ABS or no ABS

Thanks for all the replies people.

Just one more thing.

When I filter for ABS on mcn or autotrader I get very few results. Is there any rule on age/model where ABS will be standard that may be left off the ad?

I thought someone mentioned that bikes after a certain age had to have ABS. Just feel I am probably missing some ABS models just because the ad does not mention it.

2016 onwards. (in theory) 2017 onwards - definitely.

look at the photos. the ABS ring should be visible on the front wheel.

like on this wheel from a 2017 MT07

2016 onwards. (in theory) 2017 onwards - definitely.

look at the photos. the ABS ring should be visible on the front wheel.

like on this wheel from a 2017 MT07

abs ring.png

Cheers for that gerontious

It definetly helps for your peace of mind, especially when you have to break in the bends(which you shouldn't in an ideal world). If the bike comes with it, it's a bonus!

Bend ABS is very expensive and most bikes have normal ABS which doesn't work when lean in bends at all. Also who said you shouldn't brake in bends? Agree to disagree - you can brake fine in bends without ABS.

Also you really need to make your ride according to the ABS. On loose gravel or off road ABS literally makes you without brakes. The reason why most adventure off road bikes have turn off ABS feature.

Finally I've written my bike few years ago because of the ABS. There was a loot of gravel on overtaking near roundabout, ABS disconnected my brakes and I have run out of road. I have gone in a off road on the grass, brakes never returned (remember no brakes off road with ABS rule) and long story short after a somersault everything was fine.

I do recommend having ABS if you know how to use it. Personally I will never get another bike with ABS.

I do recommend having ABS if you know how to use it. Personally I will never get another bike with ABS.

Know how to use ABS ? ?

If you ride on road, buy a road bike and you can't disable the ABS (and you shouldn't want to). Then you go about your business without having to think about ABS. It will only come on if you brake on an unexpectedly slippy surface (diesel, black ice, gravel) and the bike will then slow as much as the laws of physics will allow.

Without ABS, you would be overbraking in these circumstances and would almost certainly lock up the wheel(s) and go down.

It is true that off-road situations - mud, sand, deep gravel etc can benefit from the ability to lock a wheel (usually the rear) which can cause a "snowplough" effect and give braking where there was little friction for ABS to work with, but this just doesn't apply on Tarmac.

ABS can be beaten, but only by an expert rider who KNOWS exactly how hard he can brake on a given surface. That doesn't apply to 99% of road riders 99.9% of the time.

I made a mistake last week and I felt the ABS and I’m bloody grateful it was there waiting to save my stupid arse!

This ABS vids quite entertaining.

My Africa Twin has switchable ABS.. but only on the rear wheel. The front wheel ABS cannot be turned off.

You will always find some oddballs who say that ABS is dangerous.. because it can effectively turn off the brakes completely in certain, albeit extremely rare situations. But this is where your eyes come into play.. if you are riding on a road covered in loose chippings then SLOW DOWN. We had this in the south of France a couple of years ago. one road in particular was a river of gravel. we slowed right down and ploughed ahead, mainly because trying to turn around was the greater of two evils. Coming down a slope i felt the ABS kick in a few times.. but the bike still slowed down and although it was extremely dicey in parts. Nobody came off or had a near miss. But we were all damn glad when it eventually came to an end. The road was called Col de la Mort. (Pass of the Dead) and so appropriate.

The name of the road is... brrrrr.

Col de la Morte - described as "a mini Alpe d'Huez". Popular with cyclists (of course) and presumably most prone to gravel after the snow melts and washes all the muck over the road.

Don't think I'll be heading there early in the year .... I've ridden over all sorts of loose surfaces on the RT and it's always a relief when getting through unscathed.

Gravel on tarmac just feels like riding on ball bearings - not good !

Its the main reason there is ZERO interest in returning to the south of France any time soon. This wasn't the only road that had been so carelessly surface dressed. But was definitely the most notable.

I did mention going back there one day... and the reaction was... a definite NON!!

Stunning scenery - shite roads. or too may shite roads for the effort in getting there.

Its the main reason there is ZERO interest in returning to the south of France any time soon. This wasn't the only road that had been so carelessly surface dressed. But was definitely the most notable.

I did mention going back there one day... and the reaction was... a definite NON!!

Stunning scenery - shite roads. or too may shite roads for the effort in getting there.

I've not ridden abroad much but I did do a trip to the south west of France (near Bordeaux) a few years ago. Frankly, I thought the roads were absolutely brilliant. It put the UK roads to shame.

The Atlantic coast was stunning, along with the never ending sand dune beaches.

My current bike has ABS & TCS. If you wanted to you can switch either / both off. The nearest I've been is selecting Enduro mode on a gravelled track. That switches ABS off from the rear wheel only. Other than that it's great, particularly on the crappy roads so many of ours have become.