abs or non abs?

[x-kid]

I'm just about to order my new XV950 but i am having a tough time deciding if i should get the standard model or the 'R' spec. the seat, paint and shocks are different on the 'R' but the thing i am really struggling with is the ABS. It is fitted as standard to the 'R' and there is no option to remove it, where as the standard model doesn't have ABS at all.I know from a saftety point of view the ABS makes perfect sense, but, i was looking through the accessories booklet today and alot of the bits they offer are saying they can't be used with ABS equipped models, imparticular the spoke wheels can't be used, seeing as i really like them and was seriously considering buying them, i am now unsure which model to go for. Could i use the non ABS spoke wheels and just not have functioning ABS or doesn't it work that way? Just after a bit of advice on this before i order, and make a mistake. What would you guys go for?

Thanks

X-kid

[slice]

I always thought that the ABS could be disabled or turned off on most bikes, if it fails or has a fault then it reverts to a non abs version, same as your car, but not sure if it will be a MOT failure if you turn it off and it is supposed to be fitted, might be an idea to talk with your local garage and see what they say before you jump in.

[clarke]

If all else fails you can pull the ABS fuse to turn it off. Personally I'd get the ABS version, no harm having it... and I like the other 'r' differences

[x-kid]

i'm not against having ABS at all, in fact i quite like the idea of having it, my problem is that, yamaha are sayin that the spoke wheels that they make for the bike will only fit the standard model that doesn't have ABS, would i be ok to just pull the ABS fuse and fit the spoke wheels anyway?

[dt502001]

The way the MTO works here is if equiped it must work,other area's of concern would be if you got into a ccident and the insurance deemed the abs could have been benifical,and you knowing disabled it then who knows.

To my experience with ins co's they will try anything to not pay.

I had a quick look and sit on the bolt,but I didn't pay any attention to the ABS .What way are they decting the wheel speed.IE a reluctor ring,or through the wheel bearing,a pickup on the rotor? are the rims spoked to cast the same size? Armed with enough info it could be possible to make the spoked wheel work with the ABS.

If you pull the fuse you will be constantly looking at the ABS light,and ABS units do not like to be turned off for periods of time the pump and selonoides tend to stick.ABS is very expensive to fix if you have to replace the control unit,things like slightly worn wheel bearings can cause false modulation of the abs,IE you traveling at normal speed and the wheel is not locking up but the ABS thinks it is and go off and it actualy takes farther to stop.,when things like that happen the only way to fix it is to have a scan tool that can record and play live data to determin the cause. If the front and rear speed sensors dont agree with eachother then again false modulation.

In short ABS is a great thing when working properly for new riders who haven't mastered the art of breaking,unfortunatly it is still a fairly new thing in the evoloution of brakes. And has it's bugs still to be worked out As with any electical control system it has it's faults. Bottom line just more things to breakIMO

I have ridden bike's with ABS and don't like it at all.

1 you can't do endos( not that big a deal on the bolt)

2 hard breaking that might lift the rear cause the ABS to go off( again NBD on the bolt)

3 most are using a linked system wich dosen't alow you to ride the rear brake to set up the preload on the rear suspension entering a corrner

4 you have to ride in the way the bike wants you to ride itIE no drifting the back end out FT style,some won't even let you do a wheelie

5 AND the worst part I just don't "feel" in control,and I have no faith in a computer to not screw up when I need it the most.

[slice]

I'm with DT on this ABS is good but it's about having fun on the bike for me so if you want a commuter that gets you to work and home with no fuss then you have to have ABS but if you want to get a bit wild now and then it will stop you cos it's safe. Nothing wrong with safe but it's BORING !! Pull the fuse or put in a broken one and tape over the light till you get an MOT and enjoy your ride I say.

[lallasro]

if you ask me, take no abs model. abs is a good thing but not in all situation.

in a few years, maybe you will buy another bike, with no abs and you will act like you have abs. if on a car in not so big deal, for bikes can be deadly.

but ofcourse, the abs can save your life and bike in those few years

anyway, keep that in mind, the ABS will not save you is you use the brakes in corners and best situation to have ABS is in a wet road.

[x-kid]

Seems like the General consensus is go with out the abs, I believe the system works via a sensor ring on the wheelhub, one of my concerns is that should i ever need to replace the brake lever, will it cost more than a standard non abs lever, all stuff worth considering as I am planning to keep this bike quite a while.

[dt502001]

All abs units work with a sensor ring on the hub or special bearings that are magntized,if its using a pressed on tone stye ring vs a slotted ring bolted on then watch out for getting water under it and letting it freeze this casuse the tone ring to split and if you can only buy the tone ring with the wheel then you will be replacing the whole wheel.

Levers make no difference,I think if you look both bikes share the same braking system except the abs unit,tone rings and pick up sensors.

The abs unit sits mid way in the brake hoses and only controls the amount of pressure applied to the calipers,via the pick up siginal as long as the pick up is send info to the abs It does nothing when the pick up stops sending info the abs puter sences the whell locking up or about to it decrease the pressure and pulses the brakes,IMO a very uncomfortable feeling havin to trust a puter to stop me.

If you don`t have a car with abs get a fried who dose and let you drive in a parking lot and activate the abs,accomplished by slaming the brakes on and trying to skid the car wet pavement makes this easy,this will give you what it feels like to have abs on a bike.

Another note on abs the system is very sensitive to moisture contamination in the fluid,so fluid changes are very important. If your not able to do this yourself then more$$$ to spend yearly to have it serviced.I have chucked 3000 dollar units in the bin becaues the owner didn`t change the fluids.

I don`t know how long you`ve been riding but I have been riding way to long to switch to ABS now.

[x-kid]

Thanks for the info Dt502001, I've been riding for about 9 years, none of my previous bikes have had ABS,these range from a supermoto through to an R1, my car has ABS and it has activated once or twice, and I have to say it wasn't a good feeling in the car really,so god knows what it must feel like on two wheels!! Think I will just go with the non ABS model. The whole maintenance issue sounds potentially costly to.

[clarke]

My bike has ABS and I like it. Don't activate it that often (only twice), and it's much better than the front wheel locking up/slipping out under heavy braking...

[RatBob]

On 11/2/2013 at 12:55 AM, dt502001 said:

1 you can't do endos( not that big a deal on the bolt)

2 hard breaking that might lift the rear cause the ABS to go off( again NBD on the bolt)

3 most are using a linked system wich dosen't alow you to ride the rear brake to set up the preload on the rear suspension entering a corrner

4 you have to ride in the way the bike wants you to ride itIE no drifting the back end out FT style,some won't even let you do a wheelie

5 AND the worst part I just don't "feel" in control,and I have no faith in a computer to not screw up when I need it the most.

Lets weed out the facts from the BS shall we?

1. You shouldn't be doing endos on the road anyway. A stunt bike setup should be left in the hands of professional/serious stunters, not some have-a-go-henry. The reason it's illegal is because you lemmings would be all out doing it otherwise.

2. So what if the ABS goes off? Why are you braking so hard anyway? All you're doing is gouging your discs and riding like a twat. The ABS is there to save your stupid ass when you think you're such an expert rider that you can push past your limits on a public road.

3. ABS bikes do not have a linked system, the front and rear are still separate - CBS and LBS bikes do. You don't "preload" the suspension by using brakes, that's utter bollocks. The preload is a fixed setting based on the rider's weight, not some kind of action you perform. If you're on the brakes when you enter a corner you're a complete noob. Brake THEN corner.

4. So no riding like a twat? What a shame. You want to do stunts, do it on a stunt bike in a stunt ring and save the rest of us our insurance premium.

5. You don't feel in control? So your definition of "control" is a bike that will allow you to more easily put it in a situation where you can lose control? No, sorry but that is the biggest pile of utter bollocks I've ever read. You control a bike by countersteering, body shifting, throttle and clutch, not by braking like a lunatic so that you can pull off immature stunts on public roads that give bikers a bad reputation. ABS doesn't affect your ability to wheelie, either. If your bike isn't powerful enough to wheelie on the throttle then you shouldn't even be attempting it as a stunt in a controlled area, let alone on the bloody road.

ABS is there to save you on slippery roads and emergency situations. The research has been done and the technology works - just because some lawbreaking irresponsible berk thinks he knows best and he's the next Rossi doesn't change a thing.

[slice]

It's an "OPINION" ratbob we're all entitled to one you know, so saying people are twat's and that they are lemmings is not on mate, you can say what you like but stop telling folk what to do that's what the POLICE are for. Further to your other tirade on some of the other threads on here you seem bound and determined to be as sarcastic and nasty as you can be and to be honest it might be an idea for you to think that how you ride your bike is not perfect so stop giving advice about how these guys should ride, it's none of your business. But you are entitled to your opinion and as such give forth with your pearls of wisdom but stop calling folks names and your opinion might carry some weight.

[AndrewElvisFan]

Omfg rat you really are obsessed with your own opinions on absolutely everything aren't you? Can you really not accept that not everything is black and white and that sometimes there are shades in between. I'm not saying that you haven't made some valid points here and yes, endos on the main road is not in accordance with any Highway Code I've read BUT whats wrong with having a bit of fun every now and then on a bit of private land?

I am really interested in where your qualifications are and just how much experience you have in biking? I have very little so take advice from the experience of others on this forum - who by the way all seem to be very nice people and even if they have a difference of opinion do not resort to playground name calling at the first contrary statement.

For where I am reading it very much appears like you are just one if those people who likes to cause arguments for the sake of it. That either puts you in the age group of teenagers or a middle aged early retired professor/architect. Either which way yours is the only opinion that counts and you don't give a stuff about anyone else's.

I have only been on this forum for a few months but I have not seen any member being as objectionable as yourself. This is a happy forum and we do have differences of opinion every now and then but generalising and calling people twats just because they like to show boat occasionally and have a laugh?

This is obviously your second life and you have come back as a box of tampax you stuck up c***. Or to put it another way I don't think anyone is really interested in what you think here and maybe you should have been a blow job?

[dt502001]

Rat grow up,when you do and learn how to ride a real bike not some wind up toy I'll explain to you how to preload your suspension and why you do it.I'v got 40 years riding experience raced every type of track from Ice to Ashphalt and I'll ride any dam way I please if I get a ticket o well,but some how I have managed to not get one in over 20 years.No I am not rossi but I am a dam good rider and mechanic what you know about ABS is limited tothe pea sized brain you have along with your narow site

Your entitled to your opinion about ABS but caling members twits is not what this site is about I'm sure there are lots of places you can troll SO SHOVE OFF.

As you seem to get pleasure out of this I could care less what you think about anything post what you like but I won't be bothered to read anything you post,I ignore assholes like you everyday l have better things to do.

[Beezkneez]

Let's try to keep the personal insults out of the thread guys.

Cheers

[DirtyDT]

As Beezkneez says please.

I have had to lock one thread, I don't really want to lock another.

Thank you.

[AndrewElvisFan]

Apologies for hi jacking this thread to rant - I woke up ill and got rattled! I'll behave in future!

[Noise]

So um.........ABS right? Works good in a car, I my OPINION I don't like it on a bike (not that I've ridden a bike with ABS) but the jerking you get from the brake peddle in a cage would feel horrid going up your arm through your hand.

And ratBob........... Chill out, live a little purchase a sense of humor or something

[clarke]

ABS isn't too bad through the brake lever, bit weird at first but it is just some pulsing but if you know to expect it then no worries.

I've only had two instances on non-ABS bikes where ABS may have helped, one was rider fault when I was new to bigger bikes and locked up the rear in an emergency stop, the other was on my XVS 125 when a pedestrian stepped out in front of me without looking.

I wouldn't avoid buying a bike because it has ABS and going back to the original question doesn't the ABS bike come with better suspension (or I seem to remember different suspension on it??)