When I announced our renewed commitment to telling the great stories about what is possibly the last great age of human-driven vehicles, one thing I didn’t mention is how technology has enabled performance that seemed unimaginable just years ago.
I didn’t have to bring that up because everyone knows it. I hope they know how fortunate they are to exist in such a time, too. But on Sean’s review of the stellar Yamaha R1, reader borkborkbork69 (there’s a username) wondered: is there such a thing as too much?
Ugh, I hate to be that guy, but what purpose does it serve to put Donorcycles like this on the road? 99.99% of squids who purchase these things are A: unqualified to operate them and 2: will only use them to endanger the lives of those around them.
yes yes freedom blah blah blah. your freedom ends where your actions being a threat to my daughter’s life begins.
I ride motorcycles, I love motorcycles, this is a very cool motorcycle that only 1/10th of 1% of motorcyclists are really capable of handling safely and responsibly and when it isn’t handled safely and responsibly innocent people die by the actions of brainless squids.
it is like 100 round barrel mags on bump stocked “Modern Sporting Rifles”: cool and fun but ultimately useless and so dangerous it shouldn’t be available to the general public.
He’ll get shit for that, but I’ve often thought the same about cars. So much power, but what can you do with it? Especially when the stakes are raised as they are with bikes.
But reader nermal had a good response:
A lot of it is perception. How often do you hear about somebody that bought a sportbike and rides it responsibly on the street? You don’t read stories about it, because that would be a boring story and nobody would care, just like nobody cares about somebody driving a boring midsize sedan in traffic on their commute every day.
Somebody going well in excess of 100 mph and plowing into a minivan, or running from the cops? Those are the stories you hear, with good reason. They’re the exception to the rule.
Both are good comments, both are valid points and both are worth discussing. As for me, at the end of the day, I’d rather have the option than have it be taken off the table.
Enjoy your technology and your power responsibly, my friends. While you still can.
Photo by Scott Sorenson
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.