Whilst I recognise the combined ethic I had no idea the front break applied a degree of rear and visa versa? I have noticed that in town traffic I tend to use my rear and not bother with the front, however when I apply the front after the rear, as a reflex to what's in front of me it applies at a greater weight than I anticipate and shifts my stomach into my mouth momentarily. Given that I have never experience this before is it a characteristic of cabs and do I therefore need to adjust my riding style??
Just my opinion here, but I wouldn't bother with the rear brake; just use the front as it brakes the rear also.
The C in C-ABS means combined. The front activates the rear but not vice versa - that would be really bad
Do not know if any of you guys are old enough to remember when they first introduced a.b.s. on rally cars .but basically they discovered that the system could out perform human input by 9 times.so kadence braking could not compete with the electronic system .now it's uncommon for any car not to have a.b.s.on the fireblade you have sensors on both wheels therefore the system is monitoring botH wheels for lock up and dispersing the braking effort.Picture this scene handsome young man riding his none a.b.s bike to work along country road ,he,s late for work so large handful of throttle is engaged ,over the crest of a hill he can see a vehicle approaching .what he can not see is the vehicle is hearing a flock of sheep only when he tops the next hill can he see this,to cut a long story short there was square tyres on that gixer by the time it finally stopped and rubber burnt into the Tarmac that could be seen for. 2 years .can only put my survival down to experience and the fact I knew what amount of braking effort I could apply to the bike whilst locking unlocking the brakes,and of course luck,But the bike was a bit scuffed where I clipped the verge as I had to release the brakes to avoid a baby lamb.Now that gixer was one of the best balanced ,handling bikes I have owned .Repsol blade I currently own is lighter than that bike and handles head and shoulders above it ,coming from a moto cross background the blade handling is excellent .Any way back to the point ,caning blade round twist road and car pulls out from a lay by as I round a corner on none a.b.s bike this could be disaster on a.b.s model I'm able to break and steer round the vehicle and adjust my line and save my life.
The only issues my friend who works in Honda dealership as a tech has had with a.b.s is damaged sensors.
Here's some advice - plan ahead and ride according to conditions and you won't need ABS. And a question - what happens when you rely on it in an emergency situation and it doesn't work? We've all nearly died on bikes, but ABS is not part of that equation for me. I also don't buy the theory that so many riders have avoided crashes due to ABS, but just my opinion of course.
Ive owned a 2010 Fireblade with C-ABS for the last 3 months and use it most days for commuting. I have experienced the loss of brake due to feathering simple fix is i don't feather the brakes anymore. All my previous bikes didn't have ABS and have on each of them locked the front wheel up which for me and any other rider out there it scares the S**T out of you. The advantages with ABS on public roads if you ride in all weathers as i do far outweigh the disadvantages as it can mean the difference between just getting away with it or a minor bump than a major crash . I also did some research before i bought it but you find you get more people complaining if something goes wrong than people praising something that works in the way its intended. I work in the car industry as a technician and find that you are either lucky or unlucky with your purchase weather ABS or not. I have known cars that if you keep your foot fairly hard on the brake pedal when stopped the pedal sinks to the floor slowly but this is just characteristic of that vehicle. All in all i love the way my bike is and totally happy and confident with the way everything works.
I've been riding about 10yrs or so and never had abs or the need for abs (touches wood). Vision up and plan your ride. ABS is a good addition and I'm all for electronics on bikes to make them safer. My mate has had nothing but trouble with his abs blade!! He wishes he had got a non abs now!
I ride in all weathers and don't have any issues using standard brakes, so I'll stick with that. I'm just happier using conventional brakes. Last ABS bike I rode was a VFR.
I have ABS version, no problems what so ever. Oly once kicked in, my own fault, too fast in to a corner and had to anchor brakes, ABS stopped it from locking up, saved me and my bike so i think its a great piece of kit, there is a reaosn why ABS has been standard on cars for some years now! Also, Honda quite primative and unobtrusive when compared to others like BMW with DTC, anti wheelie etc! got for it
Well my 954 does not have ABS , When i commuted on my bike all year round i think i would have liked ABS but given that most riders tuck their little '' precious '' away around Sept i don't really see any real need for it with most of us, just how many owners of sportsbikes actually ride in the wet..... yes there will be some, but i don't think they will be the majority, and in the dry i think the advantage of ABS is somewhat reduced if its an advantge at all.
I have ABS with no negative issues and one major positive. I saved me back in the summer from hitting a "sorry I didn’t see you" who pulled out of his drive right in front of me. I know the ABS kicked in and without it I would have been either embedded in or under that car. It was so close that when I got home I very seriously considered never riding again. So for that reason alone I will not considering a non ABS when I change mine. Some might consider they can brake better than any electronics (and you might be right, who am I to argue with you) but when your own nervous system going into blind panic the electronics does not. It just does its job.
Unless you are an out and out professional racer (which i am not) C-ABS does have its advantages. Also i didn't pick the ABS model because of locking up the front wheel on my previous bikes which was due to idiots in cars pulling out on me or cutting me up which no matter how good at planning your journey or how safe you ride your bike you just never know what anyone else is going to do. Technology is progressing at a fast pace and sooner or later most road bikes will end up with ABS just like most cars like it or not just like fuel injection or electronic ignition, i remember some car technicians not wanting to go near them because they knew how carburettors and points and condenser worked it scared them off. Also Motorbikes as well as cars all have their own little quirks and niggles. You can buy 2 identical cars 1 could be riddled with problems and the other will last you for years with no problems it all depends on luck in my opinion i see it all the time at work. As i sort of said previously if 1 person has a fault on a certain item on a bike or car they might tell 10 people who tell other people on the other hand how many people say or listen about something that works or does its job! Sometimes this sort of thing can be over amplified on forums as when a fault mentioned by a few people can scare 100's of people off. All this is my own opinion of course but check this video out it might be an eye opener for some people. Honda Fireblade: ABS v non-ABS - YouTube
I have a 2009 CABS blade, I have experienced some problems with the ABS Setup, the power servo unit from the factory was full of air, it appears that some dealers are good at bleeding the system some are not. After a few days battle with Honda UK, they aggreed as a gesture of good will to get the brakes bled thoroughly at my local dealership (Out of warranty, but at some points when the brakes were pulled the lever went to the bar straight away with no brakes) and since then i havent had any problems. I found my issues were in scenarios of sudden braking. If you test ride one then give the lever a quick sharp yank and see if you hear a squelching sound. if you do that is likely to be air in the system. All in all though i dont have issues with mine and if the ABS fails completely then the bike reverts to standard braking. Hope that helps Pete
well i watched the youtube clip but not a great difference between them and hardly fair readings when the 2nd guy on the abs bike shut off the power before the line. if people are relying on abs to get them out of trouble then they could be riding beyond there abilities.
