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Speaking of choice, why don't people complain about the sidestand-starter interlock on bikes? Shouldn't it be our decision to risk pole vaulting ourselves with the sidestand down



This doesn't affect me directly at all because I am used to kickstart bikes. Just out of habit, I break loose the clutch, shift to neutral, start the engine, raise the stand and shift.

BUT, all this crap tends to make people lazy and stupid and thwarts Darwinian evolution. There is one safety law I would gladely support. Limit power dodads, electric bike starters, etc. to very heavy vehicles and handicapped operators. That 3 cylinder 1200 pound shoebox car does not need power steering, power brakes and an autoshifter! People who can't drive would be removed from the roadways if they had to actually work their vehicles.
The safest bikes I ever had were the old ones with a kickstart and manual advance. If I went to a wild party and managed to get the beast started, I was probably in good enough condition to make it home safely.

Let's hope there's intelligent life somewhere in space 'cause it's buggar all down here. -- Monte Python