Re: DOT 5, Crashes, and anything but pushrod vs OHC

["Mike Blevins" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Years ago, I was in one of those 60-0 freeway moments where traffic suddenly
stopped ahead of me in both lanes. I was on a short wheelbase R75/5, with
drum brakes. I just barely stopped in back of the car in front of me, after
a pretty harrowing tank slapper. Just in time to get rear ended by the car
in back of me.

If I'd had more control, I could have slowed,  split lanes and avoided the
accident. Even with a good disk set and stainless steel lines (like my R80),
I find I have to pay more attention to brake engagement then where I'm going
after a panic stop. On the street, having enough mental cycles left over for
planning is a good thing.

I love ABS. In my opinion this is the single greatest advance in
motorcycling since good tires.

I've yet to crash on an ABS equipped bike, and that includes lots of panic
stops. I'm a better rider now than I was 30 years ago, so that's not quite a
fair comparison. And maybe I've been lucky.

FWIW, when I've done track schools, I can out-brake most of the folks in the
B/C group with my R1100RA. These are not the fast riders like the A group
(although some folks think they're fast). I don't feel ABS reduces my
braking in good conditions. For my riding, unless I'm in a panic stop, I
don't use all the brakes I have. If I did more track schools, maybe I'd want
more control. But for the street, I'm never intentionally on the edge of
traction in braking.

Also, as an aside, my old pushrod motor can out-pull most other bikes out of
a corner on a track (with an average rider on board). It takes a fair amount
of skill to be in the right range for take-off out of a corner on a 600,
where as the beemer's hard not to be in a good part of the power band. I am
limited in cornering ability (side stand hits first), and I get smoked on
the straights, of course. But what a blast.




McRuss writes:
> Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 05:34:43 -0800 (PST)
> From: McRuss <wtrrtw@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: DOT 5, Crashes, and anything but pushrod vs OHC
>
>
> I credit lack of ABS for saving me in a particularly nasty crash.  Was
younger, less experienced (had yet to take an MSF class) and was watching
the side of the road, not the car in front, doing about 50mph on a rural 2
lane.  When I looked back, he was stopped dead, signaling a left turn.
Traffic approaching in the oncoming lane and a steep drop off on my right.
I simply locked the brakes and went down on the right side, sliding into the
rear of the Ford station wagon.  It was not a conscious decision, I just
grabbed a handful of front brake and the lowside was the result.  IF I had
had ABS, I would have remained upright and would have hit the rear of the
wagon with enough force to throw me either into the rear window or over the
top.  As it turned out, I had no broken bones, some interior damage to my
right knee and a few scrapes.  I was wearing good gear and it saved me from
worse damage.

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