Lumping all electronics together is a bit silly IMHO. Electronic ignition has been here since the 1970's. It is far superior to points. You get the real benefit of not having to make daily adjustments to extend the life of a component that is destroying itself. FI is close to doubling the range/halving the fuel use of the carbed bikes that came just before. It is about settings as the carbed bikes earlier still were more efficient than the later ones, but still an advantage we can buy rather than make. If there is an advantage I can see the point in changing the tools I carry.

Then though there is stuff that doesn't do anything for me. Electric lights are superior to acetylene for sure, but why do I need a CAN module to refuse the start the engine because it's detected a blown lamp? The switch worked fine without. It would be annoying in Munich a trip killer in Mongolia. It is not for my benefit to avoid German fines (and blame the manufacturer if I'm a lawyer), it is a way for the bike manufacturer to sell me a €2 lamp with a 50c chip added for €50 plus fitting. Bad on a road bike, useless on an overland one, not even workable when the dealers don't open 24/7.

They are also trying to reduce the tool kit to the Microsoft level. A modern vehicle and OBD2 reader is easier to use than mucking about stripping off parts to find silly little bits of rubber. The manufacturers making it close to impossible to buy the tool is not acceptable though. If one manufacturer made all his bolts 1/2-inch Whitworth and put 15.6mm AF nuts on them and refused to sell you the spanners, we simply wouldn't buy. When the only way to talk to a BMW is a reverse engineered GS911 tool I find that equally unacceptable. If they would sell me a dashboard add on or service tool, or even something that called Berlin and told me what to do, they would be a lot closer.

Treating the market as though it's stupid will be the death of certain brands. You can only act like Google when the competitors are still university projects, not the case in the bike market.

Andy

I can't argue with any of that; but what of the other manufacturers?
Are they dragging their feet in the field of electronics for motorcycles or are they wiser than those Bavarians and staying clear of the newer technologies and ideas (EFI is a given)?

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Dave

BMW have a problem the others don't. Their marketing is about technology and being German. They have to stay current and pay German wages and the crossover to the car side supports that. The car side is more like Microsoft, millions of drivers who will use their vehicle like their phone and are growing to expect a three figure bill and courtesy car for a blown bulb.

The Japanese big boys can wait and see how it goes, they sell on softer lines of just being there and no one knows or really cares if the bike was made in China or Brazil. They have the depth to bring in all the CAN toys for say a Goldwing or Burgman and use the basic electronics across their Africa market 125's all the way up to the Tenere sized stuff. If the car model makes more money they will change. If not changing brings GS owners to Tigers and Teneres they won't.

The real boutique manufacturers have to follow what their market wants and what the parts manufacturers can supply on cost. Brembo will be happy enough selling Moto Guzzi hydraulic brakes right up until the all the big boys have gone electric and the tooling needs replacing. The only driver will be legislation, hence you will see FI very similar to that on a Guzzi, on a Ural in the next two years. If they stuff up the software Ural owners will be buying new old stock and carb conversion kits.

Edit to add: Shouldn't forget the Chinese. Currently buying what the parts suppliers offer, but probably big enough to drive if they wanted to. I'm guessing the market will be happier with basic electronics from them for a while though.

The BMW servo brake is a good example. Worked in allowing the same hardware across a range, failed because the second hand value made ownership costs insane.

Andy

I'll just give my opinion(s) about the original post/idea...

I am (was actually) in the position to be able to compare as I did in the same year a trip on a DRZ400 and one on a 1200GS Adv.

Big difference in bike, big difference in the mind and a big difference overall in use and outcome.

I totally agree about NOT going on a big trip on an expensive new bike, unless I am sure that there would be "dealers" ie. spare parts available more or less around the countries I am planning on doing. This being said, I sold my 1200GSA and I am now on the road for 5 months with that money on 2 DRZ400E with my wife. The DRZ has a reputation of being reliable, well we found out that it's not as reliable as everyone says it is. Maybe we take them a bit too far but anyway, we had some problems (the piston coming out of the exhaust reads exactly the same as what happened to us last year...) they are really shit on comfort BUT I feel better on them traveling than I would on a big expensive bike.

Indeed, leaving a bike behind that costs you 20K or 2K is a huge difference. At that extend that you have way to much €$€$€$ on your mind all the time and forget to enjoy your trip and that the BEST things that in every trip happened to us, is when one of the bike broke down. (I am writing this btw while waiting as my bike broke down in Ukraine and finally we will continue our journey tomorrow) Also just the idea of "looking" rich on a big bike or adventurously poor on a smaller/cheaper one has is advantages... anywhere in the world!

Thing is, BMW is extremely good in marketing, we all have to admit this. And thing is, that it's human nature to "want" something, ie. a big adventure bike because you think you need it to o around the world...
Thing is, there are in the meantime a lot of people who did it on shit bikes, and had a lot more fun than anyone on a big GS will ever have going from hotel to motel on the road...

We try to do it as much as we can offroad and I won't go on a GS to where I'm heading now. Of course, my but won't hurt and I would be twice as fast, but I wouldn't have seen or experienced what we did now, being on a 400 going offroad or taking small shitty roads in remote places.

There's a market and opportunity for everyone in the world that is willing to go from A to B, that is willing to travel, that is willing to go on an adventure, ... We are all different and we all want something else. The guys on their 20K bikes just want to go from A to B (overloaded) and brag about that once they're back. For them that's adventure... and when the bike's braking down and he can't call for help and it won't ve fixed within the hour, his whole world goes upside down, as this is not what we expected nor wanted!

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