Your opinion on ABS on trikes - good / bad

[Bob Denman]

Way too long of a paragraph for this old fart to follow, can you break it down and maybe just cover the main points?

Thanks

(He LIKED them...)

[Can-Am Poogs]

Way too long of a paragraph for this old fart to follow, can you break it down and maybe just cover the main points?

Thanks

Sorry I write a lot of technical papers and I should have used paragraphs.

Readers digest version:

If you have a three wheel HD and you hammer the rear brake pedal on dry asphalt you are not going to enjoy the ride. You will go side ways and tip, especially if you have a passenger. If it's wet pavement you will spin like a top until you run out of speed and eventually stop. This is because the rear wheel can lock up. I won't buy a three wheel HD until they get ABS.

Your Spyder is way safer. One brake application. All three brakes actuated at the proper braking percentages, no fear of lock up. Rear wheel lock up on a motorcycle in a panic situation is bad. Especially bad when one wheel does the steering and two locked wheels do the tracking. A locked tire wants to lead.

If you are an experienced two wheel rider, this is likely to be less of an issue for you, because you understand the dangers of rear wheel lock up already. And like cars before ABS you understand threshold braking. But in all honesty it hard not to hammer the rear brake when you are ****ting your pants.

If you are like me and my kids you embrace new technology are lazy and want to be able to stand on the brakes and steer and stop and not have to think of tire lock up. So you won't ever buy a bike without abs two or three wheels.

That's the majority of it.

My colleagues and I would love to have a track day of hooking the equipment up and skid testing the bag off of different spyders.


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[rayeade]

I have experienced rear wheel lock up on two Harley's I have owned but was lucky to recover without a mishap. One of the features that decided a Spyder for me is the ABS which allows me to hammer the brakes but to still be able to steer around a problem.

Sorry I write a lot of technical papers and I should have used paragraphs.

Readers digest version:

If you have a three wheel HD and you hammer the rear brake pedal on dry asphalt you are not going to enjoy the ride. You will go side ways and tip, especially if you have a passenger. If it's wet pavement you will spin like a top until you run out of speed and eventually stop. This is because the rear wheel can lock up. I won't buy a three wheel HD until they get ABS.

Your Spyder is way safer. One brake application. All three brakes actuated at the proper braking percentages, no fear of lock up. Rear wheel lock up on a motorcycle in a panic situation is bad. Especially bad when one wheel does the steering and two locked wheels do the tracking. A locked tire wants to lead.

If you are an experienced two wheel rider, this is likely to be less of an issue for you, because you understand the dangers of rear wheel lock up already. And like cars before ABS you understand threshold braking. But in all honesty it hard not to hammer the rear brake when you are ****ting your pants.

If you are like me and my kids you embrace new technology are lazy and want to be able to stand on the brakes and steer and stop and not have to think of tire lock up. So you won't ever buy a bike without abs two or three wheels.

That's the majority of it.

My colleagues and I would love to have a track day of hooking the equipment up and skid testing the bag off of different spyders.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Highwayman2013]

I have a 2 wheeler and a Spyder with ABS and it works well. The only time I have a problem with it is on a 4 wheeler in the snow. Seems like it is too touchy on some cars and won't allow me to stop.

[daveinva]

Given the state of 2014 ABS technology, any rider who says they can stop faster than ABS is lying. What they meant to say is they can stop *without engaging* the ABS, i.e. threshold braking. But if the ABS kicks in, that means you *failed* to threshold brake-- that ABS is preventing the tire locking you were unable to prevent!

I love "pure" classic bikes, but I'm also a sucker for technology that makes riding safer. Because safer = fun for me; fewer things to kill me keeps me happier longer!

But to heck with ABS-- this... THIS is the future of motorcycling:

http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-...abs/23615.html

Imagine-- "layin' 'er down" by panic grabbing a handful of front brake in a corner could become a thing of the past...

[PW2013STL]

My Answer

I will not purchase any vehicle without ABS. It saved my butt on a BMW 1200LT once.

[jgwoods]

To me the real life saving properties of ABS come from dealing with real world situations where a panic stop might be necessary on a road that has great traction most everywhere, but there is a sandy spot. You stomp a foot full of brakes to slow way down but suddenly you come on to sand and the wheels will lock, but not with ABS.

We can control the amount of brake pressure but we can't control the surface traction. ABS will save your bacon when the going suddenly gets slippery.

[daveinva]

Oh, in addition to the KTM tech, Bosch also built this for BMW:

http://rideapart.com/2014/07/braking...abs-pro-works/

[Flanker]

I'm OK with ABS, but if it was my choice.................there'd be an optional independent motorcycle style brake system available as well...................I'd I would have gotten it.

[dndfindley]

I was taught that if you are practicing your emergency braking and the ABS kicks in, you're doing it wrong.

In other words, you need to keep practicing to learn where that threshold is so you can maximize your stopping by not losing the friction zone to a point where the ABS has to kick in to regain it.


Just an observation to share. Take from it what you want.

Yeah, everyone is expert riders and should master that whole braking thingy. Even if people practiced it and got good at it, when they are confronted with a very serious emergency situation most, and that includes most of us here, will resort to hitting the brakes as hard as you can whether that is just the foot brake as on a Spyder or a car or front/rear brake combined as on a 2 wheel motorcycle. ABS is a lifesaver because one doesn't have to think - just react. Beyond that just try hitting the brakes hard as you are rounding a curve at speed. Even the real experts have a hard time with that one. Got ABS - just nail lit.

[dndfindley]

Sorry I write a lot of technical papers and I should have used paragraphs.

Readers digest version:

If you have a three wheel HD and you hammer the rear brake pedal on dry asphalt you are not going to enjoy the ride. You will go side ways and tip, especially if you have a passenger. If it's wet pavement you will spin like a top until you run out of speed and eventually stop. This is because the rear wheel can lock up. I won't buy a three wheel HD until they get ABS.

Your Spyder is way safer. One brake application. All three brakes actuated at the proper braking percentages, no fear of lock up. Rear wheel lock up on a motorcycle in a panic situation is bad. Especially bad when one wheel does the steering and two locked wheels do the tracking. A locked tire wants to lead.

If you are an experienced two wheel rider, this is likely to be less of an issue for you, because you understand the dangers of rear wheel lock up already. And like cars before ABS you understand threshold braking. But in all honesty it hard not to hammer the rear brake when you are ****ting your pants.

If you are like me and my kids you embrace new technology are lazy and want to be able to stand on the brakes and steer and stop and not have to think of tire lock up. So you won't ever buy a bike without abs two or three wheels.

That's the majority of it.

My colleagues and I would love to have a track day of hooking the equipment up and skid testing the bag off of different spyders.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You nailed it. Right on.

[Bob Denman]

Yeah, everyone is expert riders and should master that whole braking thingy. Even if people practiced it and got good at it, when they are confronted with a very serious emergency situation most, and that includes most of us here, will resort to hitting the brakes as hard as you can whether that is just the foot brake as on a Spyder or a car or front/rear brake combined as on a 2 wheel motorcycle. ABS is a lifesaver because one doesn't have to think - just react. Beyond that just try hitting the brakes hard as you are rounding a curve at speed. Even the real experts have a hard time with that one. Got ABS - just nail lit.

While I'm no fan of technology doing everything possinle for me; I've done my best to learn what I can do with the brakes, and I'll be glad that ABS is there to help out.

[billrob71]

I really like the ABS on the bike all the other safety features are a little bit too controlling

[missouriboy]

ABS good.
no ABS bad.

What he said.

[GrumpySteelMan]

I have always found ABS to be crucial whenever speed and unpredictable events can coincide.

I chose the Spyder for all the electo-nanny features. I like to ride spirited, but I don't want to have to be superman or precognizant to ride that way.

[Can-Am Poogs]

Bike still not repaired. They took all of the components from the clutch of a bike in their showroom. And but it into my bike and the problem is still worse than when I brought it in. Then they thought they try move another part over. They broke it on the show room bike an d on mine. 30 days and no bike. They can't fix it even with BRP involved. I think it is almost lawyer time. What a piece of junk. It will go on the for sale block as soon as I get it back. I will never ever buy another can am product as long as I live. This is brutal. Worst experience I have ever had with a virtually new bike still under warranty. Canadian garbage at its best. Cheers everyone. Won't be back on this site. Done with Spyders for good. It's been a fun while it lasted.


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[Roadster Renovations]

After putting the ABS on my 2010 to the test a couple of times; I wouldn't want to have a trike of ANY sort without it!
They disable it because they don't know how to integrate it with their conversion parts...

That's exactly what I was thinking, Bob! Due to the difference in wheel size on the conversion the wheel speed sensors would be beyond the programming parameters, not to mention having two of them instead of one. That would not only require a hardware modification, but also a software change. Not going to happen at that level.

I know the ABS on my 14 RTS has saved my bacon several times already. A big from me!

[Bob Denman]

"Poogs"
Sorry to hear that you've reached the saturation point...
Have better luck with your next ride!

[Dgjason]

As a old rider (70 plus) ABS rocks. Doing 70 on a freeway when a semi throws a tire is one of the scariest things for this old goat. Having ABS is a life saver. Nuf said.

[Dragonrider]

When I was shopping for my first K12 BMW, they had just put ABS on them, and had a video presentation - the first one showed a solo rider on a K12 with wheeled outriggers. He was doing perhaps 30, when he cam up to a stretch of tarmac they had spread (blown) sand across. He touched his breaks and was instantly sliding down the road. Without the outriggers, he would have been down - regardless of his expertise. Obviously, hitting your brakes on sand is something we would all avoid, if at all possible.... the next shot showed him riding up to the same stretch two up, without the outriggers, the entered the sandy area, and HIT the brakes - you could watch the ABS work, as he stopped the bike without a problem.

Since I ride in Oregon, and along the coast whenever I get the chance, I have had the opportunity to try stops on sand, and the Spyder is very impressive, and very confident building.

After my K12 and subsequent Spyders and other bikes, I can't imagine paying for a bike without ABS... JMHO