01-08-2017, 02:19 AM
Personally I'd be hard-pressed to buy a bike without ABS.
Granted on a clean, smooth, dry closed-course racetrack with a professional rider, a non-ABS bike may out-stop the same bike with ABS.
But...I'm a street rider. Unlike a racer, I don't ride for 20 minutes of intense concentration around the same hazard-free circuit over and over. I ride for hours, with varying degrees of concentration, over every and all manner of road surfaces and conditions...with highly unpredictable traction conditions. I do not think that a professional rider could stop a non-ABS bike faster (and more safely) than an ABS bike under real-world conditions like unexpected patches of oil / fuel / anti-freeze / roadkill / construction debris / sand / salt / gravel / mud / tobacco / hay / water / ice / paint etc. that I see - and sometimes unavoidably roll over - on every ride I take.
That being said, I'm not a fan of the nanny state or the nanny corporation. I like to make my own decisions and take responsibility for them. If I don't want a speed limiter or an anti-lock braking system on my motorcycle, I shouldn't be forced to have them. Everyone has their own reasons for deciding which options and technology are best suited for their purposes.
So in conclusion, I'd say "ABS Yes"...but make it optional.
Granted on a clean, smooth, dry closed-course racetrack with a professional rider, a non-ABS bike may out-stop the same bike with ABS.
But...I'm a street rider. Unlike a racer, I don't ride for 20 minutes of intense concentration around the same hazard-free circuit over and over. I ride for hours, with varying degrees of concentration, over every and all manner of road surfaces and conditions...with highly unpredictable traction conditions. I do not think that a professional rider could stop a non-ABS bike faster (and more safely) than an ABS bike under real-world conditions like unexpected patches of oil / fuel / anti-freeze / roadkill / construction debris / sand / salt / gravel / mud / tobacco / hay / water / ice / paint etc. that I see - and sometimes unavoidably roll over - on every ride I take.
That being said, I'm not a fan of the nanny state or the nanny corporation. I like to make my own decisions and take responsibility for them. If I don't want a speed limiter or an anti-lock braking system on my motorcycle, I shouldn't be forced to have them. Everyone has their own reasons for deciding which options and technology are best suited for their purposes.
So in conclusion, I'd say "ABS Yes"...but make it optional.