Reading through this thread with a slight bit of interest due to 1) the ridiculous cost of the ABS unit 2) the recommended "fixes" ......and then I stumble across what could be some of the most ridiculous comments I have EVER read on this otherwise extremely useful forum. Every single one of you LEGAL EXPERTS that have made comments about the insurance company potentially denying a claim because an adjuster notices the ABS being disabled have ZERO idea what you are talking about. And the comments that insurance companies look for ANY reason to deny a claim are even more ridiculous. Sounds like a rerun of Dumb and Dumber, except not near as funny.
Not only am I an attorney, but I am an insurance company professional. I know of which I speak. I only spend the time writing this to correct the misconceptions expressed in some of the prior comments in this thread related to insurance company denials of claims.
First of all, most adjusters don't even have a clue what they are looking at when adjusting a damaged motorcycle, period, much less do they have the ability to recognize a bypassed ABS unit. Besides that, and fortunately for those of you making these comments, insurance companies are in the business of insuring our stupidity. I did not say "ensuring" our stupidity, most people are more than capable of being stupid all by themselves, even me. But insurance companies insure and indemnify you for your negligence. When you file a claim with your own insurance company for the damage to your motorcycle that is a first party claim filled under your Collision or Comprehensive coverage. First party claims are contractual claims and I can assure you, the last thing in the world a big insurance company wants to do is wrongfully deny a claim. Those companies are in a contract with us and that contract requires them to insure our stupidity. Insurance companies will, at times, deny your claim for your purposeful and intended damage, ie; setting your house, car or motorcycle on fire. Even then, the burden is on the insurance company to prove that you INTENTIONALLY caused the damage to your property that they insure before they deny your claim.
As for whether you have a passenger on board that is injured in a crash, or you run into someone, primarily due to the fact you could not stop because you disabled the ABS system, there is no insurance company on the planet that would deny that claim - you still had operable brakes, just not a braking system with ABS. I dare say even if you disabled the entire braking system for whatever stupid reason, they would not deny your claim. In fact, that's not even a claim that you yourself are making, that is a claim being made by the injured party due to your negligence. Actually, in that case, it is the insurance company that is protecting / indemnifying you for your negligence and will even pay for an attorney to defend you in the event you are sued.
As for farkles and modifications, not only do they not deny the claim because of the modifications, they generally pay you for the added value the farkles or modifications created.
I'm not here to argue that insurance companies are puritans. Like most of us, and other companies in all types of industries, insurance companies make mistakes. They are not as pure as the driven snow. But seriously, keep your comments to things you really know about and do not spout crap about things you know nothing about - it only serves to lead people to incorrect conclusions.
Now back to the regularly scheduled programming - did we ever find out what the actual problem is with the original poster's braking issue? It doesn't sound like a faulty ABS unit to me, it sounds like something physically impeding the braking system, from the foot pedal to the caliper/pads.