I think that's true of most of the rider aids fitted to bikes these days and while those of us without will hark on about not needing them and it not being a 'real' riding experience I suppose the truth of it is they make the job of riding a lot easier which in turn leaves more of your attention to be focused on the road ie safer
Im sure it would have been the same with cars when they introduced things like power steering and syncromesh gearboxes. I'm too young to have driven cars without them but I'm positive that if I tried to then more of my focus would be on trying to get a gear than it would be on the road
With the beemer, as with most things I'm sure you'd get used to it in no time and after a year of ownership you'd probably never have a bike without one again haha
I think some modern aids are great – like ABS – you just can’t argue with the value of ABS on the road.
The other thing is, that with BMW these things are options – a lot of them are available purely to get more cash out of you. I mean take cruise control – something I definitely want. It’s standard on a lot of bikes now – and frankly if you have (as a manufactuerer) fitted the bike with a fly by wire throttle then added cruise control need not cost much at all – but BMW will take 405 quid off you for the pleasure.
I’ll probably take the Dynamic ESA (electronic suspension). The test bike had it and the suspension was amazing – it was like wafting along on a flying carpet. I thought this thing will tie itself in knots as soon as I abuse it through some twisties – but nope it tracked perfectly and devoured corners with ease. I’d like to try one without the ESA but finding one would be difficult – and I suspect that perfect ride might have had a good bit to do with the EAS – so I’ll just tick that box. That's 765 quid gone.
There is Rider Mode Pro..... – I’ll skip – I almost fell asleep reading the short description. I ain’t gonna foc around tweeking throttle response and adjusting the traction control etc etc – I just want an on off switch. Jump on, fire it up and go.
Talking of on/off switches – I’ll not be entertaining the keyless ignition at 280 quid – I’d probably pay extra not to have that if necessary!
Online reviews and bike mags rave about quick shifters and auto blippers, these are promoted as must have electronics. A few folks that have bikes with them fitted also told me how wonderful they are, but I was totally underwhelmed, and found myself compensating for their crude action.
But here’s a thought Dude. I was reading about the latest R1 and how easy it is to ride. Much much easier to ride than the original R1 apparently
. Over 200bhp
Is there a risk that some, or much of this stuff, will allow people to ride way beyond their capability, and have them going far faster than they would other wise go in turn putting them and others at risk. Will electronics turn ordinary road riders into riding gods – perhaps riding gods awaiting a rude awakening.