Are Motorcycle Electronics a Dangerous Distraction?

Few are so intimately aware of the dangers of distracted driving as motorcyclists. 

Long accustomed to being ignored or unseen by automobiles, riders have armored up and adopted defensive riding techniques to protect themselves on public roads.

However, even when taking the potential for irresponsible driving as a given, the arrival of smart phones and infotainment centers has seen the distracted driver level up their danger ratings. TikTok, text messaging, and YouTube, paired with a driver’s daily commute, are a deadly combination that can overmatch even the most skilled and cautious rider.

However, while easy to recognize in others, riders can often be blind to the distractions that plague even those on two wheels. 

In an attempt to avoid such hypocrisy, it’s time to turn the black mirror on ourselves.

Tech Overdose

The inherent beauty of a motorcycle is that direct connection of human, machine, and the road flowing together as one.

Mastery of throttle, clutch, and brakes… Traditionally, that’s pretty much all that’s required to make that connection, with a small amount of occasional attention left over to operate turn signals, and the horn, and your peripheral vision sufficient to gauge the dancing needles indicating speed and RPM.

Today’s motorcycles offer all that and more… much, much more. Such electronic advancements are designed to enhance safety and the enjoyment of the ride… and they more or less do this as advertised when used properly and considered one-by-more.

However, as a whole, the palette of possibilities at your fingertips and before your eyes have exploded, and the rider’s responsibilities along with them. And that can run counter to their intent along with the allure of simplicity that draws many a rider in from the outset.

On Display

Modern motorcycles often include garishly large displays… ahem… infotainment centers… that quite effectively demand one’s attention.

Beyond simple speed and rpm data, they include GPS, music, communications, and advanced ‘fun fact’ telemetry that less invite an occasional peak than require protracted study.

Not only is all this ever-present before eyes that have been increasingly conditioned to seek out screens, these displays also need constant attention to make use of the many options that can be swapped in and out on the fly.

Distractions by design.

Speaking of this era of smart phone attention domination, some riders also choose to mount their personal devices (and the endless variety of swipe-ready apps that come included with them). You don’t have to look far to find horror stories of riders crashing their bikes as a result of being overly attentive to their phone.

Even the more responsible who choose to hook up via bluetooth are not completely eschewing risk. Even a hands-on-the-bars phone call or time spent listening to music pulls one’s attention away from the here and now, leading to decreased awareness and vigilance.

Buttons Upon Buttons 

It’s not only the eyes that can stray as a result of modern motorcycle design. A great number of those options and rider aids meant to make a motorcycle safer and more convenient are controlled by a bevy of buttons, creating a handlebar environment not all that far removed from twin universal remotes. 

Fumbling over modes and buttons while racking a rider’s memory impairs the head-on-a-swivel defensive approach required to safely contend with four-wheeled traffic.

Reconnect with Nature

So what can you do? 

Learn your bike – including the placement and function of its controls – and determine what you actually need before you throw yourself into traffic aboard it.

Eliminate whatever distractions you can. And don’t be a hypocrite: just pull over if you need to check your phone or make a call.

Remember what made you love motorcycling in the first place and embrace it.

Now go enjoy your ride – and the opportunity it provides to take a much-needed break from the screen.