Ok guys n gals, seriously looking at swapping the trusty steed for a 61 plate blade with CABS. At the moment it all depends on the trade in value on mine but I was wondering if any of you guys know of any issues with the ABS model, how do they ride, handle, brake? Is it much the same or are there something's I need to be aware of? Your honest opinions would be much appreciated! If the deal goes thru then pictures will be posted up very soon!!
I have the ABS version mate and I have not had any problems at all. Braking wise it's just the same as the standard version but with the added knowing that it will do the job if need be. When it does kick in you don't feel any pulsing at the Lever.
I've not noticed the abs, but isn't that the point? The only issue is the limited rear hugger's available and under the rear arch doesn't look as good.
More and more hugger are being made available now though. My biggest gripe would be the cost of braided brake lines because of the number of lines in the system.
There is the abs issue that seems to only happen in a few models. Not sure if there was a recall or not. also very limited to rear sets. I will be looking for an abs equiped blade next though so dont let it put you off
I've had no ABS issues with mine. The standard hugger is fine if you don't carry a pillion, I've done 6k in the last year no problems at all.
I think the cabs is great; as long as it works properly. I think most people enjoy trouble free riding, but there are also quite a few reported failures & "quirks" to the system. I'm having problems with mine & I know that once out of warranty the "trial & error" fixes are very costly; this together with expensive maintenance would put me off buying cabs again. I suspect that over the next few years we will see quite a few cabs being stripped out & people converting to conventional setups. Make sure you get a good warranty & test the system thouroughly before it expires.
IMO, the ABS issue is far more worrying than the perceived oil issue which a lot of people rant about.
Great.....................some cupid stunt bought the bike while I was discussing the option to put a deposit down on the bike. It had only been on show from 0900 this morning and was sold at 10.15.................gutted but.................plenty more fish in the sea and probably go for a non ABS model. Thanks for the heads up.....................PS, wont be buying from that showroom...
You need to look on here mate TILLSTON MOTORCYCLES - Stockton-On-Tees - UK - Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda Motorcycles They have 3 craking used blades in at the moment and they are not too far away either
I don't have ABS so don't have to worry about any issues and my brakes work fine! I'm not dissing the system as it's clearly fantastic but it does come with the extra weight, lots of pipes and limited options on fitting extras and it's not really used most of the time. Unless I want to seriously reduce my lap times on track, where I've got to the point that it can only come from braking..... I'll stick with my trusty right hand and foot for now
I have abs repsol there is no way I would buy a bike without abs you can bang the brakes on at over 100mph and the bike does not lock up which on a standard bike would.on wet roads its good on the track it,s unbelievable as you can leave your braking to the last possible moment and no lock up it just sorts out your braking effort and transfers it,it does tend to wear the rear pads after heavy track use but that's small beer compared to the advantages,oh and you can not fit the repsol hugger as it does contact especially if your commute to work involves a few wheelies over humps in the road
A highly skilled racer can brake harder and later without abs so for the track i would say its just about pointless especially when you add the extra weight, but its on the road where the system really works
Thanks guys, much appreciated. It's now looking like a choice between a 59 plate with colour coded hugger, seat pod, dbl screen, alarm and approx 1900 miles ( its never been used!) and an 11 plate, no hugger, or pod with approx 5000 miles. Not sure if the trade off on an older bike with no warranty stacks up against the 11 plate as its only £400 cheaper! What would you guys do / suggest?
It would be the 59 plate then. If its from a dealers then they would at least put a 3 month parts and labour warranty on it as standard.
I agree that in an emergency braking situation, its got to be good to have. But to counter that a little: In nearly 30 years of riding, I have never locked the front brake (without meaning to). The cabs has a detached feel at both levers; disarm it & see the difference. Its the cabs ecu deciding how much bracking effort you can have, not you; its "idiot proofing". The rear brake has two positions. The first part of travel is supposed to give normal rear only braking; the second part brakes the front too. In reality, the first part of travel has little effect, so you push down harder & end up with front trying to do an emergency stop! I do like the way the application of the front brake also adds some rear; you can feel this working & it seems to work well. I hope we don't end up with a generation of new riders who don't have any braking feel because they are just relying on the ecu to take care of it. It does have reported failures; I can't say how many compared to how many cabs bikes there are, but the failures are similar & appear to happen under similar conditions. You only need to experience the failure once for it to mess with your head. Even under warranty, there are reports of dealers failing to find a fix. Ongoing maintenance will get more & more expensive; try just bleeding it or changing the lines! Check the price of a new modulator (the first part dealers seem to change when problems are reported)! Anyway Bla bla bla. Its the future so there isn't any point of pi55ing in the wind. My only caviat is I think owners should learn about the reported problems & try to avoid the circumstances which can lead to failure i.e. feathering the front brake in traffic or to modulate corner entry speed.
People get very defensive when defending ABS! I personally think it's an unnecessary load of false confidence.
