Motorcycle technology leading to more fatalities?

[Grumpy Goat]

Last summer I was riding 2 up on US 250 through the George Washington National Forest in VA/WV and a large black bear came out of the roadside woods and crossed the highway directly in front of me. Applied maximum brakes and (thank you cornering ABS) was able to swerve around behind it and continue on with the ride. It was so close that a claw on its rear foot left a slight cut on the side wall of my front tire. Yessiree Bob, technology saved my bacon. Wouldn't be without it(Sayeth this 68 year old old guy).

I too have many such experiences where ABS has intervened and saved the day. This engineer can hardly be against technology, and I am certainly not. Quite the opposite. Cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, cruise control ... these are all top tier technological safety aids that will and do save lives. In the case of ABS and cruise control - these are must-haves on any bike I would purchase primarily for transportation.

One low-tech feature that BMW has not seen fit / been able to put on at least some of their bikes, and that could fall into the category of safety is backlit handlebar switches. I criticize BMW for that, especially given that other manufacturers manage to do this without any fanfare to boot.