Not trying to add to an arguement, just food for thought.
I once changed lanes in behind a car that, about 5 and a half seconds later, started spewing gasoline out from under the rear-ABS saved my butt.
I used to ride in the high country of Nevada until the snow actually was enough to go all the way way across the road. ABS saved my butt more than once. (Yeah, that's really not as stupid as it sounds- the town is at 4300', but you have to cross a 7000' pass to get to the residential area that is at about 6000'- often there was snow on the pass, and nothing on either side- or a dusting at best)
I've been riding with linked brakes since 1999, and can trail brake just fine- in fact, I will argue that front trail braking at speed is somewhat more predictable with linked brakes once you get used to them. I switch back and forth between two bikes, one that has linked brakes, no ABS, no traction control, and one that has them all. I suppose in my case the arguement could be made that my skills don't degrade because I'm riding both, but the point remains that every feature on an advanced motorcycle comes in handy at some point in the average rider's lifetime riding experience.
ABS wouldn't be necessary in the gasoline incident if you are riding down a highway at speed. It is only important if you hit the brakes. You can safely ride through a low traction situation if you don't brake. The problem comes when you hit the brakes in a situation like that. Once again, that is where skills and knowledge come in. Now, if there is more to the story, like the car also slamming the brakes on in front of you, I understand, ABS will come into play.
May people react by braking when they come upon a low traction situation, like gravel or sand on the road, when the best course of action would most likely be to maintain a constant speed, you can ride though it. I hit gravel in the middle of the road the other day as my wife and I were going through a curve, the bike slide to the side a bit, regained traction and continued on its way. It happens quite often around here. That is where practice and knowledge comes into play. The knowledge that the bike won't necessarily go down in a situation like that, it will slide until it regains traction, and won't upset unless the rider makes an input like hitting the brakes. Yes, if you hit an area that has deep gravel across the entire road, you will most likely go down. I hit a lot of gravel in the places I ride. I still have yet to wreck as a result. I hit an area of deep gravel and rocks along a stretch last year that had been washed onto the road in a heavy rain, I was doing a decent speed when I hit it, I stayed loose on the bars and stayed off the brakes. The gravel extended for around 40 feet. The bike made it through fine, but it felt like it was floating. Had I hit the brakes, I would have wrecked. I would say that even with ABS, since this was in a very slight bend, hitting the brakes would have been disastrous.
I ride all year. I live in Pittsburgh so we get snow. ABS would be nice for that of course, but once again not necessary. With ABS or not, skills are more important. I took my old Goldwing to Tennessee one night and it snowed on me from Wheeling to Zanesville, OH, a 70 or so mile stretch. There was ice covering the entire front of the bike. I somehow manages to saty upright at highway speeds, and slow down and stop when I pulled over for gas. That was on a 1986 Aspencade so no ABS or TC.
The Goldwing had linked brakes, while I still don't like them, they were okay for the Wing, I still don't like them. For trail braking I still don't like them. I want my rear wheel to spin free in a curve to maximize the traction available for the curve. That is the goal and that is why you use trail braking in the first place, to maximize the traction available, and of course to settle the chassis down in front for better tracking through the curve. All you have to do is ask Kawasaki themselves, or rather refer to their own promo material for the advantage of unlinked brakes for sport riding. THeir own literature played that up for the earlier models.
I didn't want to start a war here, my only real point is that people need to be more concerned with their skill set than simply having ABS. ABS is a great thing, and I have not said it isn't, I have only said I continually hear people say, and I'm not necessarily referring to this forum, that is saved their butt when the reason it kicked in in the first place was they panicked and stomped the rear brake, or braked in a low traction situation that would have better called for no braking. In other words, they braked improperly thus necessitating the ABS. I am only advocating the practice of good riding and braking skills, along with good throttle control. That is all, and I do not think that is a bad thing whether you have ABS or not. Let's not be like the clueless car drivers who have never given any thought to how to react in a panic situation. They can brake hard in a curve without fear of wrecking, a person on a motorcycle cannot, they have to remain upright, so learning the skills is necessary for our survival. ABS won't help you if you don't understand and apply the physics involved.
So, to sum up, I am not anti-ABS or TC, I just see a trend towards total reliance on this technology instead of utilizing the computer we all possess, our brain. Practice is the best way to survive on a motorcycle.
