I do not like ABS

[motoRAT_imp]

Hello there

Yesterday, while riding home from work I nearly soiled my boxers!!!
I really do not like ABS, I know it can save you from a fall in a wet slippery road and all that, but…
I was in a slope inclined piece of road approaching a blind cross road, I was in a VERRY slow speed, I spotted the car and apply the front brake… cuss me… the ABS prevented me from coming to a standstill. For those that don’t know how the ABS feels, the lever takes over and becomes impregnated with Parkinson’s!
What took me by surprise was the fact the bike kept on going, in what felt like, at the moment, as I left the bike in gear and was moving while idling.

Ride safe and eyes wide open

Ps: where is the ABS off button

 

[Houtman_imp]

Perhaps without the ABS you would have gone down !

 

[peterbaron]

There is no ABS off button and I've never seen a switch for ABS in automotive industry.
ABS does not shorten stopping distance, but prevents wheels from locking up so you can maneuver out an obstacle.
Have a safer ride from now on.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

The experience sounds about par for the course. Glad you could be with us and write about it.

 

[Rocky_imp]

I agree.
Unless there is something wrong with the ABS, it takes over when there is danger of a skid and loss of traction. Without ABS this usually ends in a crash unless you have the skill of a Moto GP rider.
It seems to me that without the ABS in this case, you would have locked up the brakes, lost traction, and probably crashed.
FWIW, just an observation.

 

[motoRAT_imp]

In 24 years riding, this is my first motorcycle with ABS
I'm, definitely, not motoGP material, but the fact of the matter is, I do not like the ABS feeling. I'm not against it, I just don't like it
I'm going to cut some wires now :idea:

 

[Randy B]

In 24 years riding, this is my first motorcycle with ABS
I'm, definitely, not motoGP material, but the fact of the matter is, I do not like the ABS feeling. I'm not against it, I just don't like it
I'm going to cut some wires now :idea:

The only reason that the ABS should have activated would be if one tire started turning slower that the other. It sounds to me like there might be an issue with the ABS system. There could be a bad sensor causing it, or it could be something deeper in the system.
Either way I would want to have the bike checked out to make sure everything is A-OK.

 

[peterbaron]

There is a way of disabling it without cutting any wire and ABS light will come on... but I will not provide any further assistance with it due to safety/liability concerns.
My advice is: do NOT disable/modify any ABS, learn to like/handle this needy and safety item of advanced technology, especially if you celebrate 1/4 century of riding in your beautiful Portugal !!

Have to hit the rod and test my ABS now....

 

[motoRAT_imp]

Yes, I believe I need to learn how to ride an ABS motorcycle now, clearly all my knowledge from traditional braking does not apply to a ABS system

 

[the Ferret]

I've had 2 ABS equipped bikes, ride a lot of miles, in all weather conditions incl rain and snow, encounter emergency stop situations from time to time, and to tell you the truth I cannot tell the difference between them and my non ABS bikes, except I have never skidded the rear wheel on one of my ABS equipped bikes. Don't know if my ABS isn't working on either bike, or the ABS works so seamlessly I can't determine when it's kicking in, or my braking skills are just so finely honed after all these years/miles that I brake hard enough then let up before the ABS kicks in, but I have never felt any pulsating of any kind in any of my levers on either of my bikes. To me it's a non issue. Like riding any other bike.

 

[motoRAT_imp]

I've had 2 ABS equipped bikes, ride a lot of miles, in all weather conditions incl rain and snow, encounter emergency stop situations from time to time, and to tell you the truth I cannot tell the difference between them and my non ABS bikes, except I have never skidded the rear wheel on one of my ABS equipped bikes. Don't know if my ABS isn't working on either bike, or the ABS works so seamlessly I can't determine when it's kicking in, or my braking skills are just so finely honed after all these years/miles that I brake hard enough then let up before the ABS kicks in, but I have never felt any pulsating of any kind in any of my levers on either of my bikes. To me it's a non issue. Like riding any other bike.

WHAT??? something is wrong, please someone with an ABS tell me you can feel the system kick in
Ferret, please do a hard stop somewhere safe, hard enough to lock the wheels, just to test it

 

[Jfro5687_imp]

Hi Motorat. I really wouldn't be too hasty disconnecting anything. I have been riding over 30 years and on very very rare occasions felt the sensation you did under extreme braking. Its the ABS module doing its job! At the end of the day riding a relatively heavy road bike on a slippery and loose surface, downhill, and then trying to stop hard is a recipe for disaster. The end.

Take some positives from it.

1. You didnt actually crash did you
2. Next time you are faced with a similar situation you WILL handle it differently because you learnt from this experience and will have better anticipation and therefore roadcraft
3. You now know what your CB feels like under emergency situations so it won't catch you out

The problem is not actually learning from it......

 

[pekingduck]

I have 2 bikes with ABS, 2 bikes without it, one car with ABS, one car without, and a truck with rear ABS only. Can't really say if it ever helped or not, as in SoCal, about the only time there's water on the road is when someone drains their pool.

At a critical time like emergency braking, I don't have time to consider how to adjust my braking habits.

 

[max]

Could be we are missing something here, i have never owned an abs equipped vehicle but understand how it functions and have seen some very compelling video's to prove it's effectiveness.

No doubt motorat experienced this and found it important enough to explain what happened;

Hello there

Yesterday, while riding home from work I nearly soiled my boxers!!!
I really do not like ABS, I know it can save you from a fall in a wet slippery road and all that, but…
I was in a slope inclined piece of road approaching a blind cross road, I was in a VERRY slow speed, I spotted the car and apply the front brake… cuss me… the ABS prevented me from coming to a standstill. For those that don’t know how the ABS feels, the lever takes over and becomes impregnated with Parkinson’s!
What took me by surprise was the fact the bike kept on going, in what felt like, at the moment, as I left the bike in gear and was moving while idling.

Ride safe and eyes wide open

Ps: where is the ABS off button

Apart from all the conditions this should not happen.

Rocky made a good statement ( thank you ).

The abs " modulator " unit is in such a position that air can be trapped in the high points of the system preventing the pump from re-applying brake pressure.

I don't know the bike but wanted to suggest a thorough check of the system and testing it under safe conditions before and after, if necessary, it needs to be done using a vacuum bleeding procedure to thoroughly purge all the trapped air and is relatively straight forward on a honda motorcycle, even a new bike can have a flaw in it, any additional suggestions on this?

 

[Houtman_imp]

MotoRat , do not cut wires on your ABS system , if you do than some time down the road after you have an accident because of locking up your brakes ; someone might have to pull the plug/disconnect the wires when you are in the hospital.

 

[cookiemech]

I can tell you that on my 2000 BMW R1100RT, the ABS would activate on "stutter bumps", which are road ripples caused by trucks pushing the asphalt up near stop signs. BMW surely has/had the "best" ABS of any manufacturer, and the ABS on that bike positively ADDED time to my stops.

I haven't had that happen on my 2017 CB1100, but I can see why the OP would like to cut wires. Don't just assume that because you haven't had his experience, that the ABS is just "wonderful". I'm growing tired of so-called "safety" improvements.

 

[Olyrider]

I have a switch that I installed on my BMW F800GS that will turn off the ABS while the bike is in gear, at any speed. But...to turn the ABS back on, I need to be stopped with the motor off. Then I push the switch to the on position and re-start the bike. It has never failed. The bike is a 2009.

Quite often, on dualsport rides, we will be cruising at 60mph and suddenly encounter forest service roads. Hence the need (desire) to turn off ABS while actively riding.

The switch is not sold by BMW.

Because lawyers.

 

[the Ferret]

Here's a thread I started 3 years ago with regard to my experience with my ABS. Interesting read due to the comments of others

http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=9177

You know at a tender 69 years of age I just don't feel like heading for a gravel parking lot or dirt road to test the brakes anymore. 25 years ago it would not have been an issue. Guess I'm getting apprehensive about pushing my luck in my old age.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

MotoRat , do not cut wires on your ABS system , if you do than some time down the road after you have an accident because of locking up your brakes ; someone might have to pull the plug/disconnect the wires when you are in the hospital.

If the wires/hoses being unplugged are your medical connections, ... who knows? It might actually be preferred. Hope we all never have to experience that.

 

[Houtman_imp]

MotoRat , do not cut wires on your ABS system , if you do than some time down the road after you have an accident because of locking up your brakes ; someone might have to pull the plug/disconnect the wires when you are in the hospital.

If the wires/hoses being unplugged are your medical connections, ... who knows? It might actually be preferred. Hope we all never have to experience that.

If the wires/hoses being unplugged are your medical connections, ... who knows? It might actually be preferred. Hope we all never have to experience that. My point was that it would be sad if they cut HIS wires because he cut the wires on his BIKE !