (it has been down) and ask them to rate their abilities, 90% will say their bike control is above average.  Have you ever considered that just maybe, your control of your motorcycle is not up to the high standard you like to think it is?   I'm not trying to be insulting its just that motorcyclists in general overestimate their ability.

I wonder how many kids that have lost parents wish their mum/dad was riding a bike with ABS on that day that they slid under a truck.

[WindRider]

Good points Noiseboy.  No offense taken.   

For my own self, I have ridden motorcycles pretty much daily since I was 5.   I have logged in the neighborhood of 250K miles of street riding with only one serious crash during those miles that ABS would not prevented.   

I find that my best defenses are in my decisions in regards to lane position, closeness to other vehicles, speed, time of day, etc,etc.  Advanced motorcycle skills, while important, are usually not required if the motorcyclist simply positions themselves to avoid the bigger hazards of riding and can separate risks.   David Hough talks about this riding philosophy at length in his excellent motorcycle safety books.   

Every spring I go out and practice panic stops and basic skills. 

Personally, I think that any safety choice should be up to the rider.   A lot of riders take away a false sense of security along on the ride because of safety gear and systems.    Riding motorcycles is a dangerous pursuit and in my humble opinion I prefer to control my brakes, balance and wheelie mode absolutely without electronic intervention.