Technology has brought us a great many things; this isn't to dispute the advances and enhancements that tech brings to our lives by any means. But there is something to be said about the older technologies of days gone by. This is all relative, too, because at one point in time, that which we deem "older" technology now, was once "new and advanced" - and someone, maybe much like myself, crossed their arms across their chest, smirked, raised an eyebrow and mumbled bah humbug. Just as, sometime in the future, someone, maybe much like myself, will wax nostalgic over the very same technologies that I find myself mumbling bah humbug over now.

But I find myself appreciating many things that I generally take for granted, in the face of certain technological advances. My first example, that might help illustrate this point doesn't involve motorcycles, although this whole topic was wrought of certain things in the motorcycle industry. But take for example music media. I'm 34; I grew up through the transition from vinyl to CD. I'm experiencing the shift from CD to MP3. But I wonder what my 18 month old will experience? If I buy her some CDs for her 18th birthday, will she turn around and feel nostalgic, or say "Oh daddy, you're so old school"? Will her piece-of-chewing-gum-sized iPod be my 4AA battery tape Walkman? Regardless: there is something to be said for a collection of one artist's songs stored on a piece of hissy, scratchy, poppy black vinyl. Not only are those tactile qualities are absent from the purely electronic medium of MP3, but the concept of a "collection" is watered down. The iPod lets you shuffle whatever songs you want - songs you like - at will, with ease. Remember what a nuisance it was to get to the songs you wanted to hear on vinyl? How about buying an album or a CD just for a couple songs, then finding out "hey, this is all pretty good!" (or "ew, the rest of this sucks!").

Another example, closer yet to the point: my 33 year old Toyota Land Cruiser. It's not a performance vehicle, it gets lousy mileage, it's belchy and farty but you could bounce a rocket off that engine. And when something's wrong, there's an easy way to find out what it is and then fix it. No computers. No ECUs, EFIs, or any other TLA (three letter acronym). Just air, some gas, a little spark ... pretty straightforward. My wife's new Subaru Legacy can obviously out-perform it in almost every aspect ... except for user maintainability. I'll tear anything out of the Cruiser; my biggest worry is usually "how fast can I get somebody to ship me a replacement if need be"; unlike the Subaru where even a modest bit of investigative surgery means wrestling a computerized octopus - that may or not even be the source of the problem.

Now, to the inspiration behind this topic: a recent article () about the coming of electric motorcycles. I'm glad to see that it's possible to develop a zero emissions performance vehicle. I could 'fuel' my vehicle with my electric bill instead of paying through the nose by the gallon. Even the possibility of hydrogen powered vehicles - amazing. Technology is capable of some amazing things.

However. There's just something cathartic about the experience of operating an internal combustion engine. I'd miss it. The expressive exhaust note. The physicality of the combustion; the punctuation of the air that announces the bike's presence. I'd definitely miss the honk that comes out of my Monster's open airbox when I get on it, and the muted growl of the Paso's Silentiums; I'd miss the whir and whine of the valves. The sounds that emmanate from my beasties also serve to clue me in if something isn't right. I know when my carbs are even slightly out of synch. If there's a new clatter or wrinkle that I hadn't heard before. When they're cranky on cold mornings, wheezy from plugged vent tubes or drowing from stuck venturis. But most importantly, when everything is as it should be - the whole experience would be completely remiss, absent the mechanical symphony that provides the soundtrack to my rides.

Can you imagine how ... anticlimatic it would be, to sit in the stands of a large competition, and bear witness to an entire field of riders on electric bikes? No anxious, insistent rev limiters, no screaming 13000 rpms. No vroom. Just whoosh zip zip zip zip zip. No ... I want rrrrROARRRRRRRRR!!! I want the doppler effect as two, three, four, and five cylinder bikes belching race fuel-fed exhaust go screaming by at 170mph+ as their riders are wringing their necks!

I realize electric motorcycles won't replace those which we have now, although in the hopefully far, far distant future, gas may become a difficult commodity to acquire - effectively disabling our current steeds. I hope to never experience such a deficit. But the on-set of such technology has only served to make me pause, and consider that which currently motivates me, and how it motivates me - literally, and figuratively.