Monday, October 04, 2004
Sometimes, Simple is Best
It's amazing how much motorcycle technology has changed over the past twenty years. There used to be a basic formula when buying a new bike: before you even THOUGHT of riding with your buddies, you pulled the stock exhaust, discarded the stock air cleaner (or airbox, if you were REALLY hot shit), and re-jetted the carbs. For around five hundred dollars (sometimes less), you could easily add 15 to 20% more horsepower to your bike.
That's no longer the case. These days, adding an aftermarket exhaust will probably slow your bike down. You can't rejet the carbs, since nearly everything today is fuel injected. The same kind of upgrades (exhaust, intake and new fuel injection map in lieu of re-jetting) now cost stupid money (around $2k for my bike) and produce gains of only a few horsepower. Thanks, I'll pass.
Likewise, many bikes today have a ridiculous array of gadgety: traction control, ABS, reverse (?!), electrically adjustable windshields, GPS, AM/FM/CB/CD/MP3 players, heated seats, etc. Do you really NEED any of this shit? NO, you do not. You also do not need:
- fuel gauges on motorcycles - that's what the trip odometer and idiot light is for
- gear indicator - if you can't tell what gear you're in by your speed and engine speed, you should seriously consider taking up another hobby. Like bowling.
- bike to bike communications - I ride to get AWAY from people, not talk to them. That's what hanging out AFTER the ride is for.
I encourage ALL of you to pick one day and flush technology. Go to your electric panel and turn off every breaker except things like refrigerators. Spend a day in the dark. Read a book by lantern light instead of sucking at the glass teat (TV, in Harlan Ellison speak). Light a fire to keep warm (assuming you have a fireplace - otherwise I'd ignore this advice). Cook on your grill. Talk to your spouse.
Technology, like good scotch, is best appreciated when you've done without for a while.
That's no longer the case. These days, adding an aftermarket exhaust will probably slow your bike down. You can't rejet the carbs, since nearly everything today is fuel injected. The same kind of upgrades (exhaust, intake and new fuel injection map in lieu of re-jetting) now cost stupid money (around $2k for my bike) and produce gains of only a few horsepower. Thanks, I'll pass.
Likewise, many bikes today have a ridiculous array of gadgety: traction control, ABS, reverse (?!), electrically adjustable windshields, GPS, AM/FM/CB/CD/MP3 players, heated seats, etc. Do you really NEED any of this shit? NO, you do not. You also do not need:
- fuel gauges on motorcycles - that's what the trip odometer and idiot light is for
- gear indicator - if you can't tell what gear you're in by your speed and engine speed, you should seriously consider taking up another hobby. Like bowling.
- bike to bike communications - I ride to get AWAY from people, not talk to them. That's what hanging out AFTER the ride is for.
I encourage ALL of you to pick one day and flush technology. Go to your electric panel and turn off every breaker except things like refrigerators. Spend a day in the dark. Read a book by lantern light instead of sucking at the glass teat (TV, in Harlan Ellison speak). Light a fire to keep warm (assuming you have a fireplace - otherwise I'd ignore this advice). Cook on your grill. Talk to your spouse.
Technology, like good scotch, is best appreciated when you've done without for a while.
// posted by John Patmos @ 7:46 AM 
Comments:
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that ellison book is great.
what is funny is that stephen king noted the glass teat book in an essay, and made the sly comment that when he visited ellisons house, he had a HUGE TV in his living room :))
what is funny is that stephen king noted the glass teat book in an essay, and made the sly comment that when he visited ellisons house, he had a HUGE TV in his living room :))
I'm a big Ellison fan, but the man is a walking contradiction. No surprise about the TV set - you KNOW he's upgraded to a 57" hi-def set by now.
If you can find a copy of "Strange Wine" (eBay, perhaps), it's a great addition to the bookcase.
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If you can find a copy of "Strange Wine" (eBay, perhaps), it's a great addition to the bookcase.
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