Motorcycle Sport & Leisure Magazine 673 - May 2019 Back Issue

How do you feel about electric rider aids on motorcycles?They seem to divide the riding public pretty neatly into those who see the benefits and those who don’t. I’m firmly in the pro-electronics camp. Although I enjoy riding on green lanes on my Suzuki DR350, which has no electronics to speak of, I prefer a bike with all possible anti-idiot systems when I’m on Tarmac.

Those who don’t want any electronic interference between their control commands and the bike’s reactions often fear that systems such as ABS and traction control are ‘dumbing down’ riders, and if you are sufficiently proficient at riding you simply don’t need them. Some even say things like ‘my right wrist is my traction control’, but most of us grew out of that kind of talk in our teens. I’m not sure if anyone is so good at riding that they can completely remove any nasty surprises from around them.

But let’s say, for argument’s sake, that it is possible to reach that Zen-like state of absolute control of your motorcycle and your surroundings – what percentage of riders would qualify for the two-wheeled grandmaster status? And what about beginners, Sunday riders, those who haven’t completed advanced riding courses and, well, most of us? We all need to cope with slippery surfaces, deer running out in front of us, miscalculated speeds of ourselves and others and so on. In any of those situations I’d rather have the assistance of ABS, traction control, and any kind of added control available, thank you very much.