Is our generation spoiled...

L

LadySnyper

New member
...in terms of motorcycles?

With advancments like ABS, DTC, fly-by-wire engine mapping, are newer riders being short-changed in learning to really "ride" a motorcycle?

I read an article that talked about how technology today is so advanced, that we may get to a point where it's almost like the rider isn't even doing anything, but more, relyimng on the bike to do all the work and correct any errors in their riding.

I mean, it takes a good amount of understanding, dedication, concentration and some degree of talent to operate a motorcycle effective and effiecntly. Are we missing out on actually learning to "ride" a motorcycle?

I'm curious to hear what the "tenured" forum-residents thoughts are.
 
I'm not tenured here but if I may, I'll add my opinion

Some of those advancements still aren't on a lot of bikes the general public ride, like traction control, but I wouldn't say the now generation are not learning to really "ride" the bike.

Motorcycles are fun for the same reason flying and rollercoasters are. The fact that bikes are more poweful today only steepens the learning curve imo, but it is till the same curve.

In any event, most people who really love bikes have so since they were very young and start out on smaller bikes without the frazzle dazzle and power. The same should be said for any beginner, but that just isn't the case anymore. First time riders are buying R1's and the like (that's another discussion).

All in all, a bike is still a bike even with all the technological advancements today (which I don't think are all that advanced when you think about it, except TC) and I don't think the experience is lost at all.
 
Bikes have progressed as have the gadgets to keep them somewhat controlled. We tend to look at old bikes and compare them to new bikes and wonder how the hell anyone could have done what they did on them but the old bikes didn't have to deal with the same physics the new bikes do. Controlling a bike that only has 60hp and can only lean over so far before something touches down to limit it's lean angle compared to a bike that has more than double the HP and can lean over to 50+ degrees without having anything touch down requires skill and some of them gadgets they have now.

Neither bike is really harder or easier to ride, just different. The pilot of either bike is subjected to using a lot of skill to keep it controlled just different skills.
 
In terms of performance its hard to argue that todays bikes aren't light years ahead of last generations bike. A modern 600 will lap most any track as fast or faster than litre bikes of a decade ago. Riding hasn't changed just because bike performance increased. Their were more forgiving bikes in the past as their were less forgiving bikes of the past/present.
 
Not just yet but we're getting there. The S1000RR is the first publicly accessible bike to have both traction control and race abs. When a majority of sports bike have that (plus some kind of dual-clutch automatic transmission) where all you have to do is open the throttle and lean, then that generation will be spoiled.
 
We're not spoiled. I still use my senses and don't pay attention to all the technolology available. A dumbass with ABS will crash as quickly as a dumbass without it.
 
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