Motorcycles Set to Embrace Electronic Nannies, Thanks Ducati

On Tuesday, Ducati announced it would be adding adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring to the Multistrada V4 — effectively making it the first production motorcycle in the world to receive such features. While chucking front and rear-facing radar onto an automobile has become relatively common, motorbikes haven’t been getting them. Pricing remains the largest concern but many motorcycle enthusiasts have also pointed out the systems may expose riders to unnecessary risks.

If the forward-mounted radar on your car sees the vehicle in front getting closer, it may jam on the brakes to save you from an accident. On two wheels, that same action runs the risk of tossing a rider over the handlebars before promptly running themselves over. This leaves us wondering as to the true usefulness of these systems migrating to motorcycles. Have we gone mad with electronic nannies or is all this progress worth it to keep us safe?

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  • Bd2 The coolest true SUV on the market. Change my mind.
  • VoGhost Fettle, racket, wade, throne -- what's going on with Matthew?
  • Mcw I have only seen one on the road in Northern California, but I have to say I liked the appearance. Too bad.
  • Bd2 I hope Elon eats one for dinner.
  • Wjtinfwb I really like these, but can't shake the voice in my head that says, "$9000 will just be the starting point. You'll have 20 grand in this baby inside of 18 months".