Something followed me home this morning...
As for why:
It's a safety issue, yessiree! (See the three magic letters 'ABS' and the ABS speed sensor tone wheel there). It's all about being safe, yeah. Nothing to do with having an addiction to fast toys, this is a practical purchase that gets 60mpg, not at all like those impractical purchases ;).
Sorry about the bad pics. Daylight was already gone and this is the best I can do in my garage. Note that my KLR is like a tomcat, it marks its territory (the oil spot on the concrete in the first picture :-).
-- Badtux the Zooming Penguin
It looks like love to me, and so much safer - just remember gravity hasn't given up anything. Go gently.
ReplyDeleteMy Minotaur husband loves his BMW Cruiser with ABS. And I have to admit, for a BMW, it is a pretty bike---so much so that they don't make it anymore. But last time we visited a bike shop? To presumably buy some glove liners? A used HD V-Rod "followed" us home....oh, and she is a beast, too.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have better luck with the ABS than I have on my truck. I had a sensor fail such that it thought the front tires were skidding when they weren't. As a result, it kept backing off braking pressure (to stop the non-existent skidding). Luckily, I'm a pretty beefy guy with strong legs, so I was able to override the back-off with brute force in order to get the silly thing to stop. And, also luckily, I had left plenty of stopping distance the first time it occurred, else I would have rear-ended someone.
ReplyDeleteComputers and automation are good, but they should never be a replacement for human controls, especially when those controls involve safety!
Dave
Suzuki uses the Bosch motorcycle ABS system. It's a pretty sophisticated system where, if a sensor fails, it basically kicks out and reverts to being regular brakes. If you lock up a wheel on a car no big deal. If you lock up a wheel on a bike, chances are you're going down, since the whole point of a bike is that the rotating wheels act as gyroscopes to keep you upright -- no rotating wheels, no gyroscope, ker-PLOP. Especially if it's the front wheel and you're coming to a stop at a red light. Don't ask me how I know, let's just say that I'm glad dual-sport bikes are tough.
ReplyDeleteSafe brakes does not make a safe bike when another monkey smacks you and that is usually what takes a biker out. That and to much speed and losing control, and an ABS brake won't do you much good then.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed with 60 MPG for a bike like that though. But I'm not impressed with the fact that you seem to have more money than brains and get too impressed with geek shit.
I've biked all my life and all it takes is common sense and the hope that some monkey doesn't nail you.
BBC, the "safer" thing was a joke, sort of. As I'm sure you'll point out, I didn't need a new bike. Though the fact that my new V-Strom 650 will out-accelerate, out-handle, and out-brake my old KLR definitely makes it easier to evade the hairless monkeys intent upon taking me out (eep!). And it gets better gas mileage to wit, thanks to having fuel injection rather than carburetors and computer-controlled ignition instead of old-timey transisterized ignition (which was the points-type ignition with the points replaced with a big transister).
ReplyDeleteOf course, the downside is that you can repair my old KLR with a stone axe and duct tape. It's crude, simple, primitive, and pretty much indestructible. A bear once knocked it over and it spent a couple of nights on its side while I was out hiking. I came back, picked it up, only damage to the bike itself was a couple of scuff marks on the front fork and on the barkbuster. Started right up when I cranked 'er up. A UPS truck backed into it once and sent it flying a couple of feet across the parking lot at work. Once again, a scuff mark on the barkbuster, a scuff mark on the rear luggage rack, no problem. Do that with the V-Strom, and there's a multi-thousand-dollar repair bill, calling the cops, etc. So there's something to be said for crude, primitive, and indestructible. But then, since the bike's rider isn't indestructible, there's also the point that a bike which is more indestructible than its owner is sorta missing the whole point, which is to help its owner evade those rabid monkeys jabbering deals in their BMW's while holding the phone to their head with one hand and waving the other hand in the air!
- Badtux the Motorcyclin' Penguin
Yeah, I've done the lock the front wheel thing while coming to a stop (Oil droplets on the road are a PAIN!). Learned how to clinch real quickly.
ReplyDeleteAnother fun event is blowing a tire. Wheeee!
However, I have it on personal experience that you can survive a 55 mile per hour slide out (darned gravel!). But, road rash HURTS! Fortunately, wearing appropriate clothing mitigates most of the damage.
Dave
You better call the Guinness Book Of World Records. Yer KLR is probly the first bike in history to leave an oil spot.
ReplyDeleteNice new sled. Enjoy.
Gordon, The-Garage-Full-Of-Limey-Iron Motersickle Monkey.