So i'm sitting here thinking about the past 8 or so years i've been interested in bikes and all the tech and style changes they've gone through, and thinking about older bikes and their technology and styles and i'm wondering what is the next big thing. recently for supersports you can't compete unless you have inverted forks and fuel injection and white seems to be the new it color. so, what do you think is next?

in my opinion, more power is always going to be next, thats a given, but other than that less fairings. seems sport bikes have exposed more and more of their engines until soon i think fairings will just be accents. wave rotor brakes will be the next performance piece to make its way in along with loads of computer stuff like 0-60 timer and track timer built in. the it colors will all be flat black, flat blue, flat green and flat red.

what do you think?

 

Whats next? Well we're already seeing a plethora of sophisticated electronics. Suzuki's power control system (07 GSXR1000), Hondas traction control system (08 1000rr). I'm sure slipper clutches are going to be standard on all SS bikes soon. Maybe ABS and wheelie control will see their way through.

I fear that motorcycles have reached their peak. Motorcycles may soon go the way of the "sport car". Too many electronics tends to let the vehicle drive you, not the other way around.

As an example, look at the difference between the hardcore 500cc two stroke gp machines from a decade ago and todays four strokes with electronically controlled...erm..well...everything.

 

When all the oil runs out they're going to have to figure out how to make bikes run just as fast and mean as they do now, but not on gas, so the entire R&D process will start again. It's a viscious cycle, yo.

 

We've used about 50% of the worlds oil. We're not running out of oil, we're running out of cheap oil. We probably have about 50 years left or more of oil.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by that one guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what do you think is next?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Emissions controls.

Lots of expensive and complicated emissions controls, unfortunately. Airbags and electronic nannies like traction control and ABS as well.

 

-hover bikes.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wesvailco &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">-hover bikes.

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That's freaking sweet..where can I get one?