Ducati Monster Forum

I'm debating whether I should buy a Monster 696 with or without ABS.  The price differnce is $1000.

Does anyone here has experience with ABS?  Has it ever saved you from an accident?  How much value would you attach to it?

Hard to say.  The value of ABS depends a lot on your experience.  If you're comfortable dealing and a slide during hard braking and know how to recognize when and what causes brakes to lock, ABS isn't as valuable.  For a basic commuter and rider, ABS might save a low side or something in a bad traffic situation. 

JM

I've put about 2k miles on my 821. So take my advice for what it's worth: I recently rode a new Yamaha FZ07 without ABS. I quickly missed it. The rear locked up super easy, with what felt like  a relatively little push. I really like that I can press hard on my Monster's brakes without them locking; especially in an emergency. I'm sure that you get used to what you have, or don't have. But, having gotten used to the feel of having the SAFETY feature, it's hard to imagine myself ever buying another bike that doesn't have it. I think (I'll be corrected if I'm wrong) you can generally deactivate it, if you should ever find that desirable or necessary.

Yes it seems like something with no legitimate downsides, except cost, and I'm sure once you've had it for a while you don't want to deal without it.

Still, I'm not sure I can spend the extra $1100 I would need to pay to get it.

Hopefully one day ABS will be standard on all bikes.  That might raise prices, but it would do alot more good than carbon fiber exausts  ;D

kdogg,
ABS to me is worth it, and it already paid for itself.  I was riding with a buddy in the mountains with nothing but long open stretches and curves.  We were moving at a pretty good pace.  Then after coming out of a turn I was momentarily distracted by a driver of a maintenance truck heading in the opposite direction gently waving his hand in a downward motion.  Next thing I saw when I looked forward again was my buddy practically stopped in front of me.  I grabbed front brakes and mashed down on the rear.  I stopped with a couple inches to spare, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't puckered right there.  I'm positive if the brakes locked on me I would have either dumped it or hit my friend or both.
For comparison, I had owned a non-ABS bike before the duc and locked the rear going downhill after someone pulled an illegal u-turn in front of me.  Luckily I missed them.  After that encounter I made getting a bike with ABS a priority.  So yeah, I think it is worth it.  Probably not on the track but for the regular roads there is just too much unpredictability.
Good luck with your decision.

After an experience like that I'd probably never ride without ABS either.   I did lowside on my Ninja 250 once.  ABS might have changed the outcome there but I'll never know for sure.

I try to make ABS a priority but the most ABS equipped Monsters are $1000 more than I budgeted to spend. 

Bike with ABS: +$1,000

An ABS preventable crash and costs from medical treatment, missed work due to injury, physical therapy, bike repair, protective gear replacement, etc:  $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$????????

Point being: Maybe another $1,000 is worth the wait to save for.

ABS makes a huge difference in confidence in braking in my IMO.
Most important on the front brake because that is where 90% of you braking power is going to come from on a panic stop.
In this day and age, given  the option always go with ABS bike. You may never need it but one days it may save your butt.

Two sides to this coin....some say yes, and others are wrong.

Journeyman says it depends on your experience.....etc.  I look at it from a whole other perspective.  Contact your insurance agent and see what the discount is for a bike with ABS.  I saved the $1000 in two years on a Panigale ABS.  ABS never saved my bacon (though traction control did once) but it's nice to know its there, especially in the wet, and it saved me money!

I find it alarming at how many people have actually used their ABS. I've only had brief experiences with bikes with ABS and I've never had to use it. I'm around 20k street miles and 6 track days. Ive have never broke traction under braking even in panic situation. I think rider experience and training has had a lot to do with it. Plus ABS that's available on the Monster is useless in the corners.

That said, I'd be interested in the new Cornering ABS that's starting to show up on new bikes where it actually helps you while leaned over.

Sorry about being late to the show. Yes, I rode in Seattle for years, lots of traffic, lots of rain, lots of stoners. Traffic came screeching to a halt on I-5 near the Tacoma Dome, grabbed a fist full of black and started to slide, felt the ABS kick in, bike straightened up and stopped in plenty of time.

I just stumbled onto this and yes on my Dyna Lowrider. I had a really careless person make a left out in front if me not too long ago. I went into full crash stop with front/rears/downshifting and not any where to veer. My tires were wet from the sprinkler run off from the median so traction kinda wasn't the greatest and this is probably what kicked the ABS on.