ABS or not
Tue, 07/09/2010 - 19:39
Am thinking about buying a new Triumph Thunderbird and wonder if the £600 for the ABS model is worth it ? Any thoughts on this?
Wed, 08/09/2010 - 12:26
#2
Re: ABS or not
There have been a number of studies showing that having ABS leads to a 20% to 40% reduction in the chances of having a fatal accident. I'd say that's a good argument for specifying it.
That said, there might be an element of self-selection in the above (those who spec a bike with ABS are more cautious riders). And in something like 80% of crashes, the brakes aren't actually used.
Wed, 08/09/2010 - 13:20
#3
Re: ABS or not
I'd get it, you just simply never know. An example the other day, a cat zigged when it should have zagged, ABS cut in allowing the cat (and myself) to live on in one piece. There will always be a "situation" where it can help, it's not a sure fire stay alive feature, but it definately helps. Got it on my VFR 800, wouldn't have it any other way.
Wed, 08/09/2010 - 19:00
#4
Re: ABS or not
"in something like 80% of crashes, the brakes aren't actually used"
... jeez, I'd love to see the source of where you got that particular statistic from! :-D
Wed, 08/09/2010 - 19:33
#5
Re: ABS or not
I can't remember where I saw it, nor whether it's accurate.
Wed, 08/09/2010 - 21:30
#6
Re: ABS or not
I'd get it, you just simply never know. An example the other day, a cat zigged when it should have zagged, ABS cut in allowing the cat (and myself) to live on in one piece
The cat would have had another 8 goes anyway. (Assuming that would have been its first scrape . . . oh no, we're into cat stats as well as brakes stats now!)
Thu, 09/09/2010 - 22:09
#7
Re: ABS or not
"I can't remember where I saw it, nor whether it's accurate"
... prolly best not to state it then; there's enough miss-information on thinterwebbo as it is - no offence! :-D
For experienced riders probably not. For some machines like the GS for instance it's a necessity for residuals, but not so much on a custom or retro machine.
Heavier and longer wheebase bikes tend to brake better using a wet weather 50/50 front/rear approach, rather than a lot of front end, because tyres tend to be thinner and there's less weight over the front of the machine pushing the tyre into the tarmac.
If you've not been riding all that long, then it is probably worth going for it, if only for that one-off emergency occaison when it's piddling down and mista myopic pulls out on you at the last second.
Most people don't brake hard enough on their modern machines full, erm, stop! Maybe it would be good to demo an ABS machine and 'try' to get the ABS to cut in. If it's happening far later than you imagined, then you probably already ride with a fair degree of safety margin and therefore could arguably conclude the benefits for you personally are minimal.
Finally, if you're well healed financially, then just take a funk-it approach and go for it anyway. No point being the richest man in the whole damn cemetery right? ;-D