Actually, many people complained about the cost of seat belts and that they weren't really needed. Rather than be crushed in a car it would be better to be "thrown free". I saw this in print many times and have heard people say this mid to late sixties through seventies. Same type of comments with airbags later. Over 50 years after seat belts became available and with seat belt laws in ON about 5% - 10% of people still don't use them. Often these are the people who are ejected from a vehicle in an accident and more often than not being "thrown free" doesn't end well for them.
TC and abs will probably be standard equipment in 10 - 20 years on most bikes and there will be always be people saying these are useless features. The number of people saying this will diminish over time, just as it has with seat belts and airbags.
I don't disagree that that the added complexity of abs, linked brakes, TC etc.... makes repairs more costly and may limit some owners from maintaining their bikes.
I wager in 5-10 years they will be standard equipment, and probably mandatory(or atleast they should be)
In EU abs is infact mandatory on bikes now, i dont know why in NA it isn't they keep selling models with the option to buy slightly cheaper without ABS/TC etc...
I would rather spend a few extra bucks to get them on the standard models....no one should have to choose between a few bucks and their safety(especially on a motorcycle, in the GTA of all places....) if those few dollars are a big deal to you, perhaps reconsider your finances?
I also read that in some places(europe or elsewhere) people are having a hard time selling/reselling bikes that dont have ABS...so it would not only be beneficial in terms of safety, but if you ever want to sell your bike...(something to consider)
As for complexity, maintenance and money, it doesn't stop all those aprilia/ducati/mv agusta owners?
There are always going to be bikes that are more expensive to repair, more expensive to find parts for, it doesn't stop those who really want those bikes....
Regardless, in the unlikely event that maintenance does end up becoming a huge problem(which i doubt in 2018, especially with Japanese bikes), just give frekey a call, problem solved :icon_smile: