JunkyardDog

I have no problems with technology, as long as it is properly used. This forum would not be possible without technology.

But. I make my living as an auto mechanic, bikes and cars are also my main hobby. I see absolutely no need for any type of electronics on them. I own 2 '60s vintage cars, and they run just fine without electronics, and get the same gas mileage as newer vehicles of their size and weight. I admit to being biased against electronics on vehicles, as a senior mechanic in a government fleet services department, I have the job of working on this junk, and junk it is. At least 70% of our vehicle problems are electronics related. Fortunately, unlike owners and many small shops, we have the thousands of dollars worth of computerized diagnostic equipment and manufacturer licensed software to troubleshoot this stuff. But. Once you find the problem, you usually wind up spending hundreds of dollars for a $20 part made in some third world country to fix it with. Admittedly, many of these electronic issues are caused by the poor quality of the parts, and being a government department, we only buy and work on American brand cars and trucks.

But the fact remains that '60s cars run just fine with absolutely no electronics, and to me, that is absolute proof that they are not needed. Japanese bikes also run just fine without electronics. So why are they needed? They aren't. They just make the vehicle more expensive to buy, more likely to break down, and often impossible for an average mechanically inclined owner to repair. So that means expensive dealer repairs, the end of people being able to work on and modify their own cars and bikes, and oh, the cost of those electronic parts.


Another gross misuse of technology. Cell phones. Used properly, they are great. I carry one almost everywhere I go. But used by someone while trying to operate a motor vehicle, they have been responsible for thousands of deaths. Is it worth it? IMO, no. Jerry.

__________________

JunkyardDog

Well at least I've got mine. At first I thought Honda might be just skipping a year (they've done it many times before) due to the large number of '09 Rebels already in U.S. warehouses. But the more I think about it, and the more I see what is happening to new bikes, the more it looks to me like the Rebel simply has no place in the future of motorcycling. Equipped with EFI, emissions crap, and antilock brakes, it would cost way more than anyone would pay for it.

I don't ever see them becoming true classics, but with what is happening to motorcycling in general, I do see them as being desirable and holding their value well. Jerry.

__________________

Shadow Shack

And thus will be the demise of the MSF Beginner Rider Course. Once a 250cc bike comes standard with traction control, ABS, auto tranny, airbags, and auto-park features at MSRP:$10K , it will make more sense to sell them for their profit margins than to donate them to the MSF ranges.

And hey, with all those great features, who needs skill to ride anyways? Just like the SUVs, we'll have bikes tailgating cages with a six inch space cushion and the same false sense of security.

The only thing missing is that auto drive feature from "Demolition Man" and "I, Robot" which is not too distant in our future.

__________________
"Ride Safe, Chop Safer"
Support your FLIBS (Friendly Local Independent Bike Shop)
3500cc worth of Honda: http://shadow-shack.20m.com

cagie

Already have automatic transmissions... IMO that takes out half the fun of riding.

__________________
Comments contained in my posts are not intended to cause physical or psychological stress and are mearly my two cents worth, and in this economy, that's cheap!
87 CMX250C 'the Pygmy Pony'
87 CMX450C 'Black Lithium'

Shadow Shack

Fortunately, those auto trannies are only available in high dollar machines as far as current market bikes go ($15K Honda DN-01, $10K Aprilia 850 Mana, or any of those rediculously overpriced Ridley 3/4 sized toys).

But mandating all of that stuff would raise prices across the board.



The "auto drive" I mentioned above, if you haven't seen either of those flicks, is an "auto pilot" system...the driver just sits back and reads a book while the car drives itself. It really is in the works, a system of laser reading sensors and such connected to all of the operating systems, slated to go into production around 2016. I just read about it in one of the techno-mags this week, I wish I could remember which one.

__________________
"Ride Safe, Chop Safer"
Support your FLIBS (Friendly Local Independent Bike Shop)
3500cc worth of Honda: http://shadow-shack.20m.com

regularman

This is probably because of idiots locking the rear brake because they panic and making the bike go down. They should have not put a disc brake on the rear of bikes, the drum brakes don't grab as quick as disc brakes and that makes it a little better.

__________________

cagie

I wrote a paper as part of a team on this subject for a class project at Penn State back in 04. The concept has been on the drawing table for quite some time, you know, the Jetsons. But, the main problem is total control, how is it controlled? How does it stay on the roadway and not be a hazard? How do you avoid hazards? How do you convince local and federal gov'ts to install the needed infrastructure?

Our theroretical system used tracking nodes in the marker poles on the highway. The car's system read the nodes, and adjust as needed, approx 200 a sec. traffic was monitored by satellite and messages sent to each vehicle for known hazards. anyway, we were invited to present our paper to the Collegiate Computer Consortium. I wish the web site was still there. It was pretty cool.

A real "auto drive" system of cars is long way off. I can't even fathom anything being near ready you might have some limited areas that might put them into practical use. The ideal would be to use this type of system on major city roadways where congestion is a problem. you'd reduce the stop-and-go. Downside is that you couldn't ride motorcycles on these roadways.

__________________
Comments contained in my posts are not intended to cause physical or psychological stress and are mearly my two cents worth, and in this economy, that's cheap!
87 CMX250C 'the Pygmy Pony'
87 CMX450C 'Black Lithium'

Shadow Shack

Well, the automatic parallel park feature on some of today's luxury cars is but a mere example of the "auto drive" that's in the works. It's just a matter of tweaking the same system to recognize objects in motion as well as stationary ones.

Of course the big problem with such a system is what happens when it fails? The driver gets comfortable reading a newspaper when the system shorts out on the freeway at 75mph...I suppose we can rest assured that the other vehicles with still-functional auto drive systems will at least be able to avoid it LOL

__________________
"Ride Safe, Chop Safer"
Support your FLIBS (Friendly Local Independent Bike Shop)
3500cc worth of Honda: http://shadow-shack.20m.com

regularman

Its all a great circle. Cadillac had the auto parallel park in the 40s, it was a little wheel at 90 degrees that came down and raised the butt of the car up and a sloped street you just nose in and push a button and the wheel raised up and the back of the car coasted over against the curb. Wife and I went for a nice long ride in the MG Midget yesterday. I put in a 5 speed. It went about 175 miles on 4 gallons of gas. Its got a weber carb and points and condenser and get better highway mileage than most cars now, plus its fun to drive and takes a curve like no other car a 1400 pounds.

__________________

kmartassassin

i personally would like 74 pan head kick start tell u the truth but. im old fashion tho.

__________________