Could you describe what is felt if anything at the rear brake pedal or the front brake lever when the ABS kicks in? I am very interested in having ABS on my next bike, but I have never rode a bike with ABS.
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Question For Bandit Owner With ABS Brakes
- Thread starter WMU_BRONCO
- Start date
Ever felt the ABS engage in a car? It feels like that.
Slight pulsating on the peg and lever, nothing overly dramatic...
trey
It took a little do'ing, but after a few attempts to lock it up on a gravel road (I mean, it ain't easy for a street rider to intentionally lock up the wheels at speed on dirt & gravel), I finally did......
I'm still not convinced I actually DID engage the ABS. Why?
Because it was just so, sooo seamless. All the bike did was come to a stop, in a straight line, no drama. So here I am, two months and 4,000 miles later, still have the ABS decals on the bike, and I wonder if my ABS is actually working.... or not.
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The servo operated ABS on my 2001 BMW engaged all the time, when I didn't want it to. I ended up running much lower psi than I wanted; my ABS didn't engage as often and the tires warmed and stuck real well to the tarmac, but tire life was short.
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I would say the Japanese took something good, improved upon it, and stuck it on my Suzuki. And they charged me $1500 less than what I paid the Germans for something that wasn't as seamless......
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It was a no brainer for me.
I'm still not convinced I actually DID engage the ABS. Why?
Because it was just so, sooo seamless. All the bike did was come to a stop, in a straight line, no drama. So here I am, two months and 4,000 miles later, still have the ABS decals on the bike, and I wonder if my ABS is actually working.... or not.
---------------------
The servo operated ABS on my 2001 BMW engaged all the time, when I didn't want it to. I ended up running much lower psi than I wanted; my ABS didn't engage as often and the tires warmed and stuck real well to the tarmac, but tire life was short.
--------------
I would say the Japanese took something good, improved upon it, and stuck it on my Suzuki. And they charged me $1500 less than what I paid the Germans for something that wasn't as seamless......
-------
It was a no brainer for me.
rich765
0
I have an 08 and put around 1k on it so far. I did a few of my own test on dry pavement. At around 50 MPH I applied more than enough force that would result in full lock up of both wheels on any traditional non-abs bike. You really don't get much if any feedback at all to the lever or the pedal. I've been riding 25 years and know I would have a hard time competing with ABS on a controlled course . As far as competing with ABS in the real world or on wet pavement, impossible!
I braked so hard that I thought it would kick in, but I haven't felt it yet.
You guys are having a hard time telling if it's even engaging? Mine is smooth, but you can definitely tell when it's starting to cycle...
Get up to about 70mph on a deserted stretch of road, clamp down, and just keep squeezing until you feel the pulsating in the lever. It's very noticeable...
trey
Get up to about 70mph on a deserted stretch of road, clamp down, and just keep squeezing until you feel the pulsating in the lever. It's very noticeable...
trey
My friend has a 2008 BMW F800ST. He said he has not triggered the ABS on the front yet, but did on the rear. He said it just felt like the pedal dropped away (about an inch) momentarily. I have read several articles on Honda ABS which indicates they have a very good system, but Honda doesn’t sell a bike in the U.S. in my price range that interests me.
Some of the bikes I like are the SV650, Bandit 1250, Honda 919, Kawasaki Z750, Kawasaki EN650, Yamaha FZ1, and FZ6. Of all the bikes I like only Suzuki offers ABS. I also like my friends F800ST, but it is more than I am willing to spend on a bike.
What I like about the Bandit 1250 is that it is a really good looking bike. I also have read articles about the low end power, the low vibration due to a counterbalance shaft, and the well mapped fuel injection. I would like better fuel economy, but 42-46 mpg is actually pretty good for a 1250cc bike. I have read that the fuel injection on the FZ1and FZ6 is not well mapped and is real snatchy.
I won't be looking to buy until next spring, so I have a lot of time to think about it. I really do appreciate all of the input that I have been receiving from all you folks on this forum.
Some of the bikes I like are the SV650, Bandit 1250, Honda 919, Kawasaki Z750, Kawasaki EN650, Yamaha FZ1, and FZ6. Of all the bikes I like only Suzuki offers ABS. I also like my friends F800ST, but it is more than I am willing to spend on a bike.
What I like about the Bandit 1250 is that it is a really good looking bike. I also have read articles about the low end power, the low vibration due to a counterbalance shaft, and the well mapped fuel injection. I would like better fuel economy, but 42-46 mpg is actually pretty good for a 1250cc bike. I have read that the fuel injection on the FZ1and FZ6 is not well mapped and is real snatchy.
I won't be looking to buy until next spring, so I have a lot of time to think about it. I really do appreciate all of the input that I have been receiving from all you folks on this forum.
I may or may not have felt the ABS engage.....
I was on a bumpy road with gravel, broken croncete, and dirt. All the bucking and bouncing was offset by the fact that the bike simply came to a straight line stop. I may take her up to speed on the tarmac for an ABS assisted stop, but I have difficulty bringing myself to intentionally scrub that much rubber off my tires; I guess I'm cheap that way.
I was on a bumpy road with gravel, broken croncete, and dirt. All the bucking and bouncing was offset by the fact that the bike simply came to a straight line stop. I may take her up to speed on the tarmac for an ABS assisted stop, but I have difficulty bringing myself to intentionally scrub that much rubber off my tires; I guess I'm cheap that way.
Fittysom’n
Since I retired 4-1/2 years ago I also watch my money. You are not cheap….you are just thrifty…and that’s a good thing.
It's pretty obvious it's engaged when you can't purposely lock the wheels. I have tried a few times and it works flawlessly...
The Bandit's brakes aren't the sharpest around and with sticky tyres on a dry, grippy road surface it will really take some effort to bring the front close enough to locking for the ABS to cut in. It's possible to brake far harder than most people realise in good conditions so some owners hoping to test their ABS may simply not be trying hard enough. So I wouldn't say it's obvious at all.
Picking a looser surface where lock-up would be easier to achieve isn't necessarily a good idea for testing either, as road bike ABS is intended to work on tarmac so may not be sensitive enough to save the day on gravel.
Some interesting 1250 ABS videos, scroll down about half way:
http://www.raptorsandrockets.com/Reviews/2007_Suzuki_Bandit_1250.htm
http://www.raptorsandrockets.com/Reviews/2007_Suzuki_Bandit_1250.htm
GREAT STUFF, thanks for the link to those videos!
Yeah those videos are I think from the Suzuki UK site, I found them here recently:
http://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/extra/detail.php?id=000057
While I do not ride a Bandit but a ABS Wee - I definitely made sure to go and try out ABS in first 200 miles of bike ownership. I wanted to know the sensation, both in front and back, so I do not get extra freaked out if it comes on in an emergency (and then makes me do something stupid).
I'd definitely suggest you put it to a test. School parking lot on Sunday type of thing.
It's amazing how fast the bike can stop if you really get on it without the worry of skid.
http://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/extra/detail.php?id=000057
While I do not ride a Bandit but a ABS Wee - I definitely made sure to go and try out ABS in first 200 miles of bike ownership. I wanted to know the sensation, both in front and back, so I do not get extra freaked out if it comes on in an emergency (and then makes me do something stupid).
I'd definitely suggest you put it to a test. School parking lot on Sunday type of thing.
It's amazing how fast the bike can stop if you really get on it without the worry of skid.
rich765
0
Frito, what type of undertail do you have ? I'm in the market for one and that one looks pretty nice from here 
Oh I just read it. it's chopped?
Oh I just read it. it's chopped?Yep, tin snips and a Dremel.
Yep, I test mine out fairly regularly just to keep familiar with the feeling, just in case...
Like Sproggy said, a loose surface may be easier to get it to engage, but if you're on loose gravel and grab a ton on front brake, but ABS gets pretty hectic. You can tell the computer was programmed for pavement and not really loose surfaces...
The rear doesn't seem to mind too much on the loose stuff, or at least it doesn't throw you around, so try stabbing the rear pedal if you just want to make sure it works.
trey
W
windman
Guest
As for engaging the ABS, the rear wheel is easy to fell, just go at 30 mph and lock the rear wheel and you will see the ABS operate.Indeed to lock up the front wheel under ABS you need to go very hard on dry pavement.
It happened to me 2 times on very rough asphalt (pot hole) to have the ABS going wild at a point that it took an eternity to stop, It look like I had a broken brake line.
It happened to me 2 times on very rough asphalt (pot hole) to have the ABS going wild at a point that it took an eternity to stop, It look like I had a broken brake line.
Never had it engage. Get a small pulsating feeling in the brake handle sduring normal riding. It will probably go away after I break the bike in more.
Yesterday, on a dry road with no traffic, at an indicated 76 mph, I stomped on my ABS assisted brakes. I did it again, again, and again again. And I'm compelled to go out and give it another go.
I learned that it's not easy to NOT let up on the brake levers while braking/slowing to a stop. In fact, I returned to the clean white concrete, where I initiated my stop, to look for hints of pulsing burned rubber. I didn't see anything obvious.... maybe that one strip of black that was there.... I don't know. On the other hand, it may have been at that clean strip of concrete (over the bridge) where the signal from my cranium started firing those synapsesess to brake, but it may have been inches/feet/yards later that my hand/foot finally stomped on the levers.
None the less, YEAH! go out and try it if you have ABS. If you don't have ABS, be sure your insurance is paid up and your body armor/helmet are up to snuff (or go ahead and continue to think that yer skills are better than some dang fangled 'puterized brake assist.....).
I learned that it's not easy to NOT let up on the brake levers while braking/slowing to a stop. In fact, I returned to the clean white concrete, where I initiated my stop, to look for hints of pulsing burned rubber. I didn't see anything obvious.... maybe that one strip of black that was there.... I don't know. On the other hand, it may have been at that clean strip of concrete (over the bridge) where the signal from my cranium started firing those synapsesess to brake, but it may have been inches/feet/yards later that my hand/foot finally stomped on the levers.
None the less, YEAH! go out and try it if you have ABS. If you don't have ABS, be sure your insurance is paid up and your body armor/helmet are up to snuff (or go ahead and continue to think that yer skills are better than some dang fangled 'puterized brake assist.....).
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I've found it easy to engage them... just clamp down on both brakes. When I took the Exp. Rider Course in July, I was consistently making the best controlled-stop times because of the ABS; everyone else had to feel out the grip point to keep for skidding, but I'd just grab the front brake lever and push hard on the rear brake pedal. There's a mild pulsing sensation (it freaked me out the first time I did it, on the road), but it's surprisingly smooth and easy to control. For what it's worth, I want ABS (and fuel injection!) on any bike I purchase from now on.
