Afterglow?

'So, what's the latest buzz in the aftermarket?' could almost be the byline for motorcycle futurists. Aka Motorcycle manufacturer R&D. At least that's how it used to be. When a mid-seventies, finding-its-feet European Honda wanted to know what to do next, all it had to do was look at what people were replacing/upgrading on the aftermarket. If Harris, Spondon and Bimota were doing raring business selling braced or all-new chassis frames, then the next thing to do was to improve the chassis on the current machines.

It was simple time. People could get their hands dirty on their machines with tangible, if not always expected, results. Motorcycles were an art. But definitely not an occult entity.

Since then, we've moved on. Manufacturer's and the aftermarket now work closer than ever before. And I really can't say whether motorcyclists benefit all that much from it. A large chunk of the accessory guys just make exhaust cans. All of which just boost the power or the torque or if they're any good, both. The manufacturer responds by raising the stock bike's tune and making the next year's bike even faster.

So what is the next big step for motorcycles, then? For once, the aftermarket seems to have no answer. Motorcycle evolution has hit a sort of plateau. A very exciting place to be, no doubt, but a place where development effort versus gains remain lower than they should be.

It's almost as if the developed markets have slowed up a bit to allow the rest to catch up. There's a nice thought.

Look at India, though. It's seventies Europe here, all right. What is the buzz in the after market, then? Fairings. Every tom, dick and harry worth his fibreglass is making them. They liberally splatter them with big-ticket stickers too. They want the same Pulsar to be a Hayabusa, a Fireblade and a Rocket III. What else are they making? Exhausts. It's a pity these exhausts are made to resemble the big bike ones, and have as much engineering in them as a glob of mucous. But yes, motorcyclists want bikes with voices.

But the manufacturer's aren't looking in that direction yet. A fully-faired DTS-Fi would have created a far greater buzz than the naked one heading our way. Yes, it would have been slower than the naked... Even on our racetracks, fairings are few and far between. The bikes are too slow to benefit, and usually, there just aren't enough sponsors to warrant speed-sapping plastic. Soon...