New tyres / tires & pads

[Grumpy Goat]

I was taking a safety class and the instructor was insisting we used both brakes during the emergency/quick stop exercise.

I guess because most bikes in such classes don't have linked brakes so he is trying to get the muscle memory trained in the students.

Try as I might, my attempts to lightly apply the rear brake would activate the ABS. If I just used the front brake, I achieved a shorter stop and didn't activate the ABS.

Technology is a great thing.

Indeed and that is also my experience on the RS. I like to use the rear brakes every now and again to check the function of the rear ABS. Checking the front ABS is much harder and typically only gets done in a panic situation. The brakes on these bikes are actually quite good.