Once, I saw a test of ABS on motorcycles. They had three type of riders:

1. A professional racer
2. A well experienced enthusiast
3. Rider with less than 2 years of experience

They made them ride on a bike with ABS, and ride one without. Here's what happened to each three:

1. Stopped two feet shorter on the bike without ABS
2. Stopped 11 feet longer on the bike without ABS
3. Stopped 26 feet longer on the bike without ABS

Here's why I wrote this:

I see some opposition towards VSA in this from.
I agree with the rare few who are allmost professional drivers.
However, all who bash VSA cannot be professional drivers...

VSA is not good only for the inexperienced, for winter driving, the wife, or the rain...
VSA is good for allmost all of us, with the exception of that small percentage, who are almost professionals. You be the judge if you are in that small percentage or not. I've been enjoying my S daily (and some days my 919), but I am certainly not in there... and I don't think I am a crappy driver by any means.

 

I may not be a professional racer, but I still don't want the computer telling me what I can or cannot do with the throttle and rear tires.

Edit: We have insurance companies for that

 

then turn it off.

honda has made to the s2000 over the years (lower redline, more displacement, dbw, etc.) which can be debated endlessly as to whether they are an improvement or a step back. but suggesting that vsa (which can be turned off) is worthless is ridiculous.

 

i havent experienced vsa yet. hopefully i wont even have to. need to stay alive

 

I'm a wuss. I wouldnt trust my s2k without VSA. Correction: I wouldnt trust myself in an s2k without it.

 

I think the relevance of this is negligible.

Bikes have two brakes, independently controlled by the rider. Almost regardless of how much confidence you have on a bike the last thing you want to do is head endo (ver end) because you hammered the front brake to hard.

In a car you've got one pedal for braking, so you can hammer it down and lock up the wheels, then choose if you choose to let up slightly to avoid ABS coming on.



FYI I prefer no ABS, no traction control, but in a few years that will probably change when I decide the driving experience shouldn't include being on edge constantly.

 

As time passes, cars are filling with more and more electronic systems:

Traction Control
Stability Control
Drive by Wire

While some resistance to this new technology is for good reason; I should say most resistance is because of pure ignorance.

My previous post on motorcycle ABS was not to be taken literally; it's just an example of another new technology for motor vehicles. How many of us can perform that perfect progressive braking in an emergency situation, that will enable us to stop shorter on a bike without ABS, than one with ABS?

Some people overestimate their own abilities. Let's embrace well-designed new technologies, not bash them... Especially if they can be defeated by a simple push of a button.