ABS & Servo Brakes

["Tom Brown" <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Timo:

I know because  A.  I didn't use the rear brakes much on my '99.   I put HH
pads on the front and had enough braking power to stop the bike with front
only and did a lot of the time.   When I used both brakes, the rear was used
with finesse....especially on wet, new pavement(!!!)   Only once (OK, maybe
twice) when I got caught out with a car pulling in front of me or like that
have I use the front and rear really hard.   ABS went on for the rear.   My
speed was not terribly high and I could have recovered without ABS and without
high-siding.

I've taught and practiced threashold braking for many years.  I have an
Aprilia Mille R without ABS and have slid both wheels many times on that, both
from braking and from acceleration.   I dropped it once in a deep gravel panic
stop at <10 mph...long story, but all other times I was able to recover the
bike.    I know what sliding is about on a motorcycle on dry pavement and
loose gravel.   I know what ABS does.   I teach performance driving in BMW
cars at Putnam Park Raceway in Indiana every spring.    Been an instructor
there many years and have many track miles in cars...with ABS and without.
Also done Road America and Putnam on the Mille as a student.  I'm not an ace
track rider on a motorcycle.  The risk-reward just doesn't make a lot of sense
to me at 54 years old.

ABS is not useless, but I can understand someone deciding to live without it
when the repair cost starts to approach the trade-in value of the bike.  A
good owner mechanic with time on his hands can buy a used ABS unit and install
it himself to save a bunch of money....time better spent on this than on
arguing about the 4 levels of competence, methinks.  Very good way to learn
the good, bad and ugly of these amazing machines.

Choosing between ABS and a helmet?   I'd take the helmet any day.   Why would
I want to choose?

All this "competence" blather sounds like a bunch of guys haven't been riding
for a while and need an outlet.

Hey, I live in Chicago and went riding about 60 miles last Saturday.  Temp was
+10F.    Gerbings liner and electric gloves combined with a couple pairs of
longies under my leather pants kept me nice and warm.    Synthetic oil kept
the oilhead singing.  A big wind screen gives extra wind protection to the RT.
When it's cold enough outside, there's no slop and any ice on the road has a
little tooth to it.  Humidity is low because all the water is frozen.  You
have to watch your lean angles a bit, but the bike runs great.   Midwest
farmland is beautiful when covered with a blanket of snow, and you don't see
motorcycles coming and going.    Even a short ride like this did wonders for
my attitude.   Being shut in too much is not good for people.

- -TB


>How do you know that the ABS has _never_ helped you (except in that
one occasion)?

>I have a 98 RT and I can really step on the rear brake on a new wet
pavement and I can't tell if the ABS is working. The only clue is that
the rear doesn't lock.

>Even though I cant tell for sure that the ABS has even engaged some
times I can tell that I would have been in big trouble if I would have
been riding my previous bike (Honda VF500F).

>/Timo R1100RT

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