ABS brakes?

[rapide]

I ride an abs equipped 2014 ZX10. It’s my first bike with abs and I’m wondering if it’s broken or if abs is just naff? Firstly, it cuts in way too early. I read a few reviews about this and assumed it was willy waving road testers giving a nod to the fact they’re actually racers without a contract. But no, I’m confident the average rider could out brake it in normal situations (obviously that does discount the main benefit of having it. I.e. panicking in that emergency situation. But still, disappointing).

Secondly, when braking hard when you release the brake you can still hear, admittedly for a very short period of time, what I always assumed on every other bike I’ve ridden was a ‘pad on disk’ whirr. Feels fine, but is disconcerting to hear when your finger is off the lever. Is the noise abs pump(?) related? Is it normal?

[Jazoli]

You'll stop thinking abs is naff when you grab a handful on a wet day

Some systems are better than others, my FZ1 abs was a bit like the system on your ZX10 but the system on my MT09 is pretty good and I've only triggered it when I've been a tt and pushing on purpose, I'd rather have it than not these days.

[rapide]

Jazoli said:

You'll stop thinking abs is naff when you grab a handful on a wet day :hehe

Absolutely. I did specifically want abs for that reason. Just slightly disappointed as I thought I’d bought new enough for the systems to be pretty decent.

That said, thinking about it you’re probably also right on the second bit. It’s definitely pretty easy to outbrake it messing about trying. But I guess you don’t actually brake that hard on the road anyway (except in that emergency, when you’d probably not be as sharp), so what’s the issue?

Still not quite the additional confidence enspirer I’d hoped for though.

[Pica-Pica]

I can only assume that whirring sound is the ABS pulsating at ‘about to lock up’ state of grip.
I know on my E36, not a bike of course, when I braked to a stop at my lane, then, if I braked hard in late autumn with leaves in the kerbside, I could trigger the pulsing. Then as the speed dropped below 4kph, the ABS would switch off and the tyres would lock and slide on the leaves. So, be aware that ABS will not work at very low speeds ( your handbook may explain more).

[Birky_41]

Jazoli said:

You'll stop thinking abs is naff when you grab a handful on a wet day

Some systems are better than others, my FZ1 abs was a bit like the system on your ZX10 but the system on my MT09 is pretty good and I've only triggered it when I've been a tt and pushing on purpose, I'd rather have it than not these days.

Hit the nail on the head with this. Different bikes have different I dunno what the word is but maybe intervention and setup quality

Also they have improved somewhat in the last couple years. I've ridden a few bikes which are a joke how easy them come on and how they put the fear of god in you when they do that stupid semi release thing to stop it supposedly doing a stoppie... Honestly for anyone reading this who's experienced that I'm happy to hear your story

Others though are so good now you'll be hard pushed to put them on and I swear by them for wet road riding... They also typically have different intervention levels on the better ones

Only gripe I have is all that extra plumbing gets them fading more quickly. I've not found one yet that doesn't especially on track vs non abs

Horses for courses I guess