Re: ABS

["Steve Makohin" <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: "Jack Holloway" <jackh233@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 9:21 AM


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Makohin [mailto:wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 21:53
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> Jack Holloway wrote:
>>
>>>I have ridden motorcycles for 40 years and the first 36 of them were 
>>>bikes
>>> without ABS, mostly BMW's.
>>> I never had a problem, so if the problem is the ABS controller at $1500 
>>> I
>>> will go back to ridding without ABS as I do when it faults.
>>
>> Ain't that sort o' like buying a $700 helmet because you know how 
>> important
>> a brain bucket is, dropping it on your driveway, an' figurin' that you'll 
>> go
>> without rather than replace it because you've never had a spill in almost 
>> 40
>> years of riding?
>>
>> -Steve Makohin
>>
>I guess you may be right Steve, but if ABS is gods gift to motorcycles why
> don't they all use it as well as cars?

Note that I did not claim that "ABS is gods gift to motorcycles", or 
anything similar. I recognize that in the vast majority of motorcycle 
purchases, the presence or abscence of ABS is not a primary influencer in 
the purchase of a specific motorcycle model. History has ample examples that 
demonstrate a closer correlation between number of units sold and what the 
buying public wants, rather than what's "better", or "better for them." But 
that's what makes a free market so great: There as so many choices!

On a similar note, I recently read that Harley-Davidson is busily developing 
motorcycle ABS due to market demand from police forces. The article warned 
readers not to expect H-D ABS on non-authority rides any time soon.

- -Steve Makohin
 '01 R1100S/ABS
 Oakville, Ontario, Canada 

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