We've all heard and seen talk in social media (none-the-least) of modular technology, plug-n-play and the development of digitally preferred transportation. I've even read twice so far this week about driverless cars been deployed by Uber and some other city or other beating them to the punch.
Its a tempting prospect - if you can afford it - download the App, GPS your location, hail a ride.
I am also very closely associated (through my Art) with what is called Caferacer culture and our romance with analog motorcycles. Have owned and ridden many a Honda over the years across thousands of miles and there is just something simpler about those days - the set of points, a couple plugs, new condenser and my trusty strobe light. Maybe a new coil if I was really unlucky.
We're entranced today though with digital performance, digital economy and well, just gizmos
The survey I got from Triumph earlier this year regarding the 2017 Rocket III certainly tells me the brain trust at Hinkley is considering making the next Rocket even more digital, even more electronic, even more enhanced so one can't help but ponder, what with Castrol spending all that time out on the Salt Flats recently, those brilliant minds are pushing the envelope even further.
Question they asked me in that Survey was - basically how much extra are you willing to pay for that?
Its not the cost of the bike though, we can all make a plan for our ride, its the maintenance and here lies my word of caution to the initiated and the wise. A motorcycle CAN is a LAN and its the vehicle's digital ecosystem. Its what works all that wonderful technology and its what the ECU/M uses to communicate.
Now if you ever see error Code P1690, CAN Bus Malfunction
This happens when the ECU/M loses connection with the instrument cluster
CAN = Car Area Network
CAN is a LAN for vehicles
The various ECU/M's on the vehicle talk to each other via CAN
In this case, the main ECU/M on the bike talking with the computer in the gauges
You see that error, it means you have to replace the Instrument cluster - its modular.
Lesson from Elena Myers who most of us love and admire for her work on the race track.
She dropped her 675 a few weeks back and then fell out of the next two races, because her Techs were chasing ghosts in the wiring harness. You drop a bike hard today, just replace the entire wiring harness - its modular.
That's the cost of the digital standards we've all come to expect, not the bike - that now becomes disposable.
Its a tempting prospect - if you can afford it - download the App, GPS your location, hail a ride.
I am also very closely associated (through my Art) with what is called Caferacer culture and our romance with analog motorcycles. Have owned and ridden many a Honda over the years across thousands of miles and there is just something simpler about those days - the set of points, a couple plugs, new condenser and my trusty strobe light. Maybe a new coil if I was really unlucky.
We're entranced today though with digital performance, digital economy and well, just gizmos
The survey I got from Triumph earlier this year regarding the 2017 Rocket III certainly tells me the brain trust at Hinkley is considering making the next Rocket even more digital, even more electronic, even more enhanced so one can't help but ponder, what with Castrol spending all that time out on the Salt Flats recently, those brilliant minds are pushing the envelope even further.
Question they asked me in that Survey was - basically how much extra are you willing to pay for that?
Its not the cost of the bike though, we can all make a plan for our ride, its the maintenance and here lies my word of caution to the initiated and the wise. A motorcycle CAN is a LAN and its the vehicle's digital ecosystem. Its what works all that wonderful technology and its what the ECU/M uses to communicate.
Now if you ever see error Code P1690, CAN Bus Malfunction
This happens when the ECU/M loses connection with the instrument cluster
CAN = Car Area Network
CAN is a LAN for vehicles
The various ECU/M's on the vehicle talk to each other via CAN
In this case, the main ECU/M on the bike talking with the computer in the gauges
You see that error, it means you have to replace the Instrument cluster - its modular.
Lesson from Elena Myers who most of us love and admire for her work on the race track.
She dropped her 675 a few weeks back and then fell out of the next two races, because her Techs were chasing ghosts in the wiring harness. You drop a bike hard today, just replace the entire wiring harness - its modular.
That's the cost of the digital standards we've all come to expect, not the bike - that now becomes disposable.
Last edited:
