RE: [ST] Whats the Russian for carnage.

["Emile Nossin" <Emile@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>From: simonb@xxxxxxxxxxx
>don't think ABS would have made any difference, most ABS systems come in far
>too early for maximum breaking.

Well, that's not true in my experience and contrast to every ABS test I read.
ABS, even when cycling fully, will nowadays (but also on my '92 ST1100ABSTCS),
especially in the wet, give you more deceleration (and without locking)
than any human can try to accomplish in real life (especially panic situations).
I had ABS on my R1150GS which was a bit clunky but still able to brake harder
than I could ever do (without locking up first). I let on other, also very 
experienced, friends on the GS with the order to get the ABS activated on the
front, while braking on dry asphalt. The first 3 times they couldn't get it on,
the fear of locking up was initially too big. Here's an interesting test,
even though it's quite old already:
http://www.ibmwr.org/prodreview/abstests.html

But in this case the maximum braking is not the issue, it's the bunch
or riders you see making skid marks and a couple where you actually see
them washing the front out from under them before they actually even
hit the guy in front of them. Maybe they would have still hit the guy,
if they'd had ABS. But that would be after they had a chance to decelerate
more, so with less speed, which greatly reduces kinetic energy to prevent
more serious injury. Sliding over the asphalt (especially in jeans and
sneakers) at high speed before you even had a chance to start braking
properly isn't going to improve any healing process...

>They appear to be comming over a blind crest. Then realising they 30 ft to
>stop. It's the Harley I like. It just plows straight on regardless.

Looks like a bridge, a sort of crest indeed. I guess they flew over the
bridge high speed, with little forward view because it's blocked by all
the bikes. Those first few bikes really went ballistic, wow. Do you know
how many were hurt? Anybody killed?

Emile
www.piloot.com

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