Importance of Riding Aids on a motorcycle

Abs, Traction control, Anti wheelie, power modes are really important and they help you get out of tricky situations. Manufacturers are realizing this need and they are equipping most of the bike with one or more of these aids.  But people need to understand that these electronics will not make you immune to the actions of your bad decisions.

ABS helps in maintaining the control of the bike in extreme braking conditions and prevents the wheels from locking up which results in a crash most of the time. But that doesn't mean that it will help create more traction for you to brake even harder. 

Traction control is designed in a way to prevent the rear wheel from spinning. Its a very helpful feature when there is a lot of gravel or sand in your path. But the main use of this technology is on the tracks where in the rider can exploit the maximum power of the bike without the bike loosing grip.

Anti wheelie comes into play when an unplanned wheelie or aggressive throttle catches you off guard. It prevents the bike from front wheel of the bike from lifting off the ground. When the motorcycle front wheel lifts beyond a safe limit, the power is interrupted and brings the wheel back down.

you do not want that to happen to you!

Power modes restrict power delivery and changes the engine maps to suit the conditions like in wet rainy conditions. You do not want all the maximum power when you twist the throttle in such tricky dangerous conditions.

The real deal is to understand that these electronics will prevent you from crashing. They are just a safety net in case of an emergency and people shouldn't depend on them all the time but it is a good thing to have them.

Tire pressure and why it's important?

Tire pressure is not the most exciting topic but then the tires are the only thing which connects to the road. Tire pressure is the most neglected thing in any automotive machinery. Tire pressure affects the traction, stability, comfort, handling and tire wear.

You must check your tire pressure at least once a week with the help of a good quality tire gauge so as to get an accurate reading. The pressure must be checked when the tires are actually cold or before you start riding because when the tire heats up the air present in the tire also gets heated up and expands, this gives an inaccurate reading when checked.

If you don't ride your bike and it is left for a long time then the tires start to deflate .
If your tires are under inflated you end up with a soft tire and a big contact patch with the road. People might say that a softer tire might help in a softer ride, but that leads to heavy steering, sloppy handling, premature tire wear and a decrease in fuel mileage.

Another side to the story is that if the tires are over inflated it would decrease the contact patch with road and make the tire hard which translates to a rougher ride and less traction.
To know the right tire pressure check your vehicle's owners manual and sometimes they would be pasted on the vehicle itself. In case you changed the brand of the tires then better check with the tire manufacturer's prescribed tire pressure.

Filling the tires with nitrogen is better because nitrogen is less likely going to escape from the tires which means less frequent trip to the tire shop. But then there wouldn't be any noticeable difference in the handling of the vehicle.