10-16-2014, 11:11 PM
Keep on mind that ABS only aids braking when traction is lost ( usually associated with skidding) by preventing the wheels from locking up
If at 60 mph it takes 150 feet for a bike equipped with ABS to come to a stop, if you only have 140 feet between you and the stopped object (the back of stopped car in traffic) ..well guess what. You are still going to hit that car.
As motorcyclists, our best chance of not getting in that situtaion is to leave plenty of " just in case" room between us and the car in front of us. Admittedly this is very hard to do, we accelerate so fast, they seem so slow, we tend to run up on them, but it is something we MUST learn to do if we want to avoid those rear end collisions, or the dead animal that suddenly appears from under the car in front of you, or the muffler, or the wooden skid that suddenly appears from under the truck in front of you. Believe me I am as guilty as the next motorcyclists and I work hard at remembering on every ride. I hate finding myself too close to a vehicle in front of me. Relying on ABS to save our bacon could in the end be a bad thing. Defensive driving is a better bet with ABS as a back up helper.
If at 60 mph it takes 150 feet for a bike equipped with ABS to come to a stop, if you only have 140 feet between you and the stopped object (the back of stopped car in traffic) ..well guess what. You are still going to hit that car.
As motorcyclists, our best chance of not getting in that situtaion is to leave plenty of " just in case" room between us and the car in front of us. Admittedly this is very hard to do, we accelerate so fast, they seem so slow, we tend to run up on them, but it is something we MUST learn to do if we want to avoid those rear end collisions, or the dead animal that suddenly appears from under the car in front of you, or the muffler, or the wooden skid that suddenly appears from under the truck in front of you. Believe me I am as guilty as the next motorcyclists and I work hard at remembering on every ride. I hate finding myself too close to a vehicle in front of me. Relying on ABS to save our bacon could in the end be a bad thing. Defensive driving is a better bet with ABS as a back up helper.