Here I try to summarise the questions of what we want and why.
This is the last of seven parts in a series of blog posts on motorcycles and technology. The first part can be found here.
ANDREAS NERGAARD
Co-founder & CEO
Aware Moto
If you’ve read the whole series, thank you for your time. I hope some of my writings can be of use as a way of thinking about technology. But I don’t think I’ve completely answered the questions I started out with. Which technologies do we want, and why?
The why can vary a lot from person to person. I definitively want technology that makes motorcycling safer. If I run out of road, I want an ambulance to come and pick me up. If my bike is about to become dangerous, I want to know. If the road ahead is icy, please tell me. I would also like tech that can enhance my memories from my trips, or that can add social benefits to my riding. I would love to add tech that would make me a better rider. And I must admit, stuff that makes me look good is always an attractive offering.
Others would want technology that pulled a few more ponies out of the engine, or that would adjust the suspension to be perfect. Long distance riders would want tech that could make the ride less tiring, such as cruise control. Some would want to have as much data as possible so that they would know how to tune their bike. And café racer types would probably be interested in anything that could make their builds cleaner and neater.
I think no matter what your why is, it is probably the right answer – for you. And what you want will be dictated by this. I think it is easier to answer what we do not want.
We don’t want stuff that disturbs our experience. We don’t want stuff that creates data that is used to profile us in a negative light or sold to make other people rich. We don’t want stuff that binds us to exploitative business models. And we don’t want stuff that takes away our ability to control our bike and our ride, or to make sure the bike fits our requirements.
At Aware Moto we believe strongly in the motorcyclist’s right to determine what kind of technology they want to install on their bike, and this is why we are building our products in a modular, open, and platform-like way. We hope that we can contribute in changing the way the aftermarket parts market functions. But we cannot do that alone. We need people to make conscious choices around technology, and to keep us and the rest of the motorcycle industry on the right track.
Because in the end, voting for market development happens in the form of purchases of products, or allowing oneself to be a product to be sold. The former gives you power, the latter takes it away from you. So if there is one conclusion to this series of posts, it is that motorcyclists should claim that power, and use it to gain freedom and safety.