Riding aids. Good or Evil?

[budman]

I get a that people don't like any aids, but no rear brake? Even if you never use it, it's good to have.

It is a design flaw. They just don’t work. Bleed it. You get a day and it fades away. As an old RR I rarely used it but I want one for sure!!

 

[tzrider]

It is a design flaw. They just don’t work. Bleed it. You get a day and it fades away. As an old RR I rarely used it but I want one for sure!!

Have you tried zip tying the pedal down tight overnight?

 

[Holeshot]

Yes. It's good to have a rear brake. You may not use it all the time, or you may even rarely use it, but it should be there in case you do need it.

Got it and totally agree. Another problem with ABS on the rear: after departing the track surface, there is no ability to lock the rear brake. That's bad.

One issue on the S1000RR has been that the ABS pump is picking up engine heat. The hotter brake fluid leads to a softer feel. When the ABS pump is bypassed, the simplified brake line routing keeps the lines away from heat sources.

Interesting and good info. Makes sense. The Yami's have the same issue, but they feel soft most of the time IME. I don't like the indirect feel.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

I've mostly stuck with the ABS and TC settings in "sport" mode on my Hypermotard, though I have considered spending some time in a parking lot to dial in how they work.

ABS has saved me, I assume, twice, in both cases lane splitting when a car abruptly moved into my path. In both cases I'd feel the ABS kick in right as I was coming to a stop, presumably at threshold. Without ABS I'd likely have lost the front long enough to upset my balance and cause a fall, with it in both cases I did came to a stop balanced and was able to ride around the car which had noticed their error and stopped directly in my path.

I'll see the TC light flicker on occasionally, particularly on roads like Tunitas Creek where I consider it my fun-o-meter. Little flickers like that don't make for noticeable interference. It did save me from a ham fisted low side on Hamilton where I got on the gas to exit a corner without noticing some debri in my path. The rear stepped out and then TC cut power, presumably faster than I could have reacted and it turned what would have probably been a low side into a little tail wag that I got to ride away from.

Only tangentially related to riding aids, but I was looking around last night to see how to add braided brake hoses to a bike with ABS and it sounds like a pain. Kinda wish that manufacturers would offer those as a factory option even at the entry level for a couple extra bucks.

Buddy of mine recently replaced his brake lines with braided on his FZ-10 and it was a apparently a nightmare. Gave me a sad and made me decide to leave the stock lines alone on my Hypermotard.

 

[CDONA]

I started to stop in my test rides for a pix, a park in Whitethorn, dirt lot.
I locked up the back brake on them to see what happens.
Rolling @ a mile or two, some would give me a brief moment of skid then nothing, some would try to cycle, but run out of roll with a slight drag.