Hi fellow blades. Although currently bladeless at the moment. You may have seen a couple of my recent threads as I looking into getting a blade - probably 1-2 year old. To summarise - just returned to biking after over 20 years. My bike back then was a gixxa 750-R & early this year I bought a new Street TripleR to ease myself back into biking. The Triumph is a great bike, but i feel the urge for a sportier bike & the more upright riding position is a bummer at speeds over 70mph. Sorry guy's & girl's if this has been covered a million times before. I have noticed a big thread on ABS - but is aimed only at problems/issues etc. The pundits all rave about how amazing it is, what a marvel the ABS system is & could one day save your bacon. But comments on here seem very different. At first i thought it was a no brainer to have ABS; but now confused on some of the comments & problems people have had. I would be interested to get your opinions.
due to the horror stories with the ABS failing, i wouldn't have one... but to be fair it only seems to have issues when filtering etc.... theres a cracking on for sale on here.... go for that one?
Hope you mean mine Si? AA. Depending on the spec, colour & value of your Street Triple, I may well be interested in it as a part-ex. I have had a Street Triple R before and loved it.
I bought one second hand last year, I was not bothered if it had ABS or not, it was the right bike at the right price. Yes I have had some issues, dealt with by Honda FOC. Its a clever but complex system, I do not think that the dealers techs are always confident with working on the system, due to the complexity and variation of results they see. Personally I think it's a work in progress, which will change as the models are updated and the early adopters are used like Guinea Pigs to some extent. This whole issue of 4 hour brake bleeds is unacceptable and a major design flaw, that has to be improved on the next gen system. The other issue with any car or bike forum, is look down the threads, you will always find threads with this issue or that problem....it's not often someone starts a thread that praises their vehicle, just does not happen that often. So although forums are great for informing people of issues and solutions etc. it can lead you to think that every bike out there has the same issues, its often not the case. Now would I buy another ABS Blade if I replaced mine....tough one having now ridden one.....2 bikes side by side same everything except ABS.....I would probably plump for the non ABS until Honda sort out the glitches if I am honest. Ultimately legislation will force ABS onto all new bikes soon, so the manufacturers better get them working seamlessly otherwise they will not sell many bikes if these issues persist. Been on cars for years and works in the background quietly, bikes have to be the same IMO.
If ever there was a thread to rouse some interest... I've got an CABS and so far it's been okay. I do suffer with lever squish when feathering the brakes and this seems to be a common theme with most. I did have a brand new CABS before this that faulted as soon as I left the dealership. After months of Honda scratching around to find the fault they replaced the bike...for another CABS. So far so alright, but in general the Blade is ace.
Someone on here just did a report on how to properly bleed the CABS system following the book. Reconned about 3 hours all in following the full procedure and something most owners could do. http://1000rr.co.uk/maintenance/10733.htm The way I look at it is this. You only need the ABS once. I've had mine for a couple of months now and yesterday was the first time the front brake did the switch to normal mode on me. I knew what it was though I did have to do a quick mental gear change. Very low speed and just started moving after starting it up. This is a 2012 model which had some updates done to the ABS internals.
I've always had Honda ABS bikes, all have been flawless apart from my 09 Blade. The previous mechanical ABS versions IMO are better but the Blade ABS still has awesome braking power. Would I get one again, hell yeah but only when they sort out the glitches on the current system. I've had mine for 6 months now and only had the light come on due to slightly sticking pistons, touch wood after a calliper service and a full bleed everything has been OK. I could probably stop quicker with a non ABS but as I like the tech to be there on the occasion when I have to emergency brake due to a numpty driver or panic brake on a slippery surface. The main problem is as these issues as been highlighted many times there is always a small doubt in your mind about its braking capability/reliability which can really take the enjoyment out of riding.
I would say if you don't know any different then why go to extra expense ? Standard brakes are so good on modern bikes as well that they are virtually ABS compared to what you were previously used to. Best of luck though.
Maybe you should read this thread first if you didn't already: http://1000rr.co.uk/general-1000rr-discussion/8601.htm
Cheers for that BlackDevil, much appreciated. No I hadn't read it previously. Very interesting & like anything contentious you will always split opinion. I think - like the guy who put that thread up - I'am a mature, Sunday, dry weather only rider; I'll probably opt for the non-ABS version.
Had my ABS repsol from new since 2011. not had a single issue with the bike. been used on track and road. the ABS saved me once so it's worth it 100%. without the ABS I would have been flying down an embankment. Seems to stop well on wet grass does the ABS blade
I've just been through the same dilema and just ordered a 2013 bike with no ABS... will it affect re-sale as all the people un aware of problem immediately assume ABS is superior... probably. Will having ABS affect my enjoyment of the bike over the next 3+ years... yes probably as I would lose all confidence in the bike the first time the lever came to the bars and I'd never ride it the same again... my 600rr had braking problems and I never dared to ride it hard. I know at least one person that hit a wall at high speed at brand hatch because he claims his ABS brakes didnt work on his 600rr and his lever came to his bars.
With the issues raised about ABS lately, today it reminds me why I got it in the first place. Riding about 70-80 on the M4 in heavy rain when the traffic pretty much just stopped (no accuses it just crept up on me, and yes maybe should be going a tad slower). To make matters worse cars start pulling into my lane. Applied both brakes hard and the blade just plain stopped hard in a nice controlled manner. Come to a stop with the rain vapourising off my discs, got a couple of looks. There have been issued raised, but bloody hell when it kicks in it does its job well. I owe ABS a BIG one.
There is no right answer on this thread matey! My ABS woes have been well documented, but I still dont know what I would buy next time round. The thought of having them properly bled at my expensive every 2 years (when i would prefer to do them myself) is frightening. But... I ride all year round 6900 miles on my new blade in approx 9-10 months, and as others have said...Now its working properly by FECK does it help on nasty roads or wet slippy surfaces. I have come to the conclusion that if I carry on riding like I dont have ABS and brake accordingly, it will only help when needed and i will never become reliant on it! thats my 2 pennies worth.
No great issues here but if I had the choice I would not bother it was about 700 quid more and not worth the hassle
Not me, I have a HRC. I join at junction 5 Langley (at Honda HQ funnily enough!), all the way through to Chelsea. Actually saw Baron Von Grumble the other week on his Gixer (I think!) I occasionally see a another HRC going the same way and a Respol going the other way. You either?
If it works once it may save your life but if it fails once it may cost your life. If you haven't got it you'll never use it.
