RE: BMW brakes in the news

["John Dancoe" <jdan@xxxxxxxx>]

According to the report, BMW's argument is that "...brake failure...only
occurred under very specific circumstances..."

Hmmmm.

As long-time subscribers to this list are aware (I can hear the groans
already), rather than issuing a formal complaint to BMW I simply removed the
ABS system from my R11RS.

My complaint about the ABS would, in fact, be quite accurately described as
"...brake failure...under very specific circumstances."

That failure, curiously enough, would be quite accurately described in words
that  Steve Makohin **ALMOST** wrote:

"I was standing on the 'brake' as hard as I could but the [vehicle] just kept
going like crazy"

IMPORTANT NOTE: Steve is a fan of BMW's ABS and he has very lucid,
well-researched, and well-reasoned arguments for his advocacy. My
disenchantment with ABS, on the other hand, is based soley on direct
experience and an entrenched tendency toward iconoclasm--or maybe just plain
crankiness.

Steve's comment, I believe, referred to an operator who pressed on the
accelerator but claimed to have pressed the brake pedal. It does not really
apply to this discussion, since I don't think there's any way to confuse a
throttle twistgrip with a brake lever (though it is of course possible to roll
on the throttle while pulling the levers).

However, the failure which I experienced multiple times was what I would
describe as ABS "chatter" which resulted in me "holding down the brake lever
as hard as I could but the bike just kept going", and the "very specific
circumstances" were nothing more than bumpy pavement...of which there is
plenty in Michigan.

But "insufficient electricity due to overuse of the handbraking mechanism"???

Give me a brake.

All that said, I credit BMW for trying to improve motorcycle safety. For many
riders, especially inexperienced ones, it is surely a good thing. It just
didn't work for me personally; I feel more strongly than ever that removing
the ABS is the best thing by far that I've ever done to the bike.

Even better than removing the UGWPOFSBings hint hint.

John D

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