Would the CB been more of a "success" if there had been more ABS bikes?

[Ulvetanna_imp]

After reading the stats that you are 33% less likely to be involved in a fatal accident if your bike has ABS, plus the added dual pipes and bigger tank of the DLX, it was non-negotiable for me.

Hmmmm

Although I'm definitely in favor of ABS, I'm also a little skeptical of stats such as these. I suspect the demographics of those with ABS and those without tend to be different. Those differences can include age, experience, types of bikes, speeds at which they ride, tendency to both afford and wear protective gear, etc. These factors probably skew the fatality stats in favor of ABS riders, regardless of whether the ABS actually engaged.

Hmmmm

Although I'm definitely in favor of ABS, I'm also a little skeptical of stats such as these. I suspect the demographics of those with ABS and those without tend to be different. Those differences can include age, experience, types of bikes, speeds at which they ride, tendency to both afford and wear protective gear, etc. These factors probably skew the fatality stats in favor of ABS riders, regardless of whether the ABS actually engaged. Yes. As the Ferret has reported, he's never had the ABS kick in on him. I'm pretty sure he's a good, experienced rider and knows how to avoid trouble, which has a lot to do with that.

Do safer riders seek out bikes with ABS? ABS can only help a rider avoid trouble under a very narrowly defined set of circumstances:

-Traveling in a straight line
-Sufficient road ahead to recover control after the brakes release

ABS doesn't really work in a turn. Yes, there is cornering ABS; Kawasaki's new ZX-10R has just about the finest example of it, C-ABS. But it doesn't prevent a lateral skid, it modulates front and rear brake pressures and engine torque to help the rider hold his line, based on a lot of programming and real-time math calculations. The tire will still slide laterally if sand or a slipperly liquid is present. If you are in a turn and hammer the brakes, even with C-ABS, if there's a slip hazard, the brakes will release and you will either low-side, or stand the bike up and run off the pavement.

I have had my ABS come on several times unexpectedly whilst braking aggressively into a turn, and it releases the brake(s) and puts you right off your line, causing the bike to run wide.

If you have a bike with ABS, and you have not had it engage (or passed the activation threshold parameters) you really don't know how hard you can stop. That's where learning to ride on a small bike, in the dirt, can teach a rider very valuable lessons.