This C-abs will be the death of me! Twice last week I had sudden loss of braking with the lever coming right back. I have had this a few times now & generally just release the lever & brake again; sometimes its fine & sometimes the abs goes into fault mode (light flashing & brakes working like a conventional setup). After reading lots of opinions & case studies (mainly in the US), I have found my own fix. Remove the fuse (its under the seat) & be happy with standard brakes again. I may fit a switch so that I can turn it on/off on the fly, but for now I'm glad to be rid of it.
Does this issue only happen in a certain production phase or is it like the oil burning issue that can happen in any bike from 2008+
To resolve the same problem we had, Honda say lots and advise to bleed the system but really it's a case of replacing the modulator assy/power unit which they eventually agreed to cover under warranty. 57100-MFJ-A51 £1178.66 + VAT !
If you pull the fuse are you left with the ABS warning light on? Doesnt bother me that it would be on just a question.
It just stays on (normally goes out when you reach about 10-mph); no flashing. As far as the abs ecu is concerned, the bike isn't even running, so no faults will be logged (I think).
I'm aware of the issues one or two people have had regarding the ABS, one thing i would be aware of though, is how would you stand, if having an accident whilst on the bike,its founded that something that is fitted "as standard" does not work, or has been modified in such a way not to work. We need no lectures on how insurance companies would use this to full effect, saving a pay out! just something that needs taking into consideration?
I hear you Gary, & wise words. Its also interesting to consider what an insurance company would do if the abs system failure (quite well documented) was the cause of said crash. I guess it would be simple enough to inform the insurance company that the bike is converted to manual, conventional setup (like most other bikes).
I have had both C-ABS and non ABS Blade. I had the C-ABS first, for about 6 weeks, then traded it in against the non ABS. My personal opinion (and some others) is that the system doesn't work all the time. I got to the point where i had no confidence in the system and found i was testing my brakes before approaching every corner in case the lever came back to the bars. Honda do not seem to want to admit it (along with the oil burning issue on some bikes) so it will not get fixed until a major re design of the Blade is done. when i changed bikes, my insurers did not put the price up as they said "ABS has not been proved to be a safety improvement". I am sure if you had a crash and the insurers found it to be disabled they would not pay out though. Having said that, they tend to look for any excuse. This is all my personal opinion and i do not want to criticise anyone else's ABS blade. We have to each do what we are happy with.
Yip I choose not to buy the abs also, and pleased I did. No oil burn yet 2011 with 3.3k on it. Fingers crossed
same here on my 11 plate. you squeeze the lever or press the pedal and brakes work, no sensors, relays or other electrikery to fail. glad i choose this route.! and 10 kilo less to carry around!
I had the very same problem with my Black & White 2010 ABS Blade, the lever started coming back to the bars but not every time, it was really concerning as one is normally 'making progress'! I took it to a local well respected independant motorbike garage who i have used several times and he bled the brakes, all sorted for about 100 miles then it started again -so i started some internet research and found a forum(another site - lots in the USA but also the UK) and it was pages and pages long... some people had bikes replaced but most had to pay for a fix - not good so I spoke to my local Honda main dealer who gave me an estimate of between 2.5 and 5 hours @ 55 quid an hour for a fluid change and bleed, they said that Honda had changed the hours and procedure as its part of the 2nd year service and lots of people were complaing about the cost of it. Im afraid I wasn't very confident of it sorting the problem based on what I had been reading. It turns out that Honda have now changed/updated the ABS system for the 2012 Blade so it should (fingers & toes crossed) not be an issue on the new bikes? I know its not a solution to your isssue but reading the other forum it seems quite widespead and it was driving me nuts as I couldn't enjoy my bike to its full potential - best of luck with getting it sorted.
Can someone clarify the situation? Are we saying that this is a fault with the ABS system or is this common in its operation? I own an 09 C-ABS and have only experienced this when trail braking upto traffic lights for example, then if I release the lever and re-apply to bring the bike to a stop, the lever is right back at the bar trapping my fingers. I've not had the flashing light at all. My original purchase was a Repsol C-ABS in 09, I collected the bike from the dealer new, set off down the road and the ABS light was blinking. Not knowing what the issue was I took a look in the manual when I got home then promptly took it back to the dealer who then plugged in a diagnostic unit performed a reset and off I went only for the same thing to happen again just down the road. After 3 weeks of the bike sat in the dealers with no solution in sight, resetting ECU, changing wheel sensors, ECU etc, Honda UK eventually collected the bike and took it down to Slough. All in all I was without the bike for about 2 months having put less than 50 miles on the clock. With no end in sight and apparently Honda Japan involved I opted for an exchange...another C-ABS Blade?? I never did get to the bottom of what the problem was but the bike was back in the showroom for sale when fixed up!! Should I be concerned with what I've now got??
Honda will not admit there is an inherent problem. The important thing here is not to get caught up in any hysteria. If you have no issues with your bike, and you are happy and confident in the operation of the system, them there is no issue. The problem I had was that i had no confidence that the brakes would work every time when needed, so i had no option other than to get rid. Honda describe the issues with the ABS as a "feature" of the system. There are many people on this forum with ABS bikes and they are very happy with them. The choice has to be yours.
Its not too big a problem; it only fails when you need to brake...... I bought my abs Blade from Kestrel Honda; they were great to deal with tbh. I selected the bike based on price & colour (its was 18 months old); I hadn't given any thought to it being abs but saw it as a bonus afterwards. I was really happy with the braking feel & the safety aspect was also comforting. Then it happened! Riding along, went for the brake & the lever came right back; just like all the fluid had drained out. The light then flashes & if the lever is released & reapplied,the system goes into fault mode & reverts to working in the conventional, unlinked, non-abs way - until the ignition is switched off & on. I have had this happen at least 10-times now under different braking conditions; even on a trackday!! I spoke with Kestrel (my warranty had now expired) & they behaved as if I was the first person in the world to experience this..... After lots of reading I learned that this system "quirk" is quite widespread & documented. I think the system is very good when its working; but it seems it isn't reliable. Maybe Honda are trying to do too much with it? Maybe they should have given us the option to turn it off (Ducati, BMW etc)? I have read about people removing it all together, which can easily be done by the way. Others have worked out that you can deliberatley put the system into fault mode by fitted a switch into the rear wheel sensor circuit; this disarms the system at will & it can be reset by turning the ignition off/on. I prefer to leave the system in place (for now anyway) & just remove the fuse; this way the system never activates with the ignition & the brakes work conventionally. In view of Gary's comment, I may just refit a blown fuse! I'm also thinking of fitting a switch (using the fuse box feeds) so that I can turn it on/off on the fly; I think this will work without storing faults etc as the system will just think the ignition is being turned on/off (will need to try this to confirm - it may not like being switched on with the wheels already turning). If I could, I would use it in the wet or plodding, then switch it off when getting a wriggle on.
Good summing up Swiss, A good return on this thread folks, certainly if you have the ABS! Perhaps we could also try asking, who? with the issues Swiss has described still has the standard brake lines fitted? And if anyone upgrading to braided lines has continued with the issue, or if its been resolved? Just another angle to look at, the only reason i ask this is because Bats documented it quite well last year that his brake lever hit the throttle too, he was going down the ramp onto the ferry at the time. he's since upgrades his lines and reports no further issues or such incidents.
I had a good run out yesturday with the abs fuse removed. Perfectly working manual brakes. The feel is very different; more connected.
I have a 2011 ABS with standard brake lines and so far (cross one's self) have never had the problem being discusses. In fact I will swear blind the ABS kept me from the after life for a little while longer, when someone backed out of their driveway right into my path earlier in the year. So in my very small and simple mind I would not want to go back to a non ABS.
I agree 100%; its a good idea & works very well most of the time. Unfortunatley it only takes one failure under braking to loose confidence; its not the same afterward. If my bike was still under warranty, I may pursue a fix, but from what I read there isn't one really. There is also the long term maintenance factor as these bikes age & dealer rates for simple things like bleeding.
