ABS Worthwhile on a 650?

My wife's thinking of buying a F650 GS and we were wondering what the general opinion was on the value of ABS on the 650?

I have an old fashioned view that says I've lived without it long enough and on a bike that size will it really add that much?

Conversely, is it worth the risk of not having it the one time your life might rely on it when it's only a few quid extra (comparitively speaking).

Any thoughts?

Dave
'93 R100GSPD

pro's and con's

Dave,

I had a 650GS with ABS before my 1150GS (with no ABS).

I found that having abs was generally a comfort factor when on the road although it is a bit strange when it activates.

On the other side of the coin I sometimes have reason to go on some little used lanes, many covered in leaves.

When you have a small section like this during a general ride I for one didn't even think about turning the abs off.

A couple of times this resulted in the abs activating when I really didn't expect it to and definitely didn't want it to, ie I was riding in a controlled fashion and gentle locking of one of the wheels would have given me a much better feel for the road.

The outcome of it all was that when I got my 1150GS I elected not to have the abs. OK it cost a lot but that didn't really come in to it for me, if I felt I needed it I would have got it.

It came down to me being more concerned about the abs catching me out than my confidence to deal with other road users or me over cooking it.

I did also consider that having it was potentially something else that could go wrong, although I've heard nothing to indicate that it does.

Don't know if that's any help to you.

Andy Deighton

Dave.

You ask what the value of ABS is on the 650, [I'm assuming you mean in comparison to the 1100?] unless crashing a 650 hurts less than crashing an 1100 then I would have to say the value is the same.

I never ride off road and as a road rider I could live happily never locking the front wheel. To the best of my knowledge I've never activated the ABS on my 1100, but I know that in a panic situation I can count on ABS to keep the wheels turning, me upright, and in a position to control events.

Don't forget, ABS only works when the rider fails. This is something I find riders who are anti-ABS forget.

I suppose a perfect rider would never need ABS, but I'm not perfect so I'll take ABS on any bike be it 650 or 1100 as a failsafe I hope never to use.

Best Regards.

Russ.

Dave, the ABS on the new 650 is Digital and extremely light there is also a bonus if you wish to purchase it. A computer which is really a glorified push bike computer that works off the digital pulses of the ABS, as far as a friend who has one reckons that is. I think the cost is about $100 Australian = 33 Pounds Sterling.

Actually I think it does a bit more than that but I know everyone asks him how far we've travelled as his digital computer is the most accurate

I consider myself a very experienced rider and I thought and thought about ABS when purchasing my 1100. Like Andy, cost didn't come into it. I road tested 1100GS's without ABS and thought they were terrific and the braking was quite extraordinary compared to what I had.

In the end, I figured that if it saved my bacon just once it was worth it.

That day did happen, I over cooked it on a very fast right hand corner with a rock wall on my left, the speed was too much and I knew if I sat it up and braked it was hello wall.

In a poofteenth I decided to give the ABS a chance and stayed leant right over and applied the brakes with enough force to just miss the wall but more than likely enough to make me slide. I didn't slide and the ABS did come on, I could feel it through my two fingers on the brake, somehow I made it around and didn't really realise how until much later when having a hot chocolate just what could've happened.

I did a special advanced GS rider training day which was organised through the local BMW club. The day was run by Honda Australia rider trainers and they did a wonderful job. The day was wet cold and miserable.

We did braking runs on long wet grass with and without ABS (for those who had ABS that is) it was interesting to see what actually happens. We also did crash braking stops from 60 Kph (about 37 Mph) on dry bitumen.

Even though I knew I was going to stop as hard as I could, 3 times out of 5 I locked the front wheel up for about 1 to 3 metres before leting it go and then re-stopping without ABS. With ABS I was able to stop slightly better than the 2 times that I didn't lock up the front wheel and with far greater control.

All 13 participants agreed totally,during the lunch break that ABS was far superior than any of us and that ABS was a desirable feature for overall riding.

Dave, Those are my thoughts, I hope that it helps you!

mick.

Re: ABS worthwhile on a 650GS

Thanks for the insight guys,

I have received an overwhelming response that ensures that ABS will now be purchased, my wife and I thank you for your input and the respective longevity we all hope the ABS will provide!!!!

Thanks again for your help,

Dave

You could also consider, if you havn't already, an advanced riders course. This should ensure that even if you do have ABS you should never need to use it.

Goose
www.gooseontheloose.com