HerrDeacon
Active Member
What's everyone's thoughts on the increasing presence of electronics, gizmos and computers in newer bikes? I've been casually looking at new bikes recently and they all seem to have more computing power than my home PC! I recently took out the F750GS for a test ride and loved it and sure the new TFT dash was stunning to look at and the cruise control a real treat on the highway but all I could think of was why and how much would it cost to fix when it breaks? I could also see me rear ending a car while fiddling with all the menus and settings on the screen while riding, nuts. 
Looking at a lot of the other bikes there for the demo and they all had varying amounts of electronic add-ons like; TFT dash, cruise control, quick shifter, keyless ignition and gas cap, electronic suspension, ride modes, smart phone connectivity, tire pressure monitor, etc. I wasn't able to find out if they also do my taxes .
Maybe its just me being an old Luddite but I feel like its too much and I just don't see the need of the majority of it (I'm still mad at the loss of kick starters ). Weird thing is I work in the tech field but I'm not really a fan of how intrusive its all becoming. I like riding a bike to get away from all this kind of stuff but now its starting to follow me around. My feeling may come from the fact that I'm confident in my abilities of fixing any type of mechanical failure or breakage but if something goes wrong with a sensor or computer I feel like its going to require a trip back to the dealer to sort out and that means $$$ and I'm a cheap bastard. It almost feels like a way for the dealers to keep you tied to them for service. I know a lot of you guys have much more technology advanced bikes than mine so any issues crop up on yours? Should I just accept the fact that this is the future and deal with it? Or should I just stick with my old '70's technology bikes.
Sort of related story is our six year old stove recently stopped working, checked out all the normal stuff like elements, etc. and all good. Turns out the computer panel fried a relay and resistor and the panel cost more than half the total cost of the entire stove. Why they need a computer in a stove is beyond me, the old ones work just fine and last forever.
I've chatted with a couple of RTR's about this but wondering everyone else's views.
Looking at a lot of the other bikes there for the demo and they all had varying amounts of electronic add-ons like; TFT dash, cruise control, quick shifter, keyless ignition and gas cap, electronic suspension, ride modes, smart phone connectivity, tire pressure monitor, etc. I wasn't able to find out if they also do my taxes .Maybe its just me being an old Luddite but I feel like its too much and I just don't see the need of the majority of it (I'm still mad at the loss of kick starters
). Weird thing is I work in the tech field but I'm not really a fan of how intrusive its all becoming. I like riding a bike to get away from all this kind of stuff but now its starting to follow me around. My feeling may come from the fact that I'm confident in my abilities of fixing any type of mechanical failure or breakage but if something goes wrong with a sensor or computer I feel like its going to require a trip back to the dealer to sort out and that means $$$ and I'm a cheap bastard. It almost feels like a way for the dealers to keep you tied to them for service. I know a lot of you guys have much more technology advanced bikes than mine so any issues crop up on yours? Should I just accept the fact that this is the future and deal with it? Or should I just stick with my old '70's technology bikes.Sort of related story is our six year old stove recently stopped working, checked out all the normal stuff like elements, etc. and all good. Turns out the computer panel fried a relay and resistor and the panel cost more than half the total cost of the entire stove. Why they need a computer in a stove is beyond me, the old ones work just fine and last forever.
I've chatted with a couple of RTR's about this but wondering everyone else's views.
