abs or not !!!

[Mel]

Hi - like many of the contributors to this thread I have many 1000's of miles under my belt on non-ABS and ABS/Servo clad bikes.

Currently notching up 15000 on a 1200 with ABS and servo and frankly it's awesome.

The system has never failed or misbehaved - the flashing light after engine start is a diagnostic aid not a problem and the whol caboosh has saved me from a couple of definite offs - ie regular braking system would not have been enough.

I have adjusted my riding style - brake later, press on in wet conditions, arrive home on my gravel drive without drama in front of the neighbours.

It's your call...but I would have it all again on the next bike.

 

[Engineer]

I reflect the last 2 comments. I only once needed the ABS when I had my 1100GS but it truly was a life saver as a truck pulled out on me on a roundabout in the wet. nearly poohed my pants but survived.

A couple of comments for Engineer

What's the problem with servo's? virtually all cars have them and they give improved braking.
You can turn ABS off and as someone else mentioned earlier the light flashes until it gets a response from the sensors which only occurs when the wheels are turning.
Why would you not have confidence in the ABS? If there's a fault it's reported. Do you worry about the ABS on your car?

maybe that should be in the rant section

Max

Servos are fine - but they really are not needed on a bike - even the fastest sports bikes are capable of being stopped very rapidly with only 2 finger pressure on the lever - putting servos on a bike is just something else to go wrong and extra weight - I suspect that they are needed on the BMW system because of their particular design of ABS braking system - but I'm not certain about this - does anyone know the answer?

 

[Engineer]

It is part of the diagnostic process, the bike needs to move and the system is controlling if everything is ok. I dont think it is a confusion, if you look at the manual, it is clearly explained that it is not failure signal.
Regarding the need for ABS. We receive all bmw's in Sweden with ABS standard, so it is already included in price. We have similar even worse weather conditions than UK and ABS helps a lot especially in panic braking situations. My personal experience tells me that no matter how good driver you are, depending on the weather, traffic conditions, your mood etc. you might need to brake in panic and then ABS is very very good to have. If you ride on gravel well then I suggest you switch it off. You could even switch it off while driving but I heard that that function is disabled in the latest software for security reasons i suppose.

In my opinion the operation of a motorcycle braking system should be simple and utterly reliable with no complicating factors whatsoever - and with no need to refer to the operators manual (except for servicing and maintenance information).
This is what the designers should strive for - if an ABS/Servo braking system can be deisgned that meets these requirements then fantastic! - Oh. and of course there should be no loss of 'feel' at the levers - but I don't think that we are quite there yet.

Just my thoughts for what they are worth.

 

[TheJoker]

Two minds...

I must say that I'm in two minds of ABS or not. I used to think it was great, but since I had my problems with the ABS sensor cable, my opinion is split in half.
Agreed that the fault that happened to me was not a direct problem with the ABS system, but a combination of "issues".

I'm quite a vigorous rider and currently most of my (commuting) miles are done on backroads (b-roads at best). These roads are bumpy, patched, filled with horse sh1t, horses, SUVs, tractors etc... I'm mosly riding these roads with ABS turned off, due to the ABS "cutting in" way too often, and since my aforementioned problems, I've come to PHEAAAAAAR that feeling.
The problem I have with ABS is that it cuts out on bumps, even small ones if you're braking hard (which I like to do). I can even get it to cut out on the yellow-bump-strips they're starting to put down before big roundabouts.
Needless to say, I can get the ABS to cut in during most of my braking on my commute.
The small insensitiveness that the servo gives, I can live with. It's not that bad, but it is noticeable and it can be quite tricky to get a very smooth powerful braking happening (Such one is needed at the left-hander after T13 for example ).

On the other hand; when I'm out riding for distance, I leave the ABS on (and yes, it has saved me once or twice).

So if you want ABS or not, is IMO a question of your riding style.
If you're a very active rider with a good bit of experience, then the ABS might not benefit you very much (exception is if you can put up with it cutting in).
If you're a calmer rider that does a lot of (dozy?) miles, then the ABS is a given.
However, as stated before in this thread; You can switch ABS off, but you can't install ABS for when you need it.

Hope that adds to the confusion

PS, ABS warning light flashes at 1hZ before it has been able to calibrate itself, with it needs to be travelling at 3mph (??) to do...

 

[Mouse]

I'd rather have a warning lamp that flashes a bit before I move off than no warning lamp

You could say that oil pressure warning lamps are not required because the manufacturer should be able to design an oil pump that never fails. Well, everything fails eventually. However much development and money BMW put into the braking system, there will always be some factor that could mess it all up. Look at the Space Shuttle ... how many billion did that cost - for a 2% failure rate?

By the way is the "brake failure" lamp flashes at 1Hz (once a second) it means either:
a - you haven't set off yet so the ABS has not initialised, or
b - the ABS has failed

If the lamp flashes at 4Hz (4 times a second) it means either:
a - You've just turned the ignition on and the servos haven't initialised, or
b - the servos have failed

That's actually not the complete story (!) - the red / yellow triangle light is involved too, but if you remember the above (slow = ABS, fast = servo) that's probably enough.