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How Valuable can ABS be??

S

Sinister Minister

Member
Hi everyone,
as i am approaching the delivery date of my new 09 RKC with ABS, i was wondering if anyone could give me some insights into the real value of having abs ( not its use or technical ops) just the real deal in terms of safety. I am definitely for it, though in my 30 years of riding bikes i can only remember maybe 2 or 3 occasions where it could have helped! ( incidents nothing serious).
Any insights?
thanks
 
Not a techie here but it great to have on a bike, especially on the RK as the rear tire tends to skid under real heavy braking. With ABS there is nothing to worry about.
 
I have no real experience with ABS on a bike but I can think of one time I went down that it probably would have made a big difference. On a car or truck here in MAINE it is great, even after 40 years of driving experience without it.
 
I have to believe it's useful as I used it as an excuse to rationalize my trading in my 07 RK on an 09 Ultra!
 
Seriously, I did buy my Ultra based on availability of ABS because of an incident last spring. Watched in growing disbelief as a car driven by some senile old man made a left u-turn from the oncoming lane, crossed two open lanes, pulled into my lane then stopped to make a right turn into a strip mall. I locked up the rear brake, fishtailed but kept it upright and stopped about a foot from his rear bumper. Could have stopped earlier but just didn't grasp early enough this idiot would do such a thing. Decided then to practice more panic stops and that ABS would not be a bad investment.
 
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I am an old beemer rider and all of my BMW bikes had ABS. I am a true believer but I am now a proud owner of an 2003 Ultra with no ABS. If I am buying a bike and I have the option of ABS I will pay the price no questions asked. That being said in all the time I had my BMW I think I only kicked in the ABS two or at the most Three times - yes you can tell when it is doing its job. In every case I am pretty sure I would of been OK with out the ABS just the ABS gives you the confidence to grab all the brake you can and not worry about the consequences. With NON ABS you need to be a little more skilled in your braking.

Hope this helps

Bryanna - Colorado Biker Girl
 
I've ridden a Kawasaki Nomad and a Road King without ABS. On both bikes, under hard braking, the rear end always kicked out to the left and it was an interesting few seconds trying to keep the bike upright. I also rode a GoldWing with ABS for several years and never had a problem when braking hard...the bike always stopped straight. Needless to say my /09 Ultra has ABS and I wouldn't have a bike without it.
 
I've got an 08 Streetglide with ABS, which I ride as a daily commuter. Traffic in the Dallas area is pretty nasty at times, and I can definitely say the ABS has assisted me in avoiding a couple of near-misses. I definitely recommend it.
 
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