2009 vs 2010

[maxtog]

ABS or no ABS should not be a deal breaker IMHO.

Certainly would break the deal for me.

[ZG]

It would be for me...

+1...

[Pokey]

Certainly would break the deal for me.

I have yet to have my ABS kick on, and I have ridden in a ton of rain and gotten on the brakes pretty hard a few times. If ABS gives y'all peace of mind, then by all means have at it. The number of bikes with ABS to non ABS isn't even close. It is a false sense of security in allot of cases, matter of fact I have never had either of my wheels lock up on me on any bike that I have owned.

[Rhino]

I have yet to have my ABS kick on, and I have ridden in a ton of rain and gotten on the brakes pretty hard a few times. If ABS gives y'all peace of mind, then by all means have at it. The number of bikes with ABS to non ABS isn't even close. It is a false sense of security in allot of cases, matter of fact I have never had either of my wheels lock up on me on any bike that I have owned.

Saved my a$$ once. Totally my fault but if I hadn't had them I would have had a VERY bad day. It only takes once to make it worth it.

[ljcorby]

Saved my a$$ once. Totally my fault but if I hadn't had them I would have had a VERY bad day. It only takes once to make it worth it.

+1

[Conrad]

I have yet to have my ABS kick on, and I have ridden in a ton of rain and gotten on the brakes pretty hard a few times. If ABS gives y'all peace of mind, then by all means have at it. The number of bikes with ABS to non ABS isn't even close. It is a false sense of security in allot of cases, matter of fact I have never had either of my wheels lock up on me on any bike that I have owned.

One of the first things that I did after I brought my C14 home from the dealer was to take her out and bed in the brake pads. Then I did some panic stops so that I could see how the brakes felt when the ABS kicked in and how quickly I could get the big girl to stop. If you've never done this, you should.

To say that ABS gives one a false sense of security is like saying that wearing a helmet also gives one the same feeling. Not so. ABS is a tool in the safety tool bag, nothing more. You might be right for new riders but I don't think that would apply to anyone here.

[Pokey]

One of the first things that I did after I brought my C14 home from the dealer was to take her out and bed in the brake pads. Then I did some panic stops so that I could see how the brakes felt when the ABS kicked in and how quickly I could get the big girl to stop. If you've never done this, you should.

To say that ABS gives one a false sense of security is like saying that wearing a helmet also gives one the same feeling. Not so. ABS is a tool in the safety tool bag, nothing more. You might be right for new riders but I don't think that would apply to anyone here.

I am being nothing but subjective, ride long enough and you shall have some close calls. I don't think that there would be much of an argument saying ABS cannot save your bacon in certain situations. It can help and there really should not even be a debate, but there are still more bikes on the road without it than with it. If your head and face hits the pavement, more than likely it is not going to end well, so comparing a helmet to ABS being a tool probably isn't the best comparison. I agree that ABS is a great idea, but for sure is not going to deter me from buying a bike that I want. That being said......if ABS is an option, I would more than likely take that option more than not. 


I will not do any panic stops to test/activate the ABS, because that will warp my rotors!!!

[Flienlow]

Are there any considerations as far as power commanders, pipes, butterfly or making more horse power in general that I should take into consideration in regards to the different years?

Why is this so hard?    - I know, first world problem.

[gPink]

Making horsepower will cost the same regardless of model year.

[maxtog]

I have yet to have my ABS kick on, and I have ridden in a ton of rain and gotten on the brakes pretty hard a few times. If ABS gives y'all peace of mind, then by all means have at it. The number of bikes with ABS to non ABS isn't even close. It is a false sense of security in allot of cases, matter of fact I have never had either of my wheels lock up on me on any bike that I have owned.

Mine has never kicked in either.  But it is a majorly important safety device, to me.  Motorcycles are extremely unsafe.  ANYTHING I can reasonably do to help improve my odds and I am in favor of it. 

Plus, I know a few people with incidents where ABS was, indeed, VERY helpful.  And I do not think of myself as a bike expert and have ZERO illusions that I could brake harder and better than with ABS assist in an emergency.

[maxtog]

Are there any considerations as far as power commanders, pipes, butterfly or making more horse power in general that I should take into consideration in regards to the different years?

Sorry, there is essentially zero difference in all that.

[556ALPHA]

Outside of surface conditions being other than normal, ABS will stop you no sooner than proper threshold breaking.  In my experience, just jamming on the brakes on a dry normal surface will increase your distance when the ABS starts to engage and disengage.  I also understand that very few practice enough braking to see how far they can be pushed before a front wheel wash out.

With that being said, I would recommend ABS since no road is perfect.  Also as you can see resale is a pain if other models of the same bike offer it.

It all boils down to what you want.  I prefer the 09 styling and after riding Harley's there is no heat comparison.

[PH14]

When I bought mine, my choice was between a new '10 and a new '09. I bought the '09. I hate linked brakes and I didn't want ABS or traction control. I saved money and I am happy. That being said, $500 is not a big difference, so if you want ABS, and want to go 200 mile to get it, go for it. Of course when you factor in mileage, the price gets higher for the '10. Your choice.

[VirginiaJim]

I will not do any panic stops to test/activate the ABS, because that will warp my rotors!!!

Did it to me, it did....

[stevewfl]

I frequently push my bike into ABS, especially hot braking in the mountains.  Cheating with ABS braking into turns late is one of the reasons my kneedraggin' friends on sportbikes can't shake my behemoth bike 

[Rhino]

Outside of surface conditions being other than normal, ABS will stop you no sooner than proper threshold breaking.  In my experience, just jamming on the brakes on a dry normal surface will increase your distance when the ABS starts to engage and disengage.  I also understand that very few practice enough braking to see how far they can be pushed before a front wheel wash out.

With that being said, I would recommend ABS since no road is perfect.  Also as you can see resale is a pain if other models of the same bike offer it.

It all boils down to what you want.  I prefer the 09 styling and after riding Harley's there is no heat comparison.

Agree completely. Someone who knows what they are doing will out brake ABS in a panic stop. But it's called a panic stop for a reason. Armatures like me put themselves in a bad situation and panic and grab both brakes on a less than perfect surface. In that situation ABS will save your butt.

[stevewfl]

BMW did extensive testing on the S1000RR

The pro's could not beat the stopping distance performance of the BMW ABS.

One can also google tests suggesting ABS bikes stop faster than non-ABS bikes by the same rider in a plethora of tests by governments and magazines.

Sooner than later, ABS will be required on all bikes in USA and europe.  Top manufacturers that aren't building budget bikes already have them on ALL models, such as BMW.

[Conrad]

 

[VirginiaJim]

+1

[gPink]

Where's Cuda? We gots another bmw lover we gots to run off.