ABS saved my bacon today

[Bill Stevenson]

It was a bright sunny morning in dry conditions with light traffic. Exiting the Florida Turnpike there was a pickup truck well up and off the ramp on the right shoulder in the grass. No cars in front or behind me on the ramp. The truck suddenly and without warning pulled out and crossed my path taking a hard left onto the grass strip on the left of the ramp and down back onto the Turnpike. With full and immediate application of brakes the ABS did kick in all the way to a full stop. I went from perhaps 65 or 70 to 0 at max deceleration rate and missed T-boning that truck by no more than 10 feet. Wow. In that situation, although I was covering the brake to stop at the end of the ramp (perhaps 300 meters away), I was not prepared for the truck to suddenly come directly into my path of travel. No doubt I hit the brake too hard and too quickly and thereby did not allow enough time for weight to transfer to the front wheel. No doubt that is what tripped the ABS. No doubt the consequences could have been severe without ABS. Thank you BMW. I am a trained, MSF certified instructor, but in an unexpected panic situation, things happen very quickly. For anyone who doubts the efficacy of these systems, please reconsider.

[xprof]

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger", or, at least, teaches us something. In this case it teaches us that ABS is a GOOD THING TO HAVE! Glad you are safe, brother.

[deilenberger]

Bill,

As they say "Shick happens.." and it only has to save your butt once to be worth every penny paid for it. Good on'ya staying upright.

My rule of riding - "don't think they don't see you, think they DO see you and are out to kill'ya" might apply here..

[angellr]

Bill,

As they say "Shick happens.." and it only has to save your butt once to be worth every penny paid for it. Good on'ya staying upright.

My rule of riding - "don't think they don't see you, think they DO see you and are out to kill'ya" might apply here..

Amen, Don, amen! Glad it saved your bacon ... its saved me a few times as I have come into an intersection hot.

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

Bill,, Your post is a great advert for ABS. As a trained rider (MSF Instructor) you know all about what to do in a situation. But when everything hits the fan, you're gonna have a panic reaction (maybe not the correct words here?). I know from experience that I will grab the brakes hard in an emergency. Have never locked the front, but the rear gets locked every time! So ABS is a godsend for me. Thanks for your confirmation, and thanks to modern bikes for their advanced systems.