Gregory D. Girard
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04/18/01 |
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James,
A new rider with questions about whether to
purchase and ABS-equipped motorcycle recently pointed me to your site's negative
comments about ABS. As someone who rides approx. 25K+ miles per year touring on
motorcycles (with my wife on here own bike), I was disturbed that your site
would provide mostly only reasons not to spend the money on this potentially
life-saving feature. I have read the comments on ABS on your page, including a
rather weak counterpoint. The idea that ABS brakes on a motorcycle offer
anything less than a dramatic safety and braking improvement are frankly
irresponsible and should probably be removed from the site. Inasmuch as the
anti-ABS comments appear in print and nicely formatted as if in a publication of
some merit, they become very misleading to new entrants. I would expect that in
hosting this site, you have considered excising your judgement with respect to
posting comments that contained bonafide non-sense. The anti-ABS comments
clearly qualify as bonafide non-sense.
Aside from dramatically lower accident rates on
motorcycles (primarily BMW) that utilize ABS (see Fatal Accident Reporting
Statistics - FARS), numerous controlled studies and regular public
demonstrations make it plain that ABS on a motorcycle is a potential lifesaver,
contributing more to preserving the life of the rider than any other equipment
modification. A comprehensive real-world study (see attached "No Fault Braking,
A Real-World Comparison of ABS Systems") goes far to make this point even with
early, somewhat primitive ABS systems on motorcycles. In fact, very recently
the Institute for Vehicle Safety in Munich,
Germany has come up with some significant findings in its investigation "Braking
as the Cause of Fatal Accidents" by Dr. Alexander Sporner (MOTORRAD, Vol. 13,
June 9, 2000). It concluded that in most
cases, incorrect braking is the reason for dropping the bike, that in 93% of the cases
analysed, a fall could have been
avoided by ABS and that 10% of all fatal
motorcycling accidents could be avoided if ABS were a standard feature on all
motorcycles. The new US motorcycle saftety agenda will also address this issue
among others.
On dry, smooth pavement in a straight line under perfectly controlled conditions with an expert rider, ABS (compared to conventional brakes) will add a few feet to a panic stop, and perhaps a few more feet to gravelly stops, though in all cases keeping the vehicle upright and in control. In the real world of course, things are more complicated and usually one is contstrained to using only a modest portion of braking force lest one produce a potentially deadly lock-up-topple sequence. The time intervals that are required to actively modulate braking force sufficient to maintain traction on a compromised road surface are far less than the human response time. Add to that circumstance the lack of reliable feedback as to the rotational speed of the tire with respect to the road surface, and human-controlled threshold braking becomes a task for a real-time computing element and sensors, not unlike the task of landing a jet in thick fog or guiding a missile on its couse. It can reliably be shown in field tests that regardless of operator skill, consistant anti-lock braking technique is simply not humanly possible using manual controls. Any arguments to contrary can be easily confirmed false in any local parking lot in which a panic stop test will very likely result in the non-ABS bike on dry or wet pavement crashing in efforts to modulate at braking threshold. In the real world, ABS-equipped bikes with an average skill rider can reliably bring a motorcycle to a dramatic, eyeball-popping stop every time, largely because a greater percentage of technical braking force can be applied without concern for lock-up. The computer ensures that neither the front nor rear wheel will skid - ever - and neither do they release more than necessary to just barely prevent a skid. So in even in most dry consditions, braking distance can be significantly shortened for most riders due to their being consistently able to freely apply available technical braking force. When one encounters sand, railroad tracks, and grass as occasional "road surfaces," the effects become particularly dramatic. On wet asphalt, for example, ABS still maintains optimal threshold braking, producing an abrupt, controlled stop on conditions that almost surely cause a skid if a similarly hard stop were attempted with conventional brakes. And as a result, under wet conditions the ABS bike sees braking distances consistantly reduced by at least by a third over conventional brakes. In the present year of 2001, BMW has introduced a new "EVO" power-assisted, integrated ABS braking system that can be reliably demonstrated to outstop virtually any other modern motorcycle braking system by as much as 20% or more. I have no affiliation with BMW in any way except as a sometime owner. However, my fondness for the BMW braking system's obvious technical merits does nothing to change the facts at hand: motorcycles with ABS are a much less risky proposition mile for mile than any other type of motorcycle. In consideration of the above, it seems to me that posting irresponsible or misleading information is contrary to the mission and hard work you put into this otherwise very informative site. My objection is not to the free expression of opinion, but more to the disemination of information that is just plain wrong and that can potentially lead a marginally informed novice away from the safest choice. Thank you for taking the time to read this note and good luck with you web site. Regards, Greg Girard Beverly, Massachusetts | |
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Julian Del Beato
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10/27/99 |
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James, You talk about the pros and cons of ABS on bikes. Your research relating to ABS experiences on cars is relevant, I believe, however I think that there is at least one major difference. Stopping distances on surfaces such as gravel have shown to have been increased for ABS-equipped cars. This is due to a gravel “dam” being built up in front of the wheels of non-ABS cars, when its wheels are locked. This situation cannot apply to bikes, for lockup is much more serious on a bike than a car. This is where ABS is an advantage: you can be confident about applying maximum braking force on surfaces you aren’t confident on. Most riders can’t do that on non-ABS bikes.
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