One of the greatest and most thrilling parts of the two-wheeled lifestyle is the addition of more and more technology to our beloved two-wheelers. The good old motorcycle has evolved from a simple two-wheeled vehicle to a traveling supercomputer with decades of research and development behind it. However, there is an inevitable drawback to this.
As technology advances, so do the number of components. As you add more and more parts to the mix, there's a greater chance that something will go wrong. Not to mention the added complexity involved in producing these machines. This is exactly the scenario right now, with supply shortages affecting the automobile and motorbike sectors, as well as many other industries. Everything from enterprises stagnating because of the COVID-19 pandemic, to a lack of raw materials, and yes, that time a large cargo ship got stranded in the Suez Canal, have contributed to the snowball effect that has resulted in this crisis impacting numerous industries.
This time, the problem manifests itself in the guise of ABS sensors. ABS is now regarded as one of the most groundbreaking motorcycle safety solutions ever devised. ABS on a motorbike was almost unheard of in the 1990s and early 2000s, with only the most premium models sporting this feature. ABS is now as common as LED lights, and even entry-level motorcycles are equipped with it as standard. Now, in a report by French motorcycling publication Moto-Station, certain OEMs have reported that they are having trouble keeping up with demand for ABS sensors, owing to a lack of raw materials, more specifically, certain types of metals.
As a result of the shortfall, some manufacturers who rely on other firms for components may need to change their production plans to accommodate for the reduced supply of parts. This adds to the already lengthy waitlist for certain mid- to high-end two-wheelers that rely significantly on these sensors to function. To make matters worse, additional systems like traction control and electronic stability control rely on ABS module inputs, further underlining the necessity of this little, frequently neglected component.
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However, if the previous two years are any indication of what's to come, the sector will most likely discover methods to adapt and overcome the difficulty. With most of the constraints associated with the pandemic lifted, employment in factories and raw material refineries is ramping up again. That said, at the moment, all we can do is hope that the industry will soon be able to recover the supply issues that have been plaguing it for years now.
Source: Moto-Station