Manditory ABS on Motorcycles

[GiG]

Feds may mandate another Motorcycle "Safety" Law:

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100506/AUTO01/5060456/1361/Group-calls-for-mandatory-ABS-brakes-on-motorcycles

[dreamaker]

I think we need to put more junk on our bikes. We need heated grips and heated seats and 5.1 surround sound. I think we need more people that don't ride bikes tell up what we need and how to ride our bikes. I have had my endorsement for  ever, I understand now you can go to the collage and on two sessions can get an endorsement. That is allot of riding experience.  Guess my point is I don't understand the point of ABS . Most of the people that I know that have been in accidents were either T-boned or rear ended. I guess if they would have had ABS it wouldn't have happened to them.

Dan

[solo1]

I think that it's a classic case of figures don't lie but liars figure.

The government is just trying to have more control over the sport.  I seriously doubt that those statistics are true.  It would depend on many factors, time of day, conditions, operators skill, drivers distractions (cell phones, texting) etc.  Besides, ABS on a motorcycle only works great going straight when braking.  We also know that we should brake hard only when straightened up.  The ones that don't know this, will get in trouble no matter what.

[MP]

Hey, Obama and the progressives want to control EVERYTHING.  This is one more example.

MP

[highcountry]

Not to get into the politics, but I have linked ABS brakes on my FJR1300a and they are truly awesome.  I would love to have the same on my Valk.  On the second generation FJR like mine, ABS became a standard feature.  I see that many bikes have ABS offered as an option for usually around $1000 which is ridiculous.

[alph]

Hey, Obama and the progressives want to control EVERYTHING.  This is one more example.

MP

And those people that wanted free government health care are the ones that will hate it when their double cheese burger has a “fat tax” to help pay for the free health care assisted heart bypass surgery.  And then there’s the required helmet law!  Don’t worry about your state forcing you to wear a helmet!  The feds will do it for them!!!

Like it or not, you are property of the state, if you want the state to take care of you!

[Gear Jammer]

Hey, Obama and the progressives want to control EVERYTHING.  This is one more example.

MP

Like it or not, you are property of the state, if you want the state to take care of you!

Amen

[PhredValk]

Seeing as maybe 3% of riders are aware of, and have practiced 'threshhold braking' on their bikes (who takes time to practice stopping? My bike is for GOing!) this might be a good idea. At least for rear wheel braking; how many have actually locked up the front wheel? How many bikes CAN lock up the front?
Just sayin.
Fred.

[larryh0841]

I believe it is the rider and not the brakes that contribute to the crash in most cases.  How many times have you heard a rider say "I had to lay it down" in an attempt to avoid hitting something in front of them?  What they really mean is they lost control of the bike when they locked up the rear wheel and it went down.  Anti-lock brakes would help these people to avoid this occurance. 

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

For most riders anti-lock would be a plus. But on a dual sport anti-lock could keep your brakes from working at all if you are off-road where your tires are constantly sliding. The same with riding a valk at higher speeds on gravel roads.

On short wheelbase bikes such as the Ducati Monster the bike will endo forward and drive your head into the pavement long before those sticky front tires lose their grip.

Also, for those like me who push the engine against the rear brake at ultra-slow speeds to stabilize the bike (technique taught in “Ride like a pro”) the linked brakes could create the same situation as using your front brake when coming to a stop with the bars turned.

The bottom line to me is that a system that can be turned on and off by the rider would be the way to go and mandatory use would only make older bikes more valuable and bureaucrats jobs more secure.

[Momz]

OK, lets stop blaming Obama for wanting ABS on motorcycles.

Blame the insurance companies that lie about how ABS will save lives, blame the marketing engineers that try to convince the manufacturers that customers want it, blame riders themselves that don't practice panic braking.

I've worked for several Automotive Suppliers in my career that thought that the M/C market might be extremly lucretive. One company experimented with "lane intrusion" devisives built into the mirrors. Another company experimented with a system that would cut all electrical power in case of extreme shock loads ( collision, pot hole or an off pavement jolt).

Insurance companies are some of the biggest bunch of liars that the fine Americans listen to.
Several years ago in MI we almost  passed a "hemets optional" law. But AAA's lobbyists claimed that 80% of all MI motorcyclists would suffer a fatal accident within the first two years of that bill passing (?). They claimed that in the states surrounding MI,... OH, IND, and  WI had literally piles of dead motorcyclists littering there road sides.

Please don't panic and allow idiots to rule your lives. Join tyhe AMA, ABATE, and the MRF and get involved. Write your Senators and ZRepresentatives, just get involved.

[Scanner]

 

It's just a way for them to raise rates on all the bikes without ABS.  Golden Rule - them with the gold make the rules.

[Big IV]

My Dad's GW has a linked brake system.

Law doesn't matter because I doubt it will effect my 1998 tourer.