OzSTOC
Honda ST1100 Section => Brakes & Clutch ST1100 => Topic started by: AliSTair on September 01, 2015, 08:58:51 AM
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Hi all,
In my search for a bike that meets my needs and my budget I'm trying to decide on the merits of ABS. On one hand it seems like a great safety feature, but on the other hand I have read of so many problems with it and heard of many bikes that have disabled their system. Interested in your experiences as to whether this is the norm or the exception? Do most ABS systems on the ST1100 operate as intended, or are they generally plagued with problems?
Al
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I can only speak for mine and over the nine plus years I have had no issues with the ABS system and the bike is few km shy of 180,000. True, I have had the warning light come on a few times and after doing as advised in the manual (stop, turn motor off, restart, ride off and the light should go off within a few feet) the light has gone out. The last time it happened was a few weeks ago and the light didn't go out. It was also just after a front tyre change and a clean up around the RH fork seal (leaking) area due to an upcoming fork seal replacement.
A day or two later it was back to normal. The overnight temps got to about -2C and a few frosts during that time and I thought the cold might have caused one of the valves in the modulator to stick. Could have even been dirt on one of the sensors. Since then all back to normal. With any fault in the system it defaults back to non ABS braking and it's generally the cost of repair that most would maybe as you say "disable" the ABS.
Under normal usage the ABS is just a passive safety system and you may not even be aware that it activated when needed. Two possible times in nine years that it did kick in but I had no way of telling other than the wheels not locking up. The other thing you need to be aware of is that ABS on a bike isn't much good other than for straight line braking and depending on the road surface you may stop quicker or slower than a non ABS bike.
The 1100A also gets CBS (combined brakes) on 1996 and later models which is another issue for some people but not for me.
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Given Alan's experience with reliability, it comes down to whether you think it's worth having.
There are purists who say a skilled rider can do better than the ABS in stopping quickly on wet roads.
For most of us, the ability of the ABS to fill the gap between skill and need makes it worthwhile. If my reaction says "Grab all the brakes" then letting go and reapplying quickly isn't on the to-do list.
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My first ST was pre-abs model by choice, and I wrote it off in an incident where ABS would not have helped. In fact, if I had ABS, I probably would have hit the back of the car upright and gone over the top of it into other traffic. I was at fault, which I won't go further into, but having said that I think not having ABS in that situation actually probably saved me from more potential injuries and more serious ones at that. However, situations like that are very rare.
I would recommend to anyone with the choice to go with ABS, as even if it can play up, in the majority of situations of emergency braking, it will save you from hitting the deck. I'd even go as far to say that I doubt anyone could outperform stopping a non-ABS bike againtst one with it. Our reflexes and ability to release and re-apply brakes just don't come close.
As far as reliability goes, it's just like any other electro-mechanical device which can from time to time, throw up errors or fail in some way, but as a safety device, it has and will continue to save riders from going down the road. Choosing not to have ABS because of potential troubles would be akin to choosing a bike with carbies over one with EFI. Generally speaking anyway!
My current ST is ABS model, and any modern bikes I buy in the future will have ABS if they came with it. Not enough reason not to get one with it.
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ABS is a great confidence booster in hard braking situations, and I would not be without it.
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my first experience with ABS has been with the ST.
I have used ABS twice in an emergency ..... once my fault and one a dick went through a red light......thankfully I was watching him and had already started to slow but there was damp road surface and I believe had I not had ABS the front wheel (with my skill level) would have slid out from under.
I have been a bit rough on the sensor when changing the wheel and it still works perfectly.
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Realy experienced riders can compensate for not having ABS. Novices can have great benefits from it. I am not a great experienced rider but choose an CBR1000RR without ABS for weight/cost/complexity reasons and the CBR1000 forum in the US is full with horror stories about problems. If I dont push the bike to the limit I think I can live without ABS (and survive) but driving within the roadlimits (surface/wet) is the best bet.
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Pahhhh
Who needs ABS, the aim is to go, not stop.....
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You wear a helmet and protective gear. You wear a seatbelt in a car. Why not an extra tool that may help save you. If I had the choice I would always have it. Going is good but the ability to stop is your life.
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My cruiser (Yamaha 650 V-star) didn't have ABS and many times, no matter how much I practiced, I kept locking up the rear wheel in emergency stops in wet and dry. Brisbane traffic gave me plenty of practice.
On the ST1300 with ABS, the few occasions I have been forced into an emergency brake in the wet and dry, the bike has been able to be maneuvered out of harms way because I could brake and steer at the same time. You would have to be as good as MR Casey to achieve that without ABS.
Pan has over 114,000 km on it and I've had it since 42,000 km. No problems. The light comes on when you start it and goes off when you start moving.
My next bike will also have ABS.
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You wear a helmet and protective gear. You wear a seatbelt in a car. Why not an extra tool that may help save you. If I had the choice I would always have it. Going is good but the ability to stop is your life.
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Tyres, Brakes and Steering are three things I won't scrimp on. I'd I can't stop and turn, there is no point riding. I'm no Kamikaze.
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My wife's scooter didn't have ABS and in an emergency stop she locked up both wheels, dropped the bike, broke her shoulder and smashed her knuckle on the road. Result was Months of work and three major operations.
She wouldn't let me ride unless the bike had ABS.
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I have ridden a few differen bikes over the years. Now have a 1100. I have tried many times to get the ABS to operate. I don't seem to be able to stop that hard. Only time it's a bother is when doing slow turns and using the foot brake as both front and back come on. Took practice but I learnt that side as well.
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Only time it's a bother is when doing slow turns and using the foot brake as both front and back come on. Took practice but I learnt that side as well.
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That's not the ABS it's the Combined Braking System (CBS) system added to the 1100A from 1996.
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So why does it have the abs warning lights etc. I'm not saying your wrong. I'm just curious
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Cos it has ABS as well. ABS modulates the CBS under heavy braking to give maximum braking
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I own a 2000 ST1100 and a 2002 ST1100, both ex-police and both without ABS.
I was told that the police preferred the non-ABS model.
I have locked up the rear wheel on both bikes a few times and managed to stay upright. It's not a good experience and given the choice I would prefer ABS even though I have never had to do an emergency stop on a bike fitted with ABS.
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Thank you Brock. I was confused.
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I own a 2000 ST1100 and a 2002 ST1100, both ex-police and both without ABS.
I was told that the police preferred the non-ABS model.
I have locked up the rear wheel on both bikes a few times and managed to stay upright. It's not a good experience and given the choice I would prefer ABS even though I have never had to do an emergency stop on a bike fitted with ABS.
I've had several occasions to use ABS and a few of them in wet weather and never locked up a wheel and could steer around the hazard. One of them was a roo in the dark, where I braked so hard, I broke the handle bar weight on the left side with the weight of my left hand.
In my accident at Bellata, the ABS allowed me to steer away from the cab of the ute under extreme braking. I'm in no doubt I wouldn't be here without ABS. I would have locked up both wheels and slid under at 60 km/h.