Forum Replies Created
The Ultimate Guide To Motorcycle Windshields
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As of 8:46 PM on 10/13 the flood of emails finally stopped. I had accumulated another 13 since my last posting. I had gotten so used to deleting the emails, that now 24 hours later my delete button is feeling lonely.
I like the idea of the subscription module, it just needs to have the bugs worked out. Email from the website is a good thing when it’s stuff people want to be updated on, kind of like good publicity. My real confusion was the fact that no matter what I did the results were the same. It felt like one of those bizarre 1960’s psychology studies where the attach the electrode to you and give you a set of instructions. You believe that by following the instructions all should go well. Secretly though the shocks are being sent to you randomly because you were chosen for the control group…
I’m don’t know much about website design, but when you are ready to relaunch the subscription module, let me know and I’ll be one of the first to give you feed back. I think that it’s a good feature that just needs to be fixed.
Thanks, Brian
Today, many cars come with ABS standard. Be thankful, those cages might not slide into you while your are stopped helplessly watching them come at you in your review mirror! Motorcycles tend to be more minimalist in nature and ABS is still a decade away from becoming standardized. This thread has looked at many reasons for and against them. Many of the issues, like weight and maintenence, are simply nonfactors in my opinion. Racers might be concerned with these issues, as well as the “skill” of braking, but I think for the typical rider ABS is blessing. The primary reason for ABS not be widely available is cost and marketing. The manufactures have made this decision for us. If someone could find the sales figures for SV650’s sold between 07 to 09, you would likely see the overwhelming majority sold were the non-abs models, even though ABS models were available for just $500 more. The release of the Gladius without ABS, and Kawasaki’s decision to have ABS brakes for their international Er-n6, but not on the USA model, reflects that not enough American buyers purchase ABS bikes to make them worth distribution.
It comes to $$$. Most riders have a motorcycle as a toy. I need a car. I want a bike. I sank most of my money into my car. The extra $500 to $2000 for ABS discourages many buyers. I mean think about it. How many riders do you see of skimp on their riding gear? A good set of gear (helmet, jacket, pants, gloves and boots) will cost $500 to $2000. I spent $1K. Next time you ride estimate what each rider you see spent on the gear they are riding. Helmet, $125. Nothing else of safety value. So there it is, if ABS only added $100 or $200 onto the price we would all have ABS standard, and racers would custom order their bikes with an ABS delete option (which would be really nice solution for those who really believe in non-ABS).
Everything I have read (I read a great article by an instructor for the California Highway Patrol???), as well as automobile experience tells me that a good ABS system is a lifesaver. I am planning on buying a Gladius as my next bike, but for me if they offered ABS I’d drop the extra money in heartbeat. It’s a no brainer.
Intrusiveness is always a concern. The ABS system should not kick in until the bike is nearing the envelope of it’s break performance, near lock up. I have driven cars that activate too early. I have driven cars where the ABS was a beautiful thing that shows up only when I rarely over estimated my stopping power. Manufacturer and model can make a difference in (my and) your experience. Because so few motorcycles have ABS currently or people had bad experiences with early ABS units in the late 80’s and the 90’s it is hard to find an exerienced opinion even with a model as numerous and popular as the SV650. When I was first looking into buying a SV650N I wanted to know about the ABS system on it. After much searching, which I can no longer find, I found an austrailian website that mentioned they thought it was ok on the front brake and a bit touchy on the rear brake. The explanation was not elaborate or detailed (In fact it may have been a forum, so I am reluctant to state this as factual???) and I have NEVER ridden an SV650 or a bike with ABS. I have had no success in confirming this, but did once see a craiglist add for a SV650S where the seller said he really liked the safety of the ABS and used it as a strong selling point. I found that getting a concrete opinion was like researching urban mythes, “Does ABS on bikes really exist or are they a scary fable told to children and squids?” BMW bikers have had ABS for years and some models apparently have an ON/OFF switch, which I think is very cool. They acknowledge the early models in the 80’s were not perfect, but most of the bikes made today are well regarded and may be your best source for ABS information if you want to pursue this. I can’t afford a BMW and unless Suzuki offers ABS for the 2010 Gladius I am going to live without it. I decided that ABS would be nice, but not deal breaker.
I think ABS is a good thing, but like cars of today, it will take time before there are enough bikes out there for people to see the benefits and become comfortable with them as an everyday commuter feature. Biking in many ways is a rebellion from saftey of the cage, and it seems that includes brakes too. The most frustrating thing about bikes I believe is that most dealers don’t allow test rides where you can experience how the bike feels on the road. Imagine if we bought cars that way?
The irony of this is, most people who will read this post will either be new and trying to form an opinion without experience (Actually I have no bike ABS experience to be honest) or by very capable riders who might feel that they don’t need ABS. But in anycase I wanted to share too.
