Is ABS really worth the cost?

Hi all!

I am thinking of buying a VFR. I currently own a VTX 1300C but want something sportier. I will most likely keep my VTX. I am sold on the VFR now I just need to decide between an ABS model and a non ABS model.

As great as a deal as a used bike is I am most likely going to buy new. Easier financing, and I get to break it in, etc.

I have narrowed it down to a 2005 with ABS for $10.5K or a 2006 with no ABS for $10.3K.

Is the ABS really worth it? I've locked up the rear once on my X and I kept it locked. Kept it upright. Never locked up the front.

I know the 06 VTEC kicks in sooner.

Am I better off saving a couple hundred with the non ABS 06 or should I get the ABS 05?

The ABS 06 would cost me $11.3K.

I like white better than silver but would rather save the cash for some bags.

All your thoughts are appreciated!

 

If you know how to ride, know how to avoid road hazards & know how to do a panic stop without sliding. I'd get the non-abs model, as a mechanic I can say maintenacewise vehicles w/ ABS are harder & more expensive to service in the event of a ABS problem than they are worth to me personally. But if you want the extra peice of mind that comes from knowing your wheels aren't going to lock up & slide then it would be worth it. Again myself if I can't stop for something I'm just going to low side it into the ditch(years of practice on off road bikes, I once slide under a barb wire fence @ 80 mph & lived to tell about it).

 

I would pay the extra for the ABS if I were in your situation. $1k to give you an extra safety edge on the street seems like a wise investment.

Mike

 

I've been riding for 40+ years ... practice, practice, practice :biggrin: However, in an emergency, when things happen in a split second, one grabs for all the brake one can find ... that's the first reaction. A friend just had a UPS truck cut left across his path as he was beginning to pass. He's ok, bike zero, UPS .. unfazed, but I'd bet if he'd had ABS he would have shaved off a few more mph before he hit that truck. ABS on the track ... no, but on the street ... yes. Last June I bought an 05 VFR with ABS .... besides ... I was blinded by the silver :biggrin:

Just one man's opinion ....

 

What is ABS like on gravel

If your going to ride on any gravel road, I would be not getting ABS.
I dont know what bikes are like, but cars with ABS are hopeless on gravel.

With cars or RVs with ABS - in gravel, the rear locks up more easily, and the ABS releases the back wheel, then the front wheel only brakes so it matches the same speed as the rear.

So basically, you get very poor braking on gravel, especially going downhill. It has caught me out several times in my pathfinder. My older non ABS pathfinder had far superrior brakes in gravel

Its a different story on tar seal.

However - im not sure about bikes. I have never ridden a bike with ABS.

Linked braking of the non ABS 06 seems really really good, not as much front end dive as standard braked bikes.

The 06 styling is slightly better - nicer indicator lenses.

Doesnt ABS Bikes have better suspension?

Sounds like a difficult decision, but im not sure the extra for a year older bike is worth it. Here they are selling 05 models (Linked braking) a grand cheaper than the 06 model - to clear thier stock.

I would be screwing the dealer down on price on the 05 ABS, to at least match if not better the 06 price. IF ABS is what you want.

Otherwise, screw them down on the 06 price.

 

I vote for ABS. I have been down a few times due to wheel lockup. Usually because of some oddball road condition that is very difficult to predict or allow for. I have also survived several lockups without going down. My general conclusion for street riding ABS is better. If it stops me going down once it has more than paid for itself and there are no real penalties to having it especially if you are only paying $200 for it. I won't buy another street bike without it.

 

"What is ABS like on gravel roads?"

FWIW -- I don't do a lot of gravel roads, but some, and I have a friend with a steep country gravel driveway. I find on gravel, with or without ABS, I'm most comfortable using only the back brake (whenever possible); always afraid I'll wash out the front wheel. On gravel, I'm usually going pretty slow as well and the ABS on the VFR is off below 6 mph (10 kmh).

I'm sure there are others out there with more info .... :lever:

 

Quite a difference between a VTX & a VFR. A cruiser has weight bias on the rear wheel, VFR is towards the front.

For peace of mind I think I'd go for the ABS.

 

I have an '03 with ABS, and, in your case, I'd say it's well worth the extra $200.

Plus, ABS bikes get hydraulically adjustable preload on the rear shock that the non-ABS bikes lack.

 

My experience with ABS on a 02. I live in nor cal which means it does not rain much in the summer (if any). The first rain was very light or more of a mist, the oil from the road had started to rise and mix with the water. I was going down a road doing about 40mph and coming up on a light. Two cars in the left hand lane, and no one in front of me. Well, the second car (BMW) decides at the last possible second to move over to my lane. I looked for a place to go but had no time or distance to maneuver around the car. I had to grab a hand full of front brake… I have been riding since 1983 and lived in Portland, Or., and Seattle, Wa., so kind of use to wet weather. If it were not for the ABS I would have had to hit the BMW.
I agree… practice is the key.
springs and valves in non-ABS and ABS are the same, for 02 through 06

 

I'd agree with everyone else go with the abs. On the track may be a different story but on the street you never know what you will be driving on. I've tried locking up the rear on slick wet pavement and it just slows down nice and quiet with no surge at all.

 

If you only use it once and it saves you from an accident it's paid for itself!

 

Its always better use ABS instead of hemlet...

 

IMO, NO.. but then I like to keep things simple I would be asking why you think it's necessary in the first place ya ya ya safety maybe, I say learn the skills in braking technique. I don't mean to come across as a hard ass, but that's the bottom line, if you're in a panic situation on a bike in the first place I doubt ABS is going to save you Maybe, but doubt it, with the linked brakes as it is that should be good enough IMO still you're call, good question, lots of good answers I see. again coming from a simple mind as in KISS

 

True story: Riding back from Honda Hoot via Atlanta. Heavy rush hour traffic on the Interstate. Raining like hell. I'm in the left lane an adequate distance from the car in front of me. Impatient drive in an SUV suddenly changes lanes into the space between me and the car. Just as the car hits the brakes. I go full on both brakes. The VFR crosses some big letters painted on the road. ABS does its thing. SUV rear-ends the car. I swerve to the shoulder. Different pavement on the shoulder. ABS does its thing again as I pass the SUV. All of this happens in about a second.

ABS/LBS is one of the reasons I chose the VFR. I've probably been riding longer than most of you have been alive. Back in the days of drum brakes, I high-sided my Norton cafe racer going too hot into a corner with a tad too much trail braking. We all like to think that all of our track school experience will save us in an emergency, but the real-world can be a lot more unpredictable than the track. ABS can save your ass.

 

Been riding on the street a pretty long time, going on 20 years. For a long time I rode over 20,000 miles a year -- and that was mostly fun rides. Done some track days. So I am not a rookie by any means, yet I have ABS on my VFR. Was one of the big deciding factors on getting a VFR as the ABS equiped bike list is rather short. What, it costs like an extra $800 - $1,000 at time of purchase? Big whoop. And depending on how long you keep the bike, you will get part of that back at resale. If you never use it, it doesn't hurt you -- at all. What, is it like and extra 10 pounds? The VFR is no light weight anyway. I doubt 99% of us, in 99% of riding would notice the difference in weight. Since buying the bike last year, I have not engaged the ABS even once, nor do I ever expect to. But if in a close call panic situation it saves me just once, it is worth it. Sometimes the difference between no contact and a contact with damage to you or the bike can be a foot or less, the ABS could save you the difference.

Most, unfortunately, of my mileage these days are commuting miles in heavy traffic where something can change in an instant. The ABS would allow me if the case arose, for me to concentrate fully on what is going on around me and not that subtle feel from my brake lever or pedal of impending lock up. 100% of my energy and focus can go to what is going on, and how best to avoid and get out of it.

My previous bike a FJR1300, I also got the ABS version, besides testing in a parking lot, I never engaged the ABS on that either. Still bought the ABS equiped VFR. It is a safety margin, just like an proper motorcycle jacket, I hope to never need it, but if I do I will be glad it is there and spend the money to make sure I have the proper equipment to mitigate the risks involved in motorcycling as much as possible.

for a track bike, I certainly would not get ABS, but for a bike you ride every day, or commute, or tour on -- it is a no brainer to me. What is the downside? The potential upside is HUGE. That one day you leave work a little distracted, and someone cuts you off... JUST BRAKE, as hard as you can, the bike takes care of the rest, now you can look for your escape if you need to.

On a tour and a little extra weight out back than you are used to, that will change the braking characteristics of the bike, no need to worry. Rarely have a passenger, but today you have one? No need to worry about braking in an ugly situation.

The ABS equiped bike is going to stop in a shorter distance than nearly any rider out there. I would bet BIG money, and I don't normally bet, that well over 99% of us will have shorter stopping distances with ABS if need be. Even if you have the sensitivity of a safe cracker in your hands and feet, the computer can still just cycle thru on and off much quicker than we can. And it isn't wearing gloves and boots, so it is much more sensitive.

 

Like anything else choose your own weapon and make the necessary adjustments. ABS and VTEC are great engineering and technical achievements, but are not necessarily needed by everyone. I am an old dude who is just used to things being a bit more manual and I need to have that feeling of control to feel safe. I do not use ABS in cars or bikes as I do not feel safe with something that wants to take over and tell me what to do (I can get a woman for that) or maybe the system will just fail anyway (along with the cost of maintenance and possible repair). If you are used to having ABS then it is a no brainer to me - get it. If you are like me and was brought up using non-ABS systems on cars and bikes then I say nope - just not necessary. I still have some misgivings about LBS (the only thing I do not like about the VFR and something I would change if I could)

 

Florida, you could have writen my thoughts for me. In my riding career I have locked up the front wheel twelve time (SLOW LEARNER?) On six of those times I came out unscathed but six I crashed. Some of those times were me being stupid in my younger years but most were shit happens events. The final deciding reason for getting my VFR was the ABS and LBS. It is just more forgiving and you only need it to save you once. Just check the price of VFR bodywork.