The people who are trying to sell you technology, for one.

 

You must have missed this which affected many:
https://www.*****************/thread...g-bomb.462754/

 

Good grief, these threads make me laugh. Where to start...

First of all, Harley isn't "innovating" here. Everything on that list has been pretty much standard on sport bikes and super nakeds for some years.

The other manufacturers are using Bosch Cornering ABS, which is then tied in with their own proprietary traction control/anti-wheelie and riding modes systems. This is standard on many KTM, Ducati, and BMW models. On the more expensive bikes, these systems are then tied into active suspension.

Harley is too cheap to equip its bikes with Ohlins suspension, Bosch ABS, and the rest, so they've come up with a poor man's version which attempts to do some of the same things, albeit at a much less sophisticated level.

So what does it do and why is it needed? Well, if you take a 185 hp super naked which makes as much torque as a Harley at only 5k RPM, and you turn off ALL the electronic rider aides -- ABS, cornering ABS, anti-wheelie, traction control, the whole nine yards. Turn it all off. Now jump on that bike in "sport mode" and take it for a spin. You better be one hell of a rider, one who is proficient at rev matching, blipping on downshifts, and "backing it in" with the rear brake. Because with all those systems off, you're likely to end up in the weeds pretty quickly.

There's a video on YouTube where Jeremy McWilliams talks about taking the prototype of the original KTM Super Duke 1290R for a test ride with all rider aides disabled, and the fueling set up "one to one." Mind you, you can't buy the bike in that configuration and you can't make it like that by changing the rider modes. In the words of a world class racer, the bike was unridable like that. Way too much power and just instant torque, so there was simply no way to keep the front wheel on the ground.

The point is, modern bikes (not Harleys) have a power to weight ratio and potential top-end performance that would make the bike almost impossible to handle for most people without the electronics. I have a super naked equipped with all the stuff we're talking about here, and it's crazy fun to ride. However, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with it on the street if all those systems were removed. It would be ridiculous and dangerous.

As for the Bosch Cornering ABS, which is more or less what Harley is attempting to imitate -- it's glorious. There are videos online where you watch Ducati or KTM or whoever put some guys through a test where they ask them to accelerate hard around a turn, in the rain, and then romp on the brakes halfway through the turn. At first, it's kind of hard to make yourself do it as it just seems so wrong. But once you've done it, you almost can't go back. In short, even in rainy conditions you almost can't make the bike lose traction with the Bosch system. It's awesome.

A while back I was following a big truck towing a trailer on a 6-lane road in Texas. The truck was going really slow and we were both in the far right lane, so when the traffic cleared out I changed lanes to pass the truck. Well about halfway through, while I was still leaned way over and rapidly accelerating, there's a big accident right in front of us. Cars went everywhere and I almost ended up with no place to go. The only way I could navigate this mess was to emergency brake while I was still leaned over, then rapidly change lanes and accelerate fast enough through the open space so that I didn't get nailed from behind. It wasn't a pretty situation, but that Bosch Cornering ABS stopped me almost instantly, even leaned way over in a turn, and I was then able to swing through that mess without missing a beat. After I was through it, I could see it was a major accident and I had come VERY close to getting smashed from behind and pushed into the crashed cars. And I clearly remember thinking that if I had been on my Breakout when that happened, there's an excellent chance that would have been my last ride.

Of course Harleys are way heavier and have far, far less power than sport bikes or super nakeds. That's true. However, that Bosch Cornering ABS tied into adjustable traction control and linked brakes is just an amazing advancement for motorcyclists. Bear in mind this isn't meant to be a substitute for riding skill, but a hugely beneficial tool which will help give an already good rider more capabilities and a much better safety margin in ugly situations.

So while I give Harley a little credit for finally making some improvements, albeit only a few bikes, the truth is the company is way behind compared to other manufacturers and these systems should have been (at a minimum) optional add-on's some years ago. The fact that Harley is just now getting around to testing them, while still refusing to use the established industry leaders like Ohlins and Bosch, can hardly be considered "innovating."

 

What I noticed is that some folks in the technology=evil camp who think it should be avoided at any and all costs are riding around with infotainemnt systems, jacked up audio systems and stuff like that, Seems odd that they are fine with that but put any kind of safety tech feature on a motorcycle like traction control and all hell breaks lose.

I get that some riders don't want anything overly obtrusive that takes away from the riding experience. But if that were true, why are you riding around with infotainment screens and jacked up audio systems? And it might be good to judge any new features by the merits of the system itself and how it performs in the real world before passing judgement. Then if you dont like it, the solution is don't purchase it. Harley will still be making plenty of bikes without the features or giving the buyer the option if they don't prefer traction control or ABS.

 

DM426, Harley does use Bosch systems.

 

how about give the street line some style, it is shockingly bad when compared to the sportster line

 

That'd probably be a starting point, but in all honesty, I think some sort of auto-shifter would do more than anything. Younger folks around here seem to dig the scooters; no shifting required.

 

Whatever happened to just knowing how to ride?

 

Don’t need it, don’t want it. Part of the thrill of motorcycling is learning and honing the skills required to enhance the ride.
It’s like using a pitching machine instead of a real pitcher because it’s more accurate or a robot instead of a quarterback.
I guess if you don’t want to put in the time or effort but, then what’s the point? Get a convertible.

 

They can keep all that crap. I'd rather controll the bike and the brakes on my own.
Maybe I'm just not up to date with all this new stuff, but I could care less.
Too much extra crap to go wrong and fail.
I like my bikes simple, that's why I bought one of the last carbed Harleys.
Not much to fail on my bike, and I like it that way.