ABS kicking in too early

[Tim]

Does anyone else find the ABS on the DLThou kicks in a bit early?

I've had a few occasions, when I've been "making progress", braking into tight corners the ABS kick in, it feels like I've let off the brakes. Has anyone else found this?

Tim

[Roadrocket]

Not as of yet, although I tend to use engine braking and set up the right gear when taking a bend. The brakes are very sharp so I can easily see the abs would come on quite easily

[Blade]

The abs kicks in too soon on the rear brake I find, had no problems with the front.

[greywolf]

It's too much brake rather than too early ABS. Braking while turning puts the wheel under centripetal force as well as gravitational force so it is easier for the tyre to skid, ergo easier to activate the ABS. You can't use as much brake as you can going straight.

If your definition of "too soon" is sooner than you want or expect, then it activates too soon. If you change your definition to activating when it detects a difference in wheel speed between the front and rear, it activates just right.

[Tim]

Greywolf, I've had a few bikes with abs, this is the only one I've thought "shit! No brakes!" As the abs kicked in coming up to a corner. Maybe it is trying to lock the front under less braking force than I would expect.

[greywolf]

Were you getting a front lever activation? Many people who feel the rear pedal activation get off both brakes because they developed their braking reflexes for non ABS brakes. ABS needs to be handled differently and the brakes not be released. If the tyre hits a slippery patch, you get that no brakes feeling with ABS but you're down without it. Have you practiced stop after stop? Lots of braking practice should be put in on any new bike.

Also, most other bikes aren't as tall and don't shift as much weight to the front and off the rear. That may be part of the difference in feel. It's best to finish braking before the turn and accelerate through the turn.

[Tim]

Yes the lever vibrates and loses feel. I've had a couple of 1150GS's with ABS, I never had the ABS interfere on them, including a track day at cadwell park. On the BMW system when I tried grabbing the brakes to try it I was amazed at how quick it stopped, with the vstrom I'm also amazed but with how much it let's off the brakes.

I'm not trail braking, this is coming up to the corner in a straight line before turning in. I admit it's usually when I'm pressing on. I've ridden 10's of thousands  of miles and owned over 40 bikes and never had any problems with braking into corners.

[frez]

What tyres are on the bike? The only reason I ask is when I had my wee the ABS would come in pretty often with spirited riding, especially if the road had any imperfections, this was cured when I changed to decent tyres.

[Blade]

I know the front brakes on the new model are completely different, but are the rear ones the same? The original vee would lock the rear far too easily, in town for example when a car decides to pull in to a parking space but does,nt bother with an indicator, an enthusiastic prod on the back brake would produce a squeal from the tyre. I think some testing of the front is in order for me. The problem is there is so much engine braking that I hardly need to use them, but when I do I have had no abs kicking in.

[Jacko]

I've had a few occasions, when I've been "making progress", braking into tight corners the ABS kick in, it feels like I've let off the brakes. Has anyone else found this?

Tim

I had this on my Glee to begin with, apparently asking for some emergency braking power, only to be met with the abs providing you with no braking power at all, so it feels like you've let off the brakes, is quite normal. It scared the shit out of me though. I now ride accordingly, I don't like the abs on my Glee and I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

I never had any instances on my previous sportsbikes where something chiming in and robbing me of power would have helped me at all, I like the predictability and feel at the lever of conventional brakes. I've even locked fronts before, but they were predicable, and I was still decelerating, you can feel at the lever when a wheel is about to lock with good brakes, can't feel anything at the lever on the Glee, you just get a 'no' from the computer and momentarily freewheel into pending disaster. Hate it.

[Tim]

What tyres are on the bike? The only reason I ask is when I had my wee the ABS would come in pretty often with spirited riding, especially if the road had any imperfections, this was cured when I changed to decent tyres.

I'm still running the standard fitment battlewings. They seem grippy enough when cornering,  I run out of ground clearance before grip. Having said that accelerating out does make the traction kick in.

[frez]

Maybe get it checked out by the dealer. You may find it goes away with a change of tyre though, it did for me on the 650.

[bosnjo]

Emergency braking yesterday on dry tarmac (straight line). Both brakes fully engaged and ABS kicked in on both. Knowing I had ABS I was very confident on braking fully and not being worried how much brakes to apply to avoid skidding.

[vstroman]

I've had a few occasions, when I've been "making progress", braking into tight corners the ABS kick in, it feels like I've let off the brakes. Has anyone else found this?

Tim

I had this on my Glee to begin with, apparently asking for some emergency braking power, only to be met with the abs providing you with no braking power at all, so it feels like you've let off the brakes, is quite normal. It scared the shit out of me though. I now ride accordingly, I don't like the abs on my Glee and I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

I never had any instances on my previous sportsbikes where something chiming in and robbing me of power would have helped me at all, I like the predictability and feel at the lever of conventional brakes. I've even locked fronts before, but they were predicable, and I was still decelerating, you can feel at the lever when a wheel is about to lock with good brakes, can't feel anything at the lever on the Glee, you just get a 'no' from the computer and momentarily freewheel into pending disaster. Hate it.

I totally agree,I hate abs,I can't understand how it's supposed to be this great safety aid,it robs me of powerfull brakes just when they are most needed,erhh no thanks!!

[Timmo]

I would like to see some ABS testing again. When it first came out on bikes no one believed it was a better braking system, then the trials and figures where released! And it looked like the difference between life and death.

[frez]

If you don't like the abs you can always pull the abs fuse, or perhaps replace it with a duff one so if you do crash you are not held responsible for having disabled the abs.

I didn't much like the way the wee abs cut in on the crap oem tyres. It seemed to take a long time to cycle, and its not like the brakes were brilliant to start with. The S10s system feels light years ahead. The couple of times I have had it cut in it has been barely noticeable.

[bosnjo]

I would like to see some ABS testing again. When it first came out on bikes no one believed it was a better braking system, then the trials and figures where released! And it looked like the difference between life and death.

Take a look at this:

[Timmo]

Bosnjo  just as I suspected a great rider like myself does not need ABS, just a lot of body parts.  

[iansoady]

I would like to see some ABS testing again.

Some here: http://www.bikesafer.com/abs.html

[Timmo]

Like all of us I am always ready for an emergency stop but, have not been practicing them and will now.Its a good article especially the Steve Munden bit. Thanks