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Yes it has , still so much could go wrong with the many suites of electronic aids , would be bad in the back of beyond which is supposed to be it’s natural habitat …. Still a very cool ride
 
I’ve had 3 Ducati , 2 in shed now , all ‘09 or older , never been to their service shop , easy to service/trouble shoot … but the electronics scare me …. I like my DR650 for an all roads bike , put 20L tank & seat concepts saddle on , good for all day , any road surface
 
Yes it has , still so much could go wrong with the many suites of electronic aids , would be bad in the back of beyond which is supposed to be it’s natural habitat …. Still a very cool ride
I think most owners won’t be crossing the Sahara on them though TBH !

But the point is interesting. I am a Luddite, so am subconsciously averse to tech on a fundamental level.

But even so, is fear of it failing justified vs it’s advantages?

For example, how many people would want all tech removed from passenger airliners and instead rely on the pilots eyes / ears and skills only ??
 
My response re-airplanes , would be airlines have ground crews checking their machines on a comprehensive schedule … difficult to lug a crew with you out and beyond on 2 wheels …. the DR is from stone age , so even I can keep it running 😉
then the philosophical aspects , do the elect. rider aids make a rider better ? or do they kinda slow/stop his development as a skilled off roader as he learns to let aids look after him and his bike , FE comment has got me wondering if stunt pilots use this type of tech to wow the spectators , if so , I think air stunting has become watered down or even lame ….
 
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My response re-airplanes , would be airlines have ground crews checking their machines on a comprehensive schedule … difficult to lug a crew with you out and beyond on 2 wheels …. the DR is from stone age , so even I can keep it running 😉
I would argue that the correct analogy there is that ground crew are not maintaining the plane whilst it is on a journey of 1000’s of miles, only before and after, same with the bike on a long cross continent trip …
 
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Very true , and both plane & Dx would prolly be shit out of luck if either suffered failure while in the air or in middle of nowhere , especially if all both operators knew was how to operate their vehicle … while the rider of the no-tech bike would at least have a chance of repairing and continuing his ride …. … Wish I was more informed on all the new tech but it has taken me 50+yrs just to get the basics of mechanics down to point that when I leave home on a bike I know I will return same way … I don’t believe the new aids make you a better rider , which is/was my point I think …. Bothers me that just money ,can now ,from some view points make supposedly better riders
 
Okay I get your point ! …. but if 500 miles into 1000 mile outback crossing why happens when aids fail … sit and wait for who ?
 
Okay I get your point ! …. but if 500 miles into 1000 mile outback crossing why happens when aids fail … sit and wait for who ?
Dunno!
You mean the plane? Well then you are f*cked!
You mean the bike? The same applies to everything.
What if the big ends fail?
What if you crash?
What, apart from Luddite aversion ( takin’ bout me), do we have that says this modern tech is any less reliable than anything else?
And by ‘reliable’ I don’t mean the odd annoying bug, I mean leaving you stranded.
 
I'm guessing any younger riders wouldn't give 'what if it goes wrong' a second thought.
I'd also venture those of us of a more 'mature' age (though not necessarily attitude wise) take great pride in being able to sort things ourselves, it's almost an affront to our manhood if we have to 'call in the experts'.
But hi-tech, like that damn electrickery stuff, can confound us 'cos we can see the symptoms of failure, but the cause isn't always obvious just to the naked eye (or fixable with man cave tools).
Man and bike used to be a symbiotic relationship, these things render us almost impotent.
If it was a car/washing machine/PC et al... different story :)
 
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"The more complex the plumbing, the more easy it is to stuff up the pipes" - Scotty of Star Trek fame.

Seems Boeing has had all sorts of issues on their new jets, leading to catastrophes as the planes avionics were overriding the pilots commands.
 
"The more complex the plumbing, the more easy it is to stuff up the pipes" - Scotty of Star Trek fame.

Seems Boeing has had all sorts of issues on their new jets, leading to catastrophes as the planes avionics were overriding the pilots commands.
Yes, that was a tragedy. And one that the engineers told the brass was not just possible but likely or so I've heard from Boeing engineers, one of whom worked on flight simulators.

How well wrung out is motorcycle software? Finding software faults is a black art and for non-algorhythmic soft ware (think web-based), the number of possible permutations exceeds the limit on my HP engineering calculator. For control systems like on industrial engines (and perhaps motorcycles) the situation is bewilderingly complex but manageable, just barely. It is expensive.

Aircraft have double redundancy, sometimes triple. And they do, or did, FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) on electronic systems. I've done them and it resulted in an enormous stack of paper in the old days. Laborious and expensive. That sort of analysis combined with flight simulation is how they predicted the likelihood of the 737Max failure. It was clearly non-zero.

Such electronic failures are far less common than mechanical failures but with mechanical failures, due to wear for example, one usually has some advance warning, like loose fork bushings or a leaking master cylinder. Plus, electronic failures usually fail 100% leaving one dead in the water unless some "limp home" function has been designed in.

There are times however, when foreseeable mechanical failures result in tragedy, such as Alaska Airlines going in the drink killing all aboard off California. That was from a jack screw that had not been lubricated because the brass had cut the maintenance budget. Nontheless, I'll cast my lot with the Luddites. Maybe Ned Lud had a point, eh?
 
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Yeah , the DX is a great bike no argument from me …. guess I’m getting old & cranky , after yrs thinking on bikes I would have some day , they just all outdated , not sure how this happened so fast …. I do regularly ride street & trails out of cell service only 30 minutes away from home no bars ….
 
That's why they're called ADVENTURE bikes.

The DDX reads/tests well, and I'd love to have one.

My "brand new seems like just a moment ago" Tenere700 now looks like the homely girl next door. Zero number of ride modes, :cool: and a weak 72hp, no SkyHook magic carpet ride.

Bought in November '19, just before the Great Plague of '19 descended upon us. The TransAmerica trail trip seems so unlikely now.
 
And for those who believe , rider aids make “you” a better rider (as mentioned on Dx video) Yamaha is now testing a self balancing 300 dual sport …. this s—t just baffles me , where I live most that could use this new tech are already cruising & boozing on their over powered hopped up 4 wheelers to the point it not safe for 2 wheelers on the maintained/un-policed ,public trails ….. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all !!!!
 
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My response re-airplanes , would be airlines have ground crews checking their machines on a comprehensive schedule … difficult to lug a crew with you out and beyond on 2 wheels …. the DR is from stone age , so even I can keep it running 😉
then the philosophical aspects , do the elect. rider aids make a rider better ? or do they kinda slow/stop his development as a skilled off roader as he learns to let aids look after him and his bike , FE comment has got me wondering if stunt pilots use this type of tech to wow the spectators , if so , I think air stunting has become watered down or even lame ….
Just as the Great Plague of '19 hit, we were planning to ride the TAT.
Giving it a go this year. I got the T7, my buddy got a pair of DR650's for he and his wife.
Great bikes. I'd rather have a carburetor in the deep woods.
 
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Just as the Great Plague of '19 hit, we were planning to ride the TAT.
Giving it a go this year. I got the T7, my buddy got a pair of DR650's for he and his wife.
Great bikes. I'd rather have a carburetor in the deep woods.
Sounds fun. Looking forward to the reports!

T7 should be the ideal tool.
 
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