I'm sure many riders have put on thousands of miles without a helmet, and are doing just fine. However, the majority of us would no longer think of riding without a helmet. Many fighter pilots did some incredible flying before ejection seats were invented, yet not a single one today would ever say it isn't absolutely essential.

ABS is one of those technologies which, like the seat belt, the parachute, the helmet and the ejection seat, only comes in handy when all else has failed. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest improvements in automotive technology since it was introduced in the 1970s (in the 1990s for motorcycles). And unlike the helmet or the seat belt, it isn't physically cumbersome or restrictive. It weighs next to nothing and it's completely transparent, patiently waiting to prevent a wheel lock and save a life.

Even the most skilled rider in history isn't safe from all the drunken, texting idiots on the road. ABS is just one more well-documented safety technology that actually saves lives. Someday in the future, everybody will expect all motor vehicles to have ABS. I expect this today, but in the United States (and nowhere else), the Honda F6B doesn't have ABS, not even as an option.

To me, no ABS feels like riding without a helmet or driving without a seat belt – statistically, nothing bad is likely to happen. This time.

On the other hand, an airbag on a motorcycle is ... humm, I can't think of a non-offensive term. But the airbag on the GL-1800 is PINK. I suppose that says something right there.