Embracing the Past.

After years of trying to hide one of my worst-kept secrets, I am beginning to embrace this part of myself. I am a luddite. I don't like change and I am skeptical of technology. I have no iPod and no iPhone. My cell phone is around four years old and I only bought a new computer because my old died one too many times.

I am the same way with motorcycles. Sport motorcycles in particular.

I look at the motorcycles in the monthly issues of Cycle World magazine with all of their new technology and massive amounts of horsepower and I am not moved by a single one. Basically, they all look the same.

Cutting edge motorcycles like the new Aprilia RSV4 or the Ducati 1198S with its traction control are pushing the envelope of what's possible with a motorcycle and bringing street motorcycles closer to their race track counter-parts than ever before. But to me, it's all superfluous. Like the Kawasaki ZX-14. Why would I need a motorcycle with a 197mph top speed? Even most race tracks don't have a straight long enough to go that fast. Plus, the ZX-14 is a porky 566lbs; a little too heavy for a track bike.

I'm not averse to technology. I think electronic fuel injection is one of the best things to ever happen to cars and motorcycles. I just think a lot of it is wasted on machines that will spend 90% of their lives on the street going the speed limit. Not only that, but it drives the price of new motorcycles up.

Style also plays a big part in why I'm a motorcycle luddite. It's hard to distinguish between brands because every motorcycle looks the same. The sport bikes all have similar fairing and headlight set-ups and all the cruisers try to look like Harleys.

I think the perfect motorcycles on the market today are the ones that best combine the styling of the past and the reliability of a modern powertrain. To me, motorcycles like Triumph's Bonneville range, Harley-Davidson's Sportster range, Ducati Sportclassics, Moto Guzzi's V7 Classic and even motorcycles from Ural and Royal Enfield are where it's at. They all combine classic motorcycle styling with modern running gear. They all look like motorcycles!

I appreciate what the manufacturers are doing with their new sport motorcycles, but at what point does the motorcycle pass the limits and abilities of its rider? I have a feeling that motorcycles of the future are going to become like the F-22 Raptor. If an F-22 was flown at its limit it would kill its pilot. The F-22 was designed to handle g-forces the human body can't handle. Most of the time an F-22 is being flown it is miles away from its limits. The technology developed to enable this aircraft to have such high limits is being wasted.

I just have that feeling that the modern sport motorcycle has passed the threshold of practical use.