The time is near...

Besides, how can you slide both ends cranked over in a corner with ABS?!?

Riding in the rain sucks anyway.  If I HAD TO ride in the rain, I'd consider getting a bike with ABS.  I've locked up the rear on the GRiSO twice in dry conditions. Both times the bike behaved well otherwise and disaster was averted. I don't think ABS would have helped in either situation.

LBC Tenni wrote:

Riding in the rain sucks anyway.  If I HAD TO ride in the rain, I'd consider getting a bike with ABS.  I've locked up the rear on the GRiSO twice in dry conditions. Both times the bike behaved well otherwise and disaster was averted. I don't think ABS would have helped in either situation.

Yeah, I never set out to ride in the rain, but I've had to ride in the rain to get where I'm going occasionally. Both on the GRiSO, and the ST1300, which had ABS. I never got into a situation on the ST that made the ABS activate, but somehow it gave me a feeling of confidence, knowing it was there. I'm a pretty prudent rider in the wet, and I certainly wouldn't push my luck just because I have ABS. So I'm on the fence. I like the idea of it being there, but I don't think I need it to ride safely. Does that make sense?

Just because my car has an airbag, I don't think I'll test it by driving like a fool, but it could save me from the other fool. And I agree, ABS could certainly get in the way of drifting, but I'm way too impaired by age to try that anyway!

LBC Tenni wrote:

........I've locked up the rear on the GRiSO twice in dry conditions. Both times the bike behaved well otherwise and disaster was averted. I don't think ABS would have helped in either situation.

I've locked the rear twice on my bike to put it sideways a bit to avoid collision (I mentioned that in others threads), had I had ABS, it would have been another GRiSO down.
Fuck that!
I say build your skills and sense of observation before worrying about any bike features.

I also agree with Steak, If you're not buying a GRiSO because of its lack of ABS then you have no business being on that bike.
Especially guys in their 40s/50s or so. lol. How did they make it this far?? Oh I see... Sundays parade rides on cruisers.
GRiSO kinda has a Darwin self selection...

Grisonut wrote:

LBC Tenni wrote:

........I've locked up the rear on the GRiSO twice in dry conditions. Both times the bike behaved well otherwise and disaster was averted. I don't think ABS would have helped in either situation.

I've locked the rear twice on my bike to put it sideways a bit to avoid collision (I mentioned that in others threads), had I had ABS, it would have been another GRiSO down.
Fuck that!
I say build your skills and sense of observation before worrying about any bike features.

I also agree with Steak, If you're not buying a GRiSO because of its lack of ABS then you have no business being on that bike.
Especially guys in their 40s/50s or so. lol. How did they make it this far?? Oh I see... Sundays parade rides on cruisers.
GRiSO kinda has a Darwin self selection...

GRiSO kinda has a Darwin self selection... - I like that!

I call it "Play Station" technology. Todays drivers/riders are being raised on a diet of technology that makes experts out of every numty at the push of a button. I know sports bike owners who won't ride anything without ABS, traction control, wheelie control, slipper clutch etc. Then they spend all their money on Akropovics etc to go fast. They don't need advanced rider training coz they ARE fast ................. till they're dead.

Play Station may have "Damage Control", but life has survival of the smartest.

T'was funny. We had one of the Aprilia factory bigwigs out from Italy to give the dealers a pep-talk on the then new APRC set-up, (Aprilia Ride Control.) as used on the RSV-4 and now other models. They have traction control, launch control and wheelie control as well as ABS. His comment was telling. He said "We sell the system to customers as 'Telemetry for the road' similar to the factory race bikes. That is infinitely more sophisticated. What APRC really is is what you Aussies would call an 'Anti Wanker Device' to stop them hurting themselves!"

As I've said before I had ABS on my Mana GT in the US and at times, especially on loose gravel, it was very handy. Vital? Far from it! But especially with an auto that looses drive at about 15MPH so you begin to freewheel it was a handy weapon to have in the armoury. Generally though my feelings about ABS are ambivalent at best. I certainly wouldn't not buy a bike because it didn't have it.

Pete

Or you could use the ABS and GRiSO acronyms, ABS stands for "Average Boys Safety" and GRiSO "Good Riders Inspired Steed Option".

In the rain and on gravel etc. I would love to have ABS on the front brakes of my GRiSO. Under normal conditions it is not needed and will never kick in, also it can be disabled on most bikes. But... in panic stops when an accident can't be avoided most people will use the front brake to fast and to hard making the impact a lot worse..

Aprillia does not produce any ABS systems by the way, the Italians use Bosch ABS and the pumps get smaller with every generation.

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I'd like to see it on the GRiSO. Granted, it is't a substitute for good riding skills, but I'd question if that is the intent anyway. Just like in a car, I view ABS as a defensive aid to assist me if somebody else does something wrong or unexpected, as opposed to a magical cure if I make a driving or riding mistake.

Sure, if I am hammering along a country road and arrive at a hairpin bend at 140kph, in the wet, then I'm pretty much toast. I get it. However, when I'm just cruising along minding my own business and some Turkey does a U turn in front of me and I need to grab a big handful of brake........that's exactly where I think it's worth goes beyond doubt.

I've ridden a Duc Multistrada with ABS engaged and can tell you some extreme braking is needed before it kicks in. Under normal conditions you will probably never know it's there.
On the rear it will be more obvious but I seldom use that (only to get weight on the front wheel before using that brake).

My Sport has it and it works just fine , especially on the greasy leaf covered roads round here at the moment.

Same here Tolle, would be nice to have it on the GRiSO this time of the year

GONE.....
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R.I.P. GRiSO

Well, it would seem that the GRiSO will be my first, and last, Guzzi. Nothing else in their range grabs me at all. Guzzi desperately need an "aspirational" bike in their range, even if it's a bit expensive. Something to entice the customer to save their pennies in the hope of one day getting one. Without that, potential buyers will just drift away to other makes. It's a shame.

It's like a death in the family after a prolonged illness. You've known it was coming, you've prepared yourself, said your goodbyes and still when your loved one breathes that final breath, it's like a punch to the gut. It hurts and it's hard to make sense of it.

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Possibly the greatest bike ever built has been allowed to die on the vine. What really bothers me is that GRiSO is being killed in its prime because of Piaggio's nearly non-existent marketing effort. Will they sell more units with these bland new HD clones? Maybe, if they make more of an effort. But they sell their soul in the bargain. I'm calling it one of the biggest mistakes in the history of motorcycles. I hope parts will be available for longer than 10 years, because I'd like to keep riding my Tenni for as long as I'm able.

GRiSO, He speaks to you even from the grave, no?

Don't worry about spares, look at all the diehards on their old Tonti's.
Besides, when all the flat tappets shit themselves there will be plenty of bikes sold cheap for spares.
Centauro's - rare and very collectible.
GRiSO's will become the new collectible. When a bike is so valuable it becomes economically viable for a small manufacturer to do small runs of specialized parts.

None of that has ever worried me, if I want something, I just get it made.

And if we all want ABS - we will just have to do more sit ups.......

This just cements me keeping my Tenni. Wonder if this means I can bring it inside the house now?