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Maybe.

On the other hand, there may not have been room to stop regardless. As is often the case, taking an exit route would have been better, but, when he hit the brakes, he didn't know if the guy was going to continue or stop, so it was very hard to pick the correct exit route.

Wow, cheesy bumper mounts, no?

From what I understand, ABS can save your bacon in cases of low traction where one might otherwise crash. But it doesn't absolve one from learning how to stop properly. And I don't know if it reduces stopping distances on dry surfaces vs a rider who knows how to brake a MC. In other words, which is going to panic stop faster on a dry surface: a bike with ABS where the rider just honks on the brakes as hard as he can, letting the ABS take care of it, or one without it who knows what he's doing? So I don't know if ABS would have prevented this.

From what I understand the best course of action when a vehicle pulls out in front of you is to get on the brakes as hard as you can without locking them up, gradually increasing the front brake force and decreasing the back brake force as the weight moves forward. It is not recommended to try and swerve as one can't brake and swerve at the same time very well, and you don't know what the accursed cager might do next.

They will probably do whatever results in the worst outcome for the motorcyclist. E.g. if you are going to hit the brakes hard, they will start pulling out in front of you, then when they realize their mistake, instead of accelerating to get out of the way they slam on the brakes, putting their cage directly in your path. If you are going to swerve then they will hit the gas and put their cage directly in the path you are swerving towards.

Steve in Golden wrote:And I don't know if it reduces stopping distances on dry surfaces vs a rider who knows how to brake a MC. In other words, which is going to panic stop faster on a dry surface: a bike with ABS where the rider just honks on the brakes as hard as he can, letting the ABS take care of it, or one without it who knows what he's doing?

Actually, I've seen the testing on that. The best racers in the world can brake about the same as ABS on dry pavement. In certain circumstances, they can occasionally beat it. At least, that's what the situation was nearly a decade ago with the technology at that time. As far as average high-mileage experienced riders? No chance - they can't equal it, anymore than they can equal the talents of the worlds best racers.

And, as you brought up: in slippery conditions, it even beats the best riders and that was also a decade ago.

I would suspect that the current technology has changed the balance even more.

Major Softie wrote:

Steve in Golden wrote:And I don't know if it reduces stopping distances on dry surfaces vs a rider who knows how to brake a MC. In other words, which is going to panic stop faster on a dry surface: a bike with ABS where the rider just honks on the brakes as hard as he can, letting the ABS take care of it, or one without it who knows what he's doing?

Actually, I've seen the testing on that. The best racers in the world can brake about the same as ABS on dry pavement. In certain circumstances, they can occasionally beat it. At least, that's what the situation was nearly a decade ago with the technology at that time. As far as average high-mileage experienced riders? No chance - they can't equal it, anymore than they can equal the talents of the worlds best racers.

And, as you brought up: in slippery conditions, it even beats the best riders and that was also a decade ago.

I would suspect that the current technology has changed the balance even more.

In that case riders of ABS machines no longer need to know how to brake, they would merely hammer 'em as hard as they can and pray.

Sort of like airline pilots who no longer have to know how to fly, the plane does almost everything for them and they are reduced to just monitoring things.

The clip reminded me of a nasty little crash I had years ago. A woman drove out onto the road in front of me (through a stop sign of course), I started to swerve around the back of her and all was well ...making it, making it ! ... then she saw me and hit the anchors and stopped dead right in the middle of the road. I put a decent sized dent in her VW but if I'd been driving instead of riding they would have hosed her out of the car. Bikes are kind to stupid drivers.

No comment on ABS but my next bike will have switchable ABS so I can still brake on dirt.

No, because he didn't lose the front end. He rode into the car.
Low speed and heaps of room. He didn't want to ride on the gravel, even though he would have been able to go in a relatively straight line.
More experience/confidence would have prevented it.

We get to watch the video from the comfort of our living rooms.
He had less than a second to react.

justoneoftheguys wrote:We get to watch the video from the comfort of our living rooms.
He had less than a second to react.

That's easy for you to say. I watched it in the study.

Edit! I just went into the lounge and watched it, whoa! that guy's lucky to be alive!