"Groagun" (groagun)
02/27/2015 at 21:49 • Filed to: None
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"Groagun" (groagun)
02/27/2015 at 21:49 • Filed to: None | 0
| 5 |
So it's right before the Geneva Motor Show and this week Audi, part owners of Ducati Motorcycles, drops on us the brand spanking new R8. Just 2 weeks a go Ducati unveiled to the world, the 205 HP 1299 Panigale super bike. To say that the VW/Audi/Ducati Empire is hitting on all cylinders would be an understatement.
To be fair I have been shopping for a Ducati for more than a year now and plan to purchase one in the not too distant future. Also, I have a personal affinity for Audi as when I was rather young, an Audi sales/PR guy let me sit in one of the locked cars at the local auto show and I have never forgotten that. So both companies have a soft spot in my heart.
That is not what this post is about however. This week I found a totally clear and discernible difference between car guys and motorcyclists. It wasn't apparent until the R8 was released but I find it fascinating especially now with 'technology' taking front stage in the whole transportation industry. And as a result of these changing times, there are a seemingly growing number of people wanting an analog experience with their machines.
In the car world we have backlashes against traction control, various safety features like lane departure warnings and even ubiquitous systems like ABS. In the motorcycle world we have the entire Hipster movement and the resurgence of the 'Cafe Racer' bikes and culture.
In a nut shell, what we're seeing is the yearning for good old mechanical and analog machines and controls. Nothing wrong with that, I think we all here love those things and recognize in the car and bike worlds that we really aren't that far removed from the 'good old' days and the birth of both types of machines.
It's only been a little more than 100 years, the 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car to be exact. The motorcycle world is bit more complicated but credit can be given to Hildebrand & Wolfmuller of Germany in 1894 for producing the worlds first series production motorcycle: Indian started production in 1901 and HD in 1903.
Fast forward to today and in many respects, outside the fact cars generally have 4 wheels and bikes generally have just 2, the machines of today simply cannot be compared to their originals. So far advanced are today's machines, and I would hazard a guess that we are about to or on the cusp of the next generation and leap in technology, to make even cars and bikes of just 10 years a go look absolutely ancient.
So what's this stark difference I have noticed and what prompted it? Well it's this, generally motorcyclists embrace technology and ask for it, use it right away and keep looking forward to what's next. Yes even the traditional HD guys are embracing the technology, even if it's in old clothes.
Car guys on the other hand, not so much and it all boiled down to one piece of equipment this week: the manual transmission!
Yes that never ending fight over manual vs flappy paddles. No, not because it comes as any surprise that many have openly mourned or complained that the new R8 has lost the manual option, I think we all here on OPPO and Jalonik expect that: no, it's because the motorcycle world has so quickly adopted and accepted the 'quick shifter'.
For those uneducated about the quick shifter, a quick lesson. Traditionally going up the gears on any motorcycle involved getting off the gas, pulling the clutch lever, shifting the foot selector up, first gear down, 2-6 up, release clutch and back on the gas, simple stuff. Going down the gears was the tricky bit. Here you had to rev match the engine speed with your road speed to ensure smooth shifts that wouldn't upset the handling of the bike. The slipper clutch also helps with this action.
Today's bike transmissions, especially on sport and super bikes come with quick shifters for both up and down the gears and a slipper clutch. So far, I have not heard one person, brand new rider or 40+ year veteran complain about these systems or the technology, at all!, not one!
It is a great thing being a biker, so different from being a car guy and finally I have one concrete and tangible difference to point out. The one difficulty I'm left with is this: Am I a car guy who loves and rides bikes as well or am I a biker first and enjoy cars as well?
NonDriftingS13
> Groagun
02/27/2015 at 22:10 |
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I think that maybe it has something to do with that if you screw up on 2 wheels you're going down hard. In a car you're a lot safer (even in an older car) than a motorcycle. A botched shift in a car won't kill you like it would on 2 wheels.
I don't ride though so I'm just spitballin'.
JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> Groagun
02/27/2015 at 22:18 |
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as a motorcyclist, I would note that bikes equipped with slipper clutches and "quick shifters" *still have* a traditional shifter and a clutch lever. And they *still work* in the expected manner and provide the expected feedback, albeit now tempered by added safety and a few lines of ECU code. we'll see how that technology pushback goes when the levers go away. My bet is it will be FAR worse than the whining about no gated shifter in the new R8.
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Groagun
> NonDriftingS13
02/27/2015 at 22:34 |
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Good point, not sure about it totally but good point.
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Groagun
> JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
02/27/2015 at 22:36 |
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I completely disagree on the 'worse whining' bit. The levers disappearing though is interesting. That's basically where MotoGP is and or going.
MouseFitzgerald
> Groagun
02/27/2015 at 23:16 |
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I think part of it stems from jealousy and the need for what many can afford to be adequate.
Manufacturers put these transmissions in cars because at the price point they want to sell at, they are the best, and that's what the buyers want. I have nothing against a good 6 speed and the gated shifter on the old R8 was an awesome sight, but if I'm laying down six figures on a car I want technology and innovation. Now 90% of the car enthusiasts out there can't afford a car like the R8, and I have no doubt that many who put it down for not having a manual are doing so because whatever they own or aspire to own would be no fun without one and want to feel like that sets their own car above the R8, regardless of the fact they couldn't come close to shifting as fast as a dual clutch or that the a V10 with paddle shifters is damn near the closest you can get to F1 glory.
On the other hand bikes are cheap. Seriously, the 1299 Panigale in all its glory starts at about $20k. The top of the line, best in the world turf rocket is about as expensive as a Kia Soul. All of the technology in that bike is going to trickle down through even cheaper bikes within the next decade. Even Ducatis own 899 has much of the same tech for just $15k. In the bike world, there's no need to put down the top tier bikes, because realistically, much of the public can already afford one if they intend to daily it and if your patient, you'll get that tech for cheap in a couple years as it flows throughout the market. Car people tend to be extremely opinionated and pretentious when it comes to what they think is best, while in the bike world there's brand loyalty, but a general acceptance of anything two wheeled.
Not sure how well I really got to the point I was trying to make but in sure with some extrapolation it makes some sense.
Also, this post was way longer than intended. HOORAY RED BULL!!!