Feature - What it IS
Advantage - What it DOES
Benefit - Tangible/Measurable VALUE to user

When Features do not translate all the way down to Benefits they are of no value to the consumer. They are simply Non-Value-Added "things" the consumer pays for but never realizes. On top of that they become potential liabilities if they become unreliable or unsupported. For some all the Features translate to Benefits but for some many of the Features translate to absolutely Nothing. One can argue potential resale value of those Features but that depends upon the future buyer.

So... Give bikers a choice as to what Features they wish to buy instead of forcing them to pay for Features they do not need and do not want...

How about HD put forth real effort to equip bikes with great suspension instead of screen gadgets...

 

How funny. I did not see this a bashing Harley, but a discussion on real world issues that includes Harley. This discussion is more about the adoption of hi tech solutions to analog issues as you so eloquently put it.

No one is arguing about fuel injection, ABS, built in navigation, streaming music. Because commenters here have to purchase new phones, tablets, computers every 5-10 years and are concerned about screen life, software updates, you accuse them of wanting a magneto and points. How about distributor caps, petcocks, chokes. You obviously think by taking this back to the 1950’s, you can show us how silly we are about our concerns for the lifespan and reliability of the screen based software and hardware. Okay, I get it. You want more. Well, you will get it because all this discussion doesn’t matter to Harley, Dodge, Goldwing or any other manufacturer trying to lure you into buying the newest, coolest, most innovative system yet. We’re just saying, some of it is like adding fins to your car as we all embraced in the late 50’s.

There is not a single vehicle manufacturer who cares about this discussion or our concerns. In short, your attitude wins every time. Still, we enjoy the discussion because it is real and happening now.

 

There is something to be said for technology ( I am so Old School ) that I still have a tach and dwell ) Fuel Injection sure has made it a more exact science in getting the tune right ... However the ever growing gadgetry is becoming quite cumbersome in my opinion ... More computers controlling the operation of the scooter ... Lean Angle, ABS, Hill Hold, etc ... Although I have never used or tried these features it seems to be taking over the operation of the scooter ... Then incorporate the big screen television with all the information constantly playing, providing distractions to the operator along with text messages, voice mail and weather information just seems to be overwhelming to me ... Maybe the adage IS true ... "You can't teach and old dog new tricks"

 

I hear ya'

 

Not liking and/or not supporting Something does not necessarily mean you are Anti-Something. That is an inference.

The purpose of this forum is not to WIN an argument but rather to become enlightened by way of reasonable discussion.

 

This is exactly why I'm back on an EVO. A bike to me, should be simple and without distractions. That's kind of the whole point of riding.

 

I’ve been studying the schematics for my new to me ‘15 Jaguar XKR. It’s orders of magnitude more complex than the first space shuttles. Hell it even has 3 different communication buses, high speed canbus, medium speed canbus, and an optical bus. Hell, you need a masters degree to figure it out..and I have one,,.and it took forever, just to figure out the starting circuits.

All vehicles are becoming extremely complex. Worse, there are so many unique components and parts, that they are obsoleted much earlier than on older simpler vehicles.

Do people really think they’ll be able to get parts for a 2024 Rivian or a Lucid in 7 years? Nope!!!

 

I mentioned this in another thread about VVT. Harley is making the bikes more complex so customers are a slave to their service department. It will take much longer for the indy's, if ever, to be able to fix the new Harleys.

For me, and I know everyone is different, I ride a Harley because it's low tech. I enjoy EFI, ABS and cruise control, but I don't need it to ride. If I wanted a high tech touring bike I'd buy a Goldwing or BMW.

This is Harley's first generation of these bikes which is always a risk. I feel pretty confident that they will get it right, but how many people will buy these bikes when they're out of warranty? Similar to EV's, not a strong resale market.

 

One of the directions in our modern world is to make each device multi-functional. Take the phone, add a camera, add Wi-Fi, add 5G, at new apps as needed, using it as a level, a map, a calculator, a shopping tool, a find it out tool, a replacement tool for memory ( how many phone numbers do you remember now), this includes a discussion and we can’t think of a name or movie and someone looks it up before your brain gets a chance to remember it. Now, take this to you car, your bike. You have to ask yourself, just how many extraneous things do you want your motorcycle to do. Sure, calling for help if you crash, telling you your tire is 4 Psi low, that your oil temp is 5 degrees warmer than yesterday, that it cannot connect to your smart phone, but not why. If you depend on it, your dependency will grow.

For me, that’s anti motorcycling. I’ll trade all your extraneous interactive bits for reliability and great handling….when on two wheels. Otherwise, it does not matter to me what you do.

 

I saw an add for free fries at McDonalds with the purchase of a burger, 🍔 only if you use their APP…I hate a lot of this new age world BS. The $&@? If I’m downloading stupid apps for stupid stuff😜😎🤣😁
edit: I just stopped at Shake Shack and they want me to scan some QR code to provide feedback