The great and terrible new world

[sqlbullet]

Among the hobbies I like but don't have time for is motorcycling.  I have five bikes at home, three that are rideable and two in overhaul, but none that I have ridden more than a dozen miles in that last 3 years.

The make-up for lack of riding is lots of reading in my downtime.  Last week while I was traveling, I read an article about Honda adding a "simulator" to their website for the new Africa Twin.  You can see it here.

The purpose of the simulator is to help riders get used to all the features of the multi-function display and computer systems that provide rider assist.  ABS, traction control, power modes and suspension settings can all be controlled from the system, basically in real-time.  Add to that their excellent dual clutch transmission that will shift for you and it is a formidable bike that is friendly to any skill level.

It is a wonderful example of the how great modern manufacturing is.

Another is the modern diesel engine.  I have been a huge diesel power fan since my dad drove home in a 1980 Toyota diesel pickup.  It had a 5-speed manual and tiny little naturally aspirated diesel engine.  It would do about anything but accelerate fast. 

In recent years diesels have gone to a new level.  I had a 2005 Excursion with the 6.0 that would get 20 mpg on the highway while hauling my six kids and all our stuff in comfort.  Then a 2016 Ram 3500, that even with a lift, oversize wheels and tires would get 17 mpg out on the highway.  And it would accelerate fast.  Currently my wife and I are both driving modern diesel SUV's.  Her's gets over 30 on the highway with five people and stuff, and mine will seat seven and their gear and get in the mid-high 20's.  And they do all this with no sooty black smoke and with a very clean combustion cycle.

Another amazing example of the great world.

But....

While I appreciate what the modern world has brought us, I also lament the simplicity we have lost.  Motorcycles and diesels are supposed to be simple machines.  But in order to make them "great" in terms of modern technology, driver aids and efficiency, simplicity is gone.  And those modern systems are great until they break, at which point they get expensive fast.

Even more bothersome, modern diesel engines lack the longevity of their more simple predecessors.  My Ford 6.0 ate injectors and FICM's about every 50K miles (Yes, I was very diligent about oil and coolant changes).  First round was on Ford.  Second time it was out of warranty and I wasn't about to pay that bill twice.  The Toyota went 300K miles in my family before it was given a family in need.  It was over 500K miles when I last new about it's location and was still going strong.  It was on it's third transmission, but the engine had nothing but fluid changes and recommended maintenance.

It's terrible to me that I can't go buy a bike or truck with all the benefits in terms of tolerance, materials advances and manufacturing tolerance, but without all the technology.

Just my random musing of the day.

[Graybeard]

I completely understand your thinking here. I don't need a smart refrigerator, that will last maybe 5 years. I don't need a can opener with a circuit board in it. The absolute peak of energy efficiency means nothing when the lifespan is shortened dramatically. The cost of manufacturing new items and disposal of old ones offsets any potential environmental gains and only hits the consumer in the wallet.

FWIW, I have a 93 Bronco in my garage, with a 351 Windsor engine and an E4OD trans. It got 20mpg on the highway no matter if I was going 55 or 75mph. Simple electronics, simple to work on, and will probably be my last restoration project.

Ford has been promising a successor to it for at least a decade. What's on tap, coming from a Ford engineer I talked to. Electronic throttle, steering, and all the other electronic gismos and doodads I have no interest in. Basically another soccer mommy hauler, instead of a moderately priced, go anywhere, do anything, truck.

I think with all the great advancements, we've also had some great losses.

[Kenk]

Not to mention the 101 sensors that are always going out, my fix...a little piece of black electrical tape : )

[Trapper6L]

Man, as much as I hate threads like these, I'm not smart enough not to read or post to them. Yep, things are going to hell and fast with most anything you buy these days. Take appliances. Just how much technology does it take to wash a load of clothes? The old 1980's Kenmore washer was dying so we bought the top of the line Whirlpool. An absolute wreck with the chipped circuit board to turn it on. Three different boards in 6 months. So I gave it to bud that could use a relatively new washer and bought a commercial rated Maytag. It took that pile of crap 1 hour and 35 minutes to do a load. Why? Water level sensing. It spent 25 minutes just putting water in the thing.....and NO, you can't have hot water. I gave it away after 6 months and bought a Speed Queen. No electronics at all, no sensing, just put the clothes in, pick the water level, pick the water temp, turn it on. Now the bad news, as of 2017, you can no longer buy that Speed Queen as the Feds have restricted the functions. You now have water sensing on level and temperature and NO, you can't have hot water. Like as if the dumbos in DC have a clue about washing clothes. During my exhaustive research I found out that all appliances have an 8 year design life. Regardless what you pay for one, it has a design life of 8 years. Think about that next time you pay 3 grand for a frig.
Now on to autos. I kinda have a window to what's coming and yer not gonna like it. Ever heard of Lube for Life? It's coming and coming soon. There will be no hood on a car/truck. You might wanna read that again-  NO hood, NO access to the engine at all. Everything that makes that engine run will out of reach for the home mechanic. Oil changes will be every 50,000 miles at the dealer who will have to pull the front clip to service anything that's under the front end. It eliminates Joe Shadetree from chipping his engine, doing the exhaust system as it will be one piece from the heads to the back. There will be no modifications of any kind as the Feds are wanting a 150,000 miles vehicle. Oil lubes will be ester based. Filters will be the supplier of the acid neutralizing additives. It's going to be a major mess. But some of it is already out there. The wife drives an Escape Titanium that the battery is accessed via the hood but in reality it's under the dash over your left leg. You can't even see it unless you know where to look. There's a lot of changes coming and I'm just glad I'm 73 as I probably won't live long enough for it to really matter. But like Greybeard, I have a 91 Bronco Eddie Bauer that I've completely rebuilt all of the running gear. I'm going to be rebuilding all of the interior this summer and hopefully a new coat of paint. Then tires, then I'm going for one of my infamous rides in the country. Might even be back in a year or two. I can tell you this, the future isn't all that bright in regards to consumer goods.

[Kenk]

Built in obsolescence to be sure

[sqlbullet]

Graybeard, I love those 5th gen Bronco's.  My three oldest kids have all started with them. The first two shared a 93 with the 5.8 and E4OD like yours.  My second still drives it.  My third has a 95 with a 5.0 and an E4OD.

When child number four was ready to drive, we couldn't find a decent Bronco in our price range due to speculation caused by the imminent release of the "new Bronco".  He ended up finding a 2008 BMW X5 in our price range.  So far it has been fine, but I pop the hood on that beast and it is no where near as simple as the Bronco's.

I am sure the new Bronco will be closer to the X5 in complexity than to it's roots.

[Graybeard]

I hear you. If Ford would have continued to make that same Bronco, I would have bought another one every 7-8 years until today. It was an absolute beast in the snow. I was caught 3 times driving that Bronco to northern Michigan when I-75 was officially closed because of deep snow. 32 gallon gas tank and good tires, I didn't have any worries. I even stopped a few times to pull others out. Good memories I really need to start restoring that thing this summer.

[blaster]

not only is it more stuff to break or go wrong, all the electronic crap they stick on everything is what makes the prices of everything so high. that's why a new pickup truck can cost as much as a house. talk about diesel engines. the beauty of them was that they didn't have to have the electronic crap a gas engine has to make them run. so what do those geniuses do? they computerize the diesel so a $400. resin coated circuit board can render a $100,000. engine useless! (happened to a friend's boat on the first trip with a new Cat) yes, computerizing is great when it works but I still prefer no frills equipment that I can fix (or jury rig) myself.