ABS (Anti-Lock Breaking System) is becoming more and more popular on motorcycles, dramatically helping to stop a bike in emergency situations. Will ABS satisfy your stopping needs?

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Staff Writer 

ABS is the new trend in motorcycles, with more and more manufacturers offering it as an option on their bikes. ABS has always been popular on sport touring machines, but lately even the sportbike world is getting a taste, with the Honda CBR and Suzuki SV offering the ABS technology.

So how did ABS come into existence, and how exactly does it all work? First developed for aircraft use in 1929, ABS entered into the automobile market in the 70s, becoming widely popular. Almost all automobiles come standard with ABS today. BMW was the first bike manufacturer to use ABS on a motorcycle. That was back in 1981, and although it took some time to popularize, many motorcycles are sold standard with ABS, or it’s offered as an option.

Here’s a quick look at the system: ABS, or Anti-Lock Braking System, uses computerized sensors to determine when a wheel is about to lock up. The computer then gives immediate instructions to the brake to release and re-apply braking pressure as needed, as much as 15 times per second, while the brake is steadily engaged by the rider. This prevents slowing or stopping without skidding, which helps maintain traction; a skidding tire has less traction than one that is not skidding.

Now for a bit more technical ABS explanation: the basic components of the typical ABS are wheel-speed sensors, pressure control valve(s), and an electronic control unit (ECU or brain). Instead of fluid traveling straight from the lever/pedal to the caliper like a normal brake setup, it first passes through a control valve, then out to the respective calipers. Under normal circumstances fluid moves uninhibited from the lever through the control valve and out to the caliper; just like a standard system but with the extra path through the control valve.

The computer monitors wheel speed by the sensors on each wheel, always searching for unusually rapid deceleration. The ABS computer is programmed to know when that rapid deceleration will lock up the wheel, and before this lock up occurs, the ECU closes valves in the control valve unit, allowing brake pressure to drop enough for the wheel’s speed not to stop. The ECU will then re-open the control valve for pressure to build again, in essence allowing another attempt at stopping.

In an emergency situation, ABS is very significant in preventing major crashes. But experienced riders and racers like to separately control front and rear braking. For them, ABS may not be the best option. But a significant amount of research was put into ABS for motorcycles, and it has shown how ABS are the better choice in emergency situations.

At motorcycle events throughout the world, manufacturers perform live demonstrations, comparing emergency situations with ABS and non-ABS equipped bikes. The demo-motorcycles are equipped with outriggers, which prevent the bikes from completely going down. The bikes are each ridden into several inches of water where the riders apply emergency braking. These tests show that the non-ABS motorcycle loses control, falls over onto the outriggers and spins out. However, the bike with ABS makes a controlled, straight-line stop.

ABS may not be for everyone, but it’s certainly an option to look into. Plenty of information is available directly from manufacturers about the bikes they offer with ABS, so do some research and see if ABS will work for you.