08-01-2018, 09:16 AM
Bikes with ABS flash the ABS light when powering up.
Very annoying on my Moto Guzzi V7II, as it also had a traction control light.
ABS did not activate for the 7,000 miles I had it.
And who needs traction control with only 744cc, 48 HP @ 6,500 RPM and 40 ft # @ 3,000 RPM?
As for ABS, some like the potential security. My first ABS vehicle was a 4WD in Flagstaff, AZ, circa 1995. Liked having it on ice.
OTOH I rode my first new bike (67 CB160) on ice in a New Jersey winter (4K miles in 3 months) with only one mishap: Throttle cable froze, no kill switch, key under tank on an icy road at O dark thirty, avoiding a base alert. Went down, scratched the front fender and pushed snow under the face shield.
I locked up the rear on my first bike, circa 1963 and it cost me a somewhat serious spinal injury. OTOH, if I had not slid and laid it down, I might have decapitated myself on an 18 wheeler flat bed who turned left in front of me, with only 4 weeks of M/C experience. So, bouncing off a tire was not so bad.
The CB would take a lot of pedal pressure to lockup on a dry road. I tried it before getting new tires. It does it easy on gravel at low speeds.
Keep in mind that ABS does not prevent tire wash out while turning and applying brakes.
Just my 3 cents
Very annoying on my Moto Guzzi V7II, as it also had a traction control light.
ABS did not activate for the 7,000 miles I had it.
And who needs traction control with only 744cc, 48 HP @ 6,500 RPM and 40 ft # @ 3,000 RPM?
As for ABS, some like the potential security. My first ABS vehicle was a 4WD in Flagstaff, AZ, circa 1995. Liked having it on ice.
OTOH I rode my first new bike (67 CB160) on ice in a New Jersey winter (4K miles in 3 months) with only one mishap: Throttle cable froze, no kill switch, key under tank on an icy road at O dark thirty, avoiding a base alert. Went down, scratched the front fender and pushed snow under the face shield.
I locked up the rear on my first bike, circa 1963 and it cost me a somewhat serious spinal injury. OTOH, if I had not slid and laid it down, I might have decapitated myself on an 18 wheeler flat bed who turned left in front of me, with only 4 weeks of M/C experience. So, bouncing off a tire was not so bad.
The CB would take a lot of pedal pressure to lockup on a dry road. I tried it before getting new tires. It does it easy on gravel at low speeds.
Keep in mind that ABS does not prevent tire wash out while turning and applying brakes.
Just my 3 cents