Thoughts about bike longevity....

[EricV]

Interesting article on brake fluids that I believe fits well with this conversation:

DOT Brake Fluid vs. Mineral Oil - and the Winner is...

That was an interesting article in terms of education about the hygrscopic nature of brake fluid and what it means over time. (dry Vs wet boiling points) Read the comments and you pick up other bits salient to motorcycle use, or lack of use. For those that store their bikes over the winter months, the lack of heat cycles during storage make it more likely that the moisture content in the brake fluid may cause damage in the system. That said, motorcycle brakes are more robust designs than Mt bike brakes, if simply due to the sizes involved.

 

[Wrathchild]

I would consider the abs pump to require some attention. Besides the bleed once every 2 years or 20k km, the pump needs to be actuated to prevent valve jam. I do the actuation every quarter.

I am not sure if the Gen2 or Gen3 CCT requires replacement after X miles. Hope someone can chip in this info.

Actuated as in kick on the ABS? I brake hard enough for that to happen at least a few times a week. Particularly trail braking into turns.
Or is there something additional I need to do?

 

[EricV]

I don't see any difference between cycling the ABS by using it while riding and cycling it by bridging the pins in the diagnostic connector. Both actions cycle the ABS and circulate fluid thru the pump/valve assembly.

 

[Wrathchild]

I don't see any difference between cycling the ABS by using it while riding and cycling it by bridging the pins in the diagnostic connector. Both actions cycle the ABS and circulate fluid thru the pump/valve assembly.

Ok cool. Yeah I kick it on, specifically on a couple turns when I downshift coming in and on the brakes, the back wheel kicks it on nearly every time.

 

[Wrathchild]

How do people ride that they don't have the ABS kick in for long periods of time? I don't feel like I ride that hard lol. Maybe I do and I just never realized. *shrug*

 

[EricV]

How do people ride that they don't have the ABS kick in for long periods of time?

Just different riding style. Many pavement only riders rarely engage ABS. Especially fair weather riders that are not out in the rain or other marginal conditions where reading the pavement is more challenging.

 

[Wrathchild]

This is on pavement lol. I do it more on dry pavement because I come in hotter. I guess its my "back it in" background, its how I learned how to ride.

 

[Wrathchild]

I think I need to do dirtbike bars, I bet I will be happier with those too.
Although I don't know how those will factor comfort wise VS performance wise.

 

[EricV]

This is on pavement lol. I do it more on dry pavement because I come in hotter. I guess its my "back it in" background, its how I learned how to ride.

You must go thru tires a tad quicker than I do. I use trail braking techniques on the track more than the street. Not that I've been getting any track time in a while.

When I lived in the PacNorWet, I tended to use trail braking more. Lots more twisty, empty roads to enjoy riding at a brisker pace. Still getting to know my new area and haven't gotten much riding in here.

 

[Wrathchild]

I don't know on this bike yet but on my Vstrom I killed a back tire roughly every 5k, HOWEVER, I was running Shinko 804/805 knobbies which don't last super long on the street.

Now on my supermoto.... Pilot Power3 rears lasted me ~3k but I was sliding EVERYWHERE on that bike lol

 

[Sierra1]

How do people ride that they don't have the ABS kick in for long periods of time? I don't feel like I ride that hard lol. Maybe I do and I just never realized. *shrug*

Until I learned to use less back brake, my rear ABS was kicking in quite often when I was slowing/stopping. She's built front heavy, so she can be loaded like a mule. Without the weight over the back tire, and the gobs of engine breaking, it's easy to activate the ABS; in the rear. In the first 2,500 miles I had started to square off the back tire.; just from locking the rear.

 

[WJBertrand]

I think there are a lot of us that grew up riding before ABS. Under those circumstances you develop a tendency to avoid over-applying the brakes. In other words you're kind of forced to observe the limits of traction more closely. I think that technique kind of stays with you. Whenever I feel the ABS kick in (short of a panic stop) I consider it a screw up on my part.

 

[EricV]

I think there are a lot of us that grew up riding before ABS. Under those circumstances you develop a tendency to avoid over-applying the brakes. In other words you're kind of forced to observe the limits of traction more closely. I think that technique kind of stays with you. Whenever I feel the ABS kick in (short of a panic stop) I consider it a screw up on my part.

That's pretty much it exactly, for me. I spent a lot of time learning and practicing threshold braking... only to have some dweeb with ABS nearly perfectly mimic my hard won skills. Then I had to re-learn panic braking to just stomp/grab handful to maximize the braking potential of an ABS equipped bike/car.

 

[jbrown]

My many years of bike riding, more than a few on bikes with very basic braking capability, have generally taught me to avoid situations that require very hard braking. I really can't recall ever having triggered the ABS on my S10, which is the first bike I've had with ABS. I do remember several times with my VFR where the rear tire started to stutter lock on hard braking. I don't get into those situations any more, apparently.

 

[Wrathchild]

I think there are a lot of us that grew up riding before ABS. Under those circumstances you develop a tendency to avoid over-applying the brakes. In other words you're kind of forced to observe the limits of traction more closely. I think that technique kind of stays with you. Whenever I feel the ABS kick in (short of a panic stop) I consider it a screw up on my part.

I grew up and learned how to ride without ABS. I just trail brake a lot. That's nearly exclusively what kicks the abs on for me is trail braking.

 

[WJBertrand]

I grew up and learned how to ride without ABS. I just trail brake a lot. That's nearly exclusively what kicks the abs on for me is trail braking.

Not sure why trail braking should activate the ABS more than any other kind of braking? I do quite a bit of that myself in the twisty bits where I live. My understanding of trail braking means that you continue to apply the brakes (front or both usually) as you lean into the turn, even up to the apex. Sometimes can't really reach the rear brake in a deep lean to the right however.

 

[EricV]

Another version of trail braking is to apply the rear brake as you enter the corner, and continue to apply, hard enough to allow the back end to step out as front braking weight transfer occurs. Thus "backing it in" to the corner and pivoting the bike for an earlier alignment to apex and get back on the throttle.

I've only seen this done aggressively on the track.

On the street I have used trail braking with the rear only to stabilize the bike and set the suspension as I enter the turn in cases where I don't really need to dump speed, but don't want to be hard on the throttle either. Suspension really only works well under load. So either on throttle or on brakes. "floating" is bad on the track, and on the street if you're being aggressive for the conditions.

 

[dmulk]

Are there any good videos out there with decent audio of a properly operating CCT on an ST and one that sounds like it's on it's way out? From what I've read our ST's have some level of normal "clatter" sound while running.

Would be nice to be able to tune my listening in to it. I also came from a very smooth sounding Honda ST1300 and every time I start my SuperT I think to myself "Crap that is a lot of clattering..." (2014ES)

 

[EricV]

Are there any good videos out there with decent audio of a properly operating CCT on an ST and one that sounds like it's on it's way out? From what I've read our ST's have some level of normal "clatter" sound while running.

Would be nice to be able to tune my listening in to it. I also came from a very smooth sounding Honda ST1300 and every time I start my SuperT I think to myself "Crap that is a lot of clattering..." (2014ES)

Try the search. I actually think someone did this on the FJR forum for that bike to show CCT noise, but it's different for every bike.

 

[Pdrhound]

So I engage my rear ABS on every ride as my dirt road has a nice little down hill before the pavement. Its my own little mental check that I am paying attentuon. I am curious as to why I'd have to occasionally cycle the ABS on the front? Are there 2 Modulators?