ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: ut-zero on November 14, 2014, 11:48:00 PM
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Anybody have any experience with anti-lock brakes on a motorcycle? My last bike had a linked braking system which I liked (even though it probably gave me some lazy brake habits). Could older Zeros be retrofitted with the ABS from the 2015's? Would something like this aftermarket traction control braking kit (http://www.tcbbrakesystems.com/) be worthwhile?
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Yup. I've had ABS on my '07 FJR-1300 and my '08 SV-650
It's saved my ass several times. Once I had a car (in the rain) pull out in front of me and proceed to blow its engine, so it ground to a halt really quickly with no brake lights. I'd have eaten bumper with no ABS. Another time someone ran over a full quart jug of oil at an intersection, resulting in a huge puddle of fresh oil. Again, ABS kept me upright, and even it had a struggle to deal with that. I have lots more commuter-combat stories about ABS.
The videos don't play for me, but that TCB stuff sounds like hogwash.
I haven't seen the 2015 ABS on the Zero yet (even though I bought one) but there was big changes from my SV-650 w/o ABS to the model with ABS. They added non-flexible stainless steel brake lines inside the frame, and openings in the headstock for said lines, and they had to move things around to find a place for the hydraulic unit. It resulted in needing to remove the swingarm to get to the rear camchain tensioner on valve adjustments. Plus you need new wheels with the rotation encoders and new forks & swingarm with fittings for the encoder sensors.
I think adding ABS would be rather non-trivial. I'm sure it can be done, but it would be a complete bitch.
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Oh, and ABS was the trigger for buying my 2015... I would not commute daily on a bike w/o it now.
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and Oh2... linked braking is completely different from ABS. My SV didn't have linked braking even with ABS, and my FJR has a linked braking system where the rear brake applies the middle piston in the right front caliper, meaning that caliper has 2 bleeders and needs to be bled twice.
The Honda linked braking systems have a proportioning valve where pressure on the rear brake is partially transmitted to pressure on the front brakes.
I suck at rear brakes. I lock 'em up (or trigger the ABS) every time I use them. My boots are not very sensitive.
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That banjo bolt isn't all too great. I thought about it in the past to till I read this review.
http://www.thebikergene.com/modifications/product-review-traction-control-braking-systems/ (http://www.thebikergene.com/modifications/product-review-traction-control-braking-systems/)
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I have ABS on my R1200R but it 31,000 miles it has never done anything but add a little weight to my bike. ???
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ABS probably saved my life a few years ago, when a fifteen-year-old flew through a stop sign in front of my path of travel. It turned a high side into a stoppie, ensuring that I launched over the car and not into it. Not that I planned that in the 2 seconds I had to react...