ABS stands for Advanced Braking System or Anti-Lock Braking System. It is a safety anti-skid braking system that prevents the locking up of wheels on vehicles while braking. Also, it offers improved vehicle control and reduces the stopping distance by a good margin on wet and slippery surfaces.

Globally, since January 2016, the ABS is in use for motorcycles above engine displacement 125cc whereas the models below or equal to 125cc were mandated to fitted either with ABS or CBS as per the manufacturer’s choice.

Besides, the countries like the Thailand and Indonesia which are considered one of the biggest two-wheeler markets have also mandated for quite some time now. On the same leak, the Ministry of Road Transport and highways, India in a notification clarified that from April 2018, all two-wheelers with a displacement of more than 125cc will be required to have Anti-lock Braking system as a mandatory fitment.

Apart from the engine displacement, there are other units which also made to fall any two-wheeler to get equipped with the ABS under the related government draft related to the announcement which is as follows:

• Vehicles belonging to the L2 Category
• New two-wheelers with peak power equal to or more than 11kW/16.09 bhp
• The models which have a power-to-weight ratio equal to or more than 0.1kW/kg (0.134 bhp)
• The vehicles manufactured on or after April 2018

Moving ahead on discussing other serious aspects which will help in clearing your doubt regarding ABS

ABS benefits:

• The ABS ended up the risk of wheel locking while harsh braking
• It prevents the vehicle to get skid on wet or slippery surfaces
• It reduces the stopping distance of the vehicle without losing control
• Ensures life safety of rider and occupants

Read also: ABS or NON ABS Motorbikes, Safety in Your Hands

CBS or ABS dilemma:

There is a bit of confusion among the audience related to ABS and CBS. Well, both the are the safety measures being used by the manufacturers to safeguard their two-wheelers. Though both are meant for different category vehicles. ABS is meant for motorcycles with engine displacement more or equal to 125cc while the CBS is mostly used in vehicles without gear, less power, and short wheels.

Power factor:

The working of both the fitments are different, ABS prevents the wheel from locking down by sending a calculative braking force from an electronic unit accordingly. While, in the CBS System, the braking system is interconnected which allows the rider to send braking force equally to both the wheels just by pulling a single brake lever. An equalizer in the system does this work of sending a calculative force to both the wheels. It is a better option for vehicles with 125cc or below 125, due to less power generation which can easily be handled by CBS System.

Price factor: As of now, there are lots of motorcycles available in India with ABS as standard. These models priced around INR 5000 premium over the standard model. On the other side, the costing for fixing a CBS system may cost around INR 2,000-3,000 on any vehicle so it’s better to spend such amount for taking care of self and your companion.

Verdict:

For the country like India where more than a million deaths occur each year on the road. These kind of advanced safety features are mandatory. As per a report filed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways back in 2012, the figures for death on two-wheelers were at sheer of above 36,000. So, in my opinion, yes, there is a need for ABS or CBS for motorcycle below 125cc. It’s better to pack the vehicle with a cutting-edge technological aspect, besides being risking the life of a rider and occupant. No matter, how powerful a bike is, but in our country, the thing matters is people riding style. As per the reports, the ABS prevent an accident out of three. So clearly it is a better yet best option to control those death figures.