Thank you, Christopher, for that enlightening film. I can always depend on you to elevate any discussion about motorcycle technology to its natural, professional zenith.

I too curse when things are designed without consideration for maintenance … I shudder to think of the eventual spark plug replacement job on my van (transverse V6 on which part of the intake manifold has to come off to get access to the valve covers) … good thing it’s not due until 160,000 km. But I know how it happens. The engine gets designed by one team and the body by another, and the main consideration is that the vehicle goes down the assembly line easily, not what happens afterward. The spark plugs in my van went in before the intake manifold went on during engine assembly in a completely different factory from where that engine eventually gets plonked into a subframe and the whole deal stuck into the bodyshell in one big piece. In this case, this vehicle was never originally designed for a V6 gasoline engine at all, and sticking that engine in there was a complete afterthought for the North American market.

At least in the case of motorcycles, usually the frame is designed for that particular engine, so they can do thoughtful things, like putting a strategically placed hole in the frame that allows a T-handle to be inserted through the frame to get to throttle body clamps that would be beyond reach otherwise. The trouble with sport bikes is that everyone wants smaller, more compact, lighter, but with more power (and more heat to deal with), and you end up with an awful lot of equipment in a very small space. With my ZX10R, you have to take apart everything in order to get to anything, but at least there’s some logic to the way they’ve done it.

My favorite beefs? Electrical connectors with no readily apparent indication of which way tabs need to be poked or prodded in order to get the connector apart … and (*cough* Honda) bodywork that is not only put together with screws but also with clips and tabs so that you can take off every screw in sight and be no closer to having the body panel off the bike!