|
I agree that is makes no sense that the USA hasn't mandated ABS brakes for motorcycles like many other countries. That said, the rest of the world moving to ABS has greatly increased the availability of ABS in the USA because it often doesn't make sense to make a specific model for a small market like the USA. We are getting cleaner bikes the same way. (North America makes up 1.5% of global motorcycles sales)
I think motorcycles don't get much focus because there aren't very many in the USA. The latest industry data I've seen shows 8% of US households own a motorcycle. That likely means only about 2-4% of Americans ride a motorcycle and here motorcycles are generally ridden very low miles as a hobby not as regular transportation. Compare that to cars where a huge percentage of Americans own a car and drive it every day. It makes sense to focus on the majority not a tiny minority.
That may change soon. C.A.R.B. is in the process of adopting EURO emission and test standards for motorcycles in 2024. It will be interesting to see if they also adopt the EU's ABS mandate. When CARB states adopt Euro V almost all the USA specific models will die. Our market is tiny as it is and cutting it in half will kill off any remaining US specials.
|