[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

In regards to ABS...I have been riding for about five years now and moved from a bike without ABS (Honda Magna) to one with (BMW R1150GS). I'll never go without and here's why...

I took the advanced course with Too Cool last summer and learned how easy it is to 'high-side' the bike if you lock the back wheel. If you don't know what high-siding is...in a panic situation its easy (too easy) to lock up the rear wheel (which is now stationary and no longer acting like a gyroscope)...if your bike is leaning over and you release that back wheel it acts like a gyroscope again..violently changing the bike's position and launching you into who knows what kind of turmoil...

Engineer here, not that it matters, but for interests sake, highsiding actually has nothing to do with your wheels acting like a gyroscope (your wheel starting to spin wouldn't put any gyroscopic force on your bike unelss you did something to try to move it, as by definition if your wheel is acting like a gyroscope, it would resist any change in orientation to the bike, such as flipping).
When you lock up your back wheel and it starts to skid, there is actually less friction between the wheel and the pavement. When you let go of the brake, and the wheel catches the pavement and starts to apply power to it, there is more friction, and that change in force on the back wheel is what causes the bike to lurch/flip.