Disabling ABS?

[muligan]

I looked through the owners manual but didn't see a reference for disabling the ABS brakes. I know BMW offers that feature on their bikes. Not that I would do it but just curious if it's possible short of pulling a fuse.

 

[Mellow]

Re: Disabling ABS

Nope...

 

[Jrnyer]

Re: Disabling ABS

Why would you want to?........oh, nevermind, thats already been discussed on this forum

 

[Rob Hephner]

Re: Disabling ABS

Going off-roading?

 

[sennister]

Re: Disabling ABS

You could install a switch in the circuit for ABS power. That would be like pulling the fuse though. I don't know of anyone that has tried to do it or how it would respond to power being restored later on a ride.

As for why. Honestly I don't have an issue with ABS. That is me. Some people claim it is bad juju for gravel. Well I offer you this little tidbit. I live on a gravel road. Yep, I ride gavel twice every time I take the bike out. No way around it. I even have to make a stop on a gravel road before turning off of it. The horror... I have never had an issue. Personally I find linked brakes a bigger concern far above an beyond ABS on gravel roads. While the nonABS 1100 had non linked brakes all 1300s have linked brakes.

Here is a little trick that I learned a long time ago. Stay off the brakes. The 1300 will do about 56MPH in 1st gear. So I stay in 1st or 2nd. I am not going that fast on gravel. I want to brake, I cut the throttle. In 1 or 2 you have enough engine braking ability to slide the rear wheel on gravel. Having an unlinked rear brake would do that just the same. Engine braking doesn't kick in ABS. So I can brake all I want without touching my brakes until my speed is low enough in 1st that ABS isn't an issue any longer.

So with practice, and changing how you ride a little, at least on this bike, I see it as a non-issue.

Others can complain about it all they want. If they alter their technique a little it really isn't an issue. If it were I would be able to tell you what installing a switch will do to the ABS system.

 

[muligan]

Re: Disabling ABS

Going off-roading?

No off roading however, I was talking to a guy who has a BMW and he was telling me about being able to disable his ABS and wanted to know if my ST could do it. I had no answer since I couldn't find it in the manual.

 

[Mellow]

Re: Disabling ABS

I don't know if this is true but it's probably only the off road/dual sport BMWs that will allow that disabling. For riding off road.... again, I don't know BMWs so not sure if this applies to all or just some of them.

 

[muligan]

Re: Disabling ABS

I don't know if this is true but it's probably only the off road/dual sport BMWs that will allow that disabling. For riding off road.... again, I don't know BMWs so not sure if this applies to all or just some of them.

Could be. I think he said his was a GS model which makes sense.

 

[sennister]

Re: Disabling ABS

I don't know if this is true but it's probably only the off road/dual sport BMWs that will allow that disabling. For riding off road.... again, I don't know BMWs so not sure if this applies to all or just some of them.

I know the GS has a switch and I think all of them do.

 

[Bones]

Re: Disabling ABS

I don't know if this is true but it's probably only the off road/dual sport BMWs that will allow that disabling. For riding off road.... again, I don't know BMWs so not sure if this applies to all or just some of them.

I believe you can disable ABS on the S1000RR via engine mode selection.

 

[Denba]

Re: Disabling ABS

I had a 1990 K100LT with ABS and it had a rocker switch which would disable the ABS system, but an annoying red light in the instrument cluster would blink the whole time it was turned off. Maybe the Honda system is better than the beemer but I don't miss them. When activated, the brakes seemed to be release longer than they would grab.

 

[sennister]

Re: Disabling ABS

I had a 1990 K100LT with ABS and it had a rocker switch which would disable the ABS system, but an annoying red light in the instrument cluster would blink the whole time it was turned off. Maybe the Honda system is better than the beemer but I don't miss them. When activated, the brakes seemed to be release longer than they would grab.

Honestly I really don't notice them pulsing. They are really smooth. I have been able to hear the tires chirp. That is the only way I know they have kicked in.

 

[Denba]

Re: Disabling ABS

Honestly I really don't notice them pulsing. They are really smooth. I have been able to hear the tires chirp. That is the only way I know they have kicked in.

The first time mine came on I was in a right turn lane and was going over one of those big white turn arrows (in the rain) . I was slowing down OK when the brakes just seemed to let go for what seemed to be 5' then they grabbed for an instant then let go again. The pulses seemed to last about 5'. I almost overshot the turn and it wasn't really all that slippery. I always ran with them on after that but never really trusted them. I felt that because of growing up riding dirt and a little bit of ice riding with studded knobbies I could control the skidding way better than what the ABS did. It sounds like compared to yours, mine may not have been working correctly

 

[sennister]

Re: Disabling ABS

The first time mine came on I was in a right turn lane and was going over one of those big white turn arrows (in the rain) . I was slowing down OK when the brakes just seemed to let go for what seemed to be 5' then they grabbed for an instant then let go again. The pulses seemed to last about 5'. I almost overshot the turn and it wasn't really all that slippery. I always ran with them on after that but never really trusted them. I felt that because of growing up riding dirt and a little bit of ice riding with studded knobbies I could control the skidding way better than what the ABS did. It sounds like compared to yours, mine may not have been working correctly

Was that on the other bike or your 1300? The way I read it this is your other bike. If so, they may work that way based on the design and technology available to the manufacturer. The only time I knew they kicked in was in straight line braking. They pulsed really fast. A quick chirping sound. One time I was deep in a corner and had a deer run out. I had to stay in the corner and brake hard. Road was clear and dry. I braked harder than I would have without ABS. I couldn't tell if it kicked in that time or not but knowing it was there let me brake, as I said, harder than I would have otherwise.

 

[Denba]

Re: Disabling ABS

Was that on the other bike or your 1300?

That was on my other bike, and I think it was about the first year they had ABS so that might explain some of it. My ST is non-ABS. Based on how yours works I would probably like it.

 

[Blrfl]

Re: Disabling ABS

This page has a chart that compares the behavior of recirculating-type ABS (which you'd have had on the BMW) with the direct-driven type on the ST: CLICKY

--Mark

 

[wjbertrand]

Re: Disabling ABS

Those old BMW systems had a really slow cycle time. Modern systems are much faster.

 

[Denba]

Re: Disabling ABS

This page has a chart that compares the behavior of recirculating-type ABS (which you'd have had on the BMW) with the direct-driven type on the ST: CLICKY

Thanks for the link. The chart shows just what I experienced with the older system. It's good to know they are better than that now.