Wow, abs must be great on a motorbike. In a car though, which continues in a straight line once the wheels lock, there is no quicker (not necessarily safer) way to stop, in a straight line, than to lock the wheels. Check out Roadcraft, the police driving handbook.If you, say, go round a corner to find the road completely blocked, locking up is your best chance of stopping.
This is a moot point, and is often the subject of much bar room debate, but the reality is that if your wheels lock under braking then you've lost control of what's happening. Newton's Law takes over and you continue in the direction you were travelling in, unless something changes that.
ABS is absolutely stunning in use. I had the opportunity to test HGV ABS technology on a test track at Lucas HQ back in the day, and steaming around on a wet & greasy surface in full control was awe inspiring.
Good to know it's there, wrapped up in your "Just in Case" box..
Motorcycle ABS is also many generations along now, too. My new Scrambler has cornering ABS built in, to (hopefully..) avoid those awkward panic moments when leant over on a poor surface.
As others have said, switch it all off when off-road. Still hurts when you fall off, but at least you're going slower..
