We’ve just published an article about ABS on sports-bikes. Those who’ve seen the tests with the new ABS Fireblade will know it’s about more than just safety…
I have to say, if ABS works for Ferrari, Lambo etc then why not on bikes. Just not on supermotos OK!!!
My next bike the Honda Silverwing has ABS as standard.
The Honda 600rr was significantly slower than the other 600’s in a receent group test (attributed, rightly or wrongly, to the additional weight of ABS) and many of the journos who have tested it didn’t like it. Don’t have ABS on my fun car either, no need.
ABS is best left to family cars and vans 
I’ve never understood why ABS systems can’t be less intrusive to appease the ‘sportier’ driver/rider. Surely if one has already locked up the front and kept it like that for a quarter of a sec, then perhaps only then ABS should kick in?
My CBF600’s got ABS on, and to be honest it’s one of the things that made me get it over say an SV650.
The ABS ssystem does, add weight to the bike though, which I’m sure the die hard power rangers will want to avoid like the plague!
ABS saved my skin on the motorway earlier this week so it gets a thumbs up from me. Anyway, as the article states most of us are riding on the public roads and are not Rossi or Stoner so what the heck.
At least though we all still have an option for now. Afterall you don’t have to have it fitted to your track bike if you’re concerned about weight.
+1 from me. I’m all for safety innovations. If it stops me from chewing tarmac I’m happy.
Can you still do stoppies on an ABS bike? what happens if you are modulating the front brake and then it cuts in for some reason…
Obveously not applicable to the “advanced” riders out there but just wondering…
what a load of tosh ! 
the journo’s are a bunch of prima donnas who have to churn out copy for their living, their views are practically irrelevent to the average user, and if you honestly think that the weight of ABS is going to make a major difference to the performance of your bike then leave space in the tank when you fill it,and empty your bowels/bladder before getting on it , that’ll even things out
There is nothing wrong with ABS. I have it on my current bike, and in 3 years and nearly 30K miles I can only remember three occasions when it cut it. And all of them were on wet roads.
On all occasion it did its job, and I stay up right. If I was a highly rider and wanted to do a track day I could always remove the fuse for the ABS unit. That way I would have the best of both worlds.
And my next bike will definitely have it, because it deals with situations that 99.999% of all riders couldn’t.
They said the same about linked brakes…but I got used to them within a few miles when I bought the 'bird, why do people whinge about things that could make life safer for them ? Surprised ya dont all want “cork” lids as they are lighter than the new fangled spangly things, why do ya want heavy old sliders when gaffer tape was good enough for Roberts et al to use while racing…Its called progress 
+1
Modern sportsbikes are way more capable than 99% of their riders and on the road can’t be ridden to the max anyway. Bleating about the weight of ABS is the kind of bulls**t spouted by riders whose ego is more developed than their skills.
How do you know ? I have very little regard for anything bike journalists write but the 600rr was the slowest bike and was the only one with ABS and weighed a fair bit more than the rest . . . so just as the LB article made some assumptions so did the journalist writing that review.
If you want to argue with the review then prove it wrong, don’t just make another assumption
To be honest don’t like it and don’t want it.
Only really bad accident I’ve had in a car (on its roof) was cus of intermittent fault with ABS.
Have it on my normal car but would take it off if I could and it’s not on my fun car.
Wouldn’t want the extra weight on a sportsbike but if someone gave me a Honda CBR600rr with it on I suppose I wouldn’t look them in the mouth.
Not an issue I’m going to get all upset about though, just not worth it.
I don’t know, you are right, but then neither do you if you really think that 2or so kilos extra is going to make the difference, then I’m not going to try and change your mind, but in the real world it is going to make NO difference, there could be many different reasons as why a bike will be slower than the competition, are you really going to suggest that a bit of alloy hanging off the frame is the cause? as to proving the review wrong? LMAO! I’ll just wait for the next installment, then history would suggest that the fastest bike in the test will be the new tests dog
the cbr is dog slow in stock trim with or without ABS compared to the competition.
stirling road bike by all acounts and superb build quality unlike some of the quicker 600’s.
i’m not particularly pro or anti abs…but if it means less flowers piled on roadsides then who’s to argue?
On the CBR600rr it’s 11Kg, that’s almost 15 litres of fuel. I’d wait until they have refined it a bit further and the MkIII is available, should be very good and only add maybe 3Kg which would be a good trade off.
ABS on track cars has never taken off but I’m not sure anybody has put as much effort into it as Honda has for the CBR’s.
or you could just buy one of the opposition ! as to ABS on track cars? what has that got to do with anything? ABS is not an aid for racing , it is an aid for those unexpected things that occur, the slippery patch before the junction, the car that pulls out on you in the wet, and even then it may not help… I’m sorry but sometimes I think people get a bit too precious about their “sports bikes” if you want to race, then go on the track, Her Majesty’s highways are not the place for that sort of attitude…I really do have a hard time understanding why people knock safety aids like ABS , that only activate under extreme duress, if you or anyone on this forum really think that you need the edge that saving less than 10% on the weight of a road bike gives, then I would suggest to you that you really shouldn’t be on the roads 
I don’t like the idea of ABS as the systems are not equal. I’ve had a couple cars with ABS and the performance of the systems were totally different.
On my old Volvo you could slam on the brakes and it would deal with the skidding fine and come to a very abrupt halt. If you put on the power gradually with a proper technique it would stop far faster and the ABS wouldn’t interfere unless the car was skidding badly. You’d be hard pushed to know the ABS was there till you made a big mistake.
The ABS on my current car, a Vauxhall Vectra is too invasive and kicks in at the slightest hint of a skid. Even with bigger, better tyres and lighter weight, it takes abit longer to stop than my old car. As a system to let you steer while braking its flawless but if you want to stop in the shortest space of time, its not as good as a non-abs or my old volvo.
What worries me is the performance of these relatively new ABS systems for motorbikes. How well will they perform and will they degrade in time? I don’t fancy testing their ‘on the limit’ ability during a test ride demo bike without properly bedded in brake pads and the risk of binning it etc. So for now I don’t trust them.
Also this is probably unwise and bad practise, but I like the ability to lock up the rear wheel. I’ve had low speed front slides on a loose surface which I saved by locking up the rear wheel, which resulted in the front regaining grip. You can’t do that with ABS.
ABS in the long term probably will be wise for all but I’m not going to try it quite yet.