This is the first part of a series of blog posts about motorcycles and technology, and how we as motorcyclists should relate to that. Links to the parts can be found at the end
The series will be posted over seven days between February 24 and March 3 2023. I will also present a talk on this topic on March 4, 1600CET, at MC-messen 2023.
ANDREAS NERGAARD
Co-founder & CEO
Aware Moto
Over the past 30 years, vehicles have gotten increasingly advanced, and cars are now filled with features that require small computers. From the start with Bosch’s fuel injection systems and first ABS brakes in the late 70s, safety, economy, and ease of driving has been improved by adding features that uses data to perform their functions. This is what we at Aware Moto call smart features. Today, cars have dozens of these features, with purposes including safety, economy, environmental protection, comfort, driver assistance, entertainment, and possibly surveillance.
Motorcycles are (as usual) different. We’re generally at least 15 years behind cars on technology, as equipment needs to be lighter, cheaper, and more resilient to fit on our bikes. This means that we’re now getting the same features on the most expensive bikes that we saw on cars in the late 2000s. Less expensive models are still lacking most smart features, save those that are mandated by regulators. Add to this that motorcycles live twice as long as cars, and it’s clear that most of the motorcycles we’re riding aren’t very smart.
Features are however coming, and we’re tempted by companies launching massive displays, “smart” helmets, driver aids, and more. It is reasonable to assume that some of these features could be useful. But there’s also an unwillingness among motorcyclists to adapt new technology. Motorcycles are personal items, expressions of our identity, and where we go for our best experiences. We don’t want to be alienated from the experience in the same way that has happened in cars.
In this series of seven blog posts I will be breaking down how I believe we should approach smart technology as motorcyclists. I will be talking about which principles we should follow when we evaluate them, and then give some examples of the different aspects of smart features.
While these thoughts have motivated Aware Moto and its products, these posts are meant to provide more of a framework of thought than as promotion of what we do.
Oh, and the image at the top of the article? That's AI generated as an expression of technology's own view of technology doing motorcycling on our behalf.