Would you buy a motorbike without abs

I must admit that I'm just getting into doing a bit of green laning and being able to turn off the ABS was one bit of advice that keeps coming up, I hear what their saying but still don't understand why, at the speeds I'm doing, why I would need to bother I'm not a hardened off roader

 

Only the rear (usually)..

and thats because.. simply put. A bike with an ABS rear that goes off road has a rear brake that is virtually useless. and what use is a useless rear brake?

if it doesn't work.. what is it for?

In certain extreme circumstances.. an ABS bike off road will have no brakes whatsoever.. and that can end badly.

My talent for understatement just gets better and betterer

One guy tried to explain it quite simply for me, off road, rear brake for helping to steer front brake for stopping, although I think both brakes should be used sensibly in the right circumstances, but I can see the rationale for turning off ABS on the rear

I am a right fat bast*rd and haven't got abs and I have bought two bikes....

On a serious note, my 2011 600 Hornet has not got ABS. When i bought it i had narrowed down between too within my budget. One had ABS but was not in as good a condition, had less service history and more miles. The lack of ABS was a long way down on my list so I got what i felt was the better of the two all be it with standard brakes.

I ride in all weathers and have not so far felt not having ABS is an issue.

I ride in all weathers and have not so far felt not having ABS is an issue.

It never is until it is.. and you will never know, because you will never be in a situation to judge.. its not like you can go back and have the exact same accident (or panic reaction) a second time, to see if ABS might have made a difference. (or not)

In general road riding if you notice any difference between a non-ABS and ABS bike, then it's either broken or you're riding like a spoon. Most people don't practice emergency braking, and even if you did you still couldn't be sure you're not going to grab a fist full of brake in the heat of the moment, or hit some diesel or loose gravel mid-braking. Pretty easy to do a perfect e-brake when the only thing you're going to hit is a cone, and you're expecting it. My bike has ABS, and I hope I never have to experience it working.

Would I buy a bike without it? Yep, if I really liked the bike. But if i were 50/50 between a couple of bikes, the one with ABS would get an extra tick in the "pro's" list.

My bikes got ABS, but I’ve not had it kick in on the road and when I’ve done a track day on it, I turn it off, yes I’d have another bike without it as I’ve never really noticed the difference.

Never had abs, I eat too much, but wouldn’t mind some.

i have been riding bikes since 1976 and i have never yet had a bike with abs still i suppose there is still time

I think traction control is much more useful to be honest.

The thing with stats is they don't affect you till you are one.

No one wanted to wear seat belts but now folk wear them without thinking.

It has been proven you can brake quicker than abs, but that's usually irrelevant to 99% of riders who won't beat the abs.

the I have never had it in 30yrs and I'm alive ain't a great stat either because over that 30yrs plenty of folk would still be with us if they had it

Its all down to percentages, take a thousand accidents with bikes with no abs and the same with, I would be amazed if the outcomes were the same, abs is not only stopping you locking the brakes it gives you the ability to manoeuvre at the same time as applying as much force as you can, modern bikes are now including cornering abs which is a whole new level of cleverness, add that to traction control and your chances of staying upright and alive in the event of an event much higher.

Some folk won't want it or be bothered, but it only has to work once to save your life.

it only has to work once to save your life.

or your no claims bonus/wallet. which is a rather more likely outcome. If it activates.. odds are its already saved you a bill.

Had 63 bikes.......none had ABS, so don't know any different.

No

[mention]Titter[/mention] , that's a good demonstration of ABS. Aircraft have been using ABS before the vast majority of people (probably all) on this forum were born. It's old tried and trusted technology.

My first GS had it in 1997 and I got nothing but piss taking for having it. Was an £800 option and already fitted to the bike in the showroom. So I had it. Took 3 years to pay for itself coming to a junction and a car decided to turn right while indicating left. And the junction was strewn with salt/grit. I was forced to slam on the anchors. ABS kicked in, brake lever pulsed and bike came to a stop, though I nearly had it over when I put my foot down and it slid sideways due to all the grit. Was years later before something similar happened. But I reckon that first time saved me a shed load of cash or possible injury. Or even my NCB and all the pain that follows after a claim in increased renewals.

Since then I have had second bikes without. But only because it wasn't available for that particular bike or was an option the original buyer didn't take up. £800 was about average for the option until only relatively recently. A hell of a lot cheaper now that it's ubiquitous.

I don't have ABS on my bike my bro in law does and when we go out for a blast he always seems to slow down a lot better than I do so i guess it's the ABS .I dont really know i guess the next bike I'll have will have ABS .

But some the comments on here I'm not too sure now .

What we need to ask . Is ABS good or bad .

I don't have ABS on my bike my bro in law does and when we go out for a blast he always seems to slow down a lot better than I

What we need to ask . Is ABS good or bad .

He can slow down better than you because he can brake as hard as he wants and know that the front or rear wheel will never lock-up and cause a slide. Regardless of road or weather conditions.

In normal riding conditions abs will do nothing at all. It comes into its own in panic braking. Someone pulls out in front of you and you instinctively brake as hard as possible. If everything is perfect then even then it may not engage. But if it's not perfect, wet or greasy roads, or you're on the white lines or bad overbanding it might just save you and your bike going down. In 22 years I've had this happen to me 3 times. And it saved me every time. Nowadays you might not even realise it's engaged, unless the dash has a warning light. Some systems cause a pulsing in the brake levers.. Some don't even do that.

Had my current bike exactly one year today. At least twice the ABS has saved my ass. Maybe I'm a crap rider but one was some twit in a car who literally pulled out of a side road right in front of me. The other was come round a bend into a lake of wet cow shit. I came close to adding to said shit.

Big maybe from me. My budget limits me to older bikes, which generally don’t have ABS. However, I do often wonder if I should spend a bit extra to put me into newer bike territory which will increase the ABS equipped options.

Pretty much no doubt in my mind, based on the evidence at hand, that ABS is a proven benefit in reducing the risk of a crash. The fact that it only comes into play in extremes is the reason I’d want it. You can ride for months or years without a single incident, but that 1 time someone pulls out at a junction in front of you on a wet road is where you’ll be thankful for it.