I e-mailed my service manager yesterday about the ABS upgrade, or whatever they're calling it now.
The poop on the brake deal is copied below from the H-D Service Bulletin. H-D has us address it if the bike experiences the "squeal" as outlined in the bulletin.
"If customer is experiencing excessive rear brake noise, obtain the ANTI-NOISE PASTE KIT 42551-08. This kit is designed to address rider complaints of a high frequency rear brake squeal under light load and low speed braking conditions."
So, if you're experiencing the rear brake squeal, let us know and we'll get the paste in.
So far I'm still good to go with just over 6,500 miles and no squeals yet.
I've been playing with the ABS as I've gotten braver in my braking. On gravel it will not lock up either front or back tires. On pavement I've only tried the rear brake at speed. What happens is I do get some tire chirpping, but it's straight and quick to the stop. As I've been told, on corners we're on our own and no braking system will keep you upright if applied in sharp turns. After testing the straight rear braking, I would agree that in a turn your best shot is to straighten out your line and then hit the brakes hoping you have enough room to stop. If you watch the original ABS promo video on the HD site, this is what they do when going around a gentle turn and have to stop. They straighten out and end up just over the center line of the two lane road.
I feel confident that the ABS in most cases will still be your best chance for a safe stop. I read once that a race rider was testing the early HD ABS in '08 and said that he felt he could stop quicker without the ABS..... BUT that was only because he had his full attention focused on stopping and keeping control of the bike. He admitted that this is not the case in normal riding and PANIC is the term he used in stopping. In a panic stop the ABS is thoughtless and the rider does nothing but mash the pedal and lever full and hang on. In that case he said the ABS has the advantage.
Sorry for being so redundant on the above description, I'm sure we ALL know what I just said.
So if you're getting squeals at low speed from the rear brakes, call the dealership and get LUBED...
Thanks for putting up with my novels...