Is there anyway to mix motorcycles and software to make a livelihood?

油井緋色

油井緋色

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I'm a software developer and have spent the last 3 years working on business related technology. While work is steady and I've been told I'm really good at it, it's only something I only do to make money. I derive no real happiness or passion off work.

On the flip side, there are a few months every season where I help friends do oil changes, tighten chains, and other basic maintenance stuff. I get a kick out of that because I genuinely enjoying helping others and obviously working with/on bikes.

I understand any real ideas aren't going to be posted on a forum as any competent developer would become a rabid monkey and snatch the idea instantly lol but I thought I'd start a discussion.

Previous ideas I've had were related to a heads up display using OLED technology but I never got around to launching that (Skully sucks imo) or maybe even traction control/abs artificial intelligence that adapt to the rider.

Anyone else in the software world that has had similar thoughts?
 
HUD is distracting and wouldn't get a lot of interest I don't think but what about audio and speech recognition attached to the bike? Something like "what's my speed", "what road am I on", something like OnStar for bikes useable through bluetooth headsets etc. Right now voice recognition stuff is limited to higher end GPS and very basic commands in high end headsets and Siri requires a data connection and connecting an Apple phone. If a bike had inbuilt audio based functions that were data and non-data dependant that might be interesting. The equivalent would be the way some vehicles have built in entertainment/gps functions etc.

Just brainstorming...of course this could also be a **** idea.
 
油井緋色;2301986 said:
[...] I derive no real happiness or passion off work.
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Passion is over-rated (see Cal Newport). And, happyness is a choice. Work is work. I dont know why ppl expect more from it.

My advice: try it out as a hobby first, and see where it takes you. I wouldn't give up your day job (assuming your tinking about it) to launch something untested.

God luck!
 
油井緋色;2301986 said:
I'm a software developer and have spent the last 3 years working on business related technology. While work is steady and I've been told I'm really good at it, it's only something I only do to make money. I derive no real happiness or passion off work.

On the flip side, there are a few months every season where I help friends do oil changes, tighten chains, and other basic maintenance stuff. I get a kick out of that because I genuinely enjoying helping others and obviously working with/on bikes.

I understand any real ideas aren't going to be posted on a forum as any competent developer would become a rabid monkey and snatch the idea instantly lol but I thought I'd start a discussion.

Previous ideas I've had were related to a heads up display using OLED technology but I never got around to launching that (Skully sucks imo) or maybe even traction control/abs artificial intelligence that adapt to the rider.

Anyone else in the software world that has had similar thoughts?
Click to expand...


Hi OP (I'm not sure how to say your asian name)
Yeah, Im in the Tech industry and have other hobbies as well that I'd love to make into a paying job. Unfortunately I cant make a living from those hobbies. The thing with motorcycling for example, is that its a seasonal thing. A lot of the big companies have $$$ for funding and R&D. Closer to home, in the software side of things I just bought a USB cable adapter and apparently theres a a Free and paid version of tuning software available for my bike. Maybe target popular bikes (Europe) that may need something similar?

Aslo, Theres a bunch of "Apps" for motorcycling out there too.. Not sure if you can make a living from that.

The closest I got to mixing motorsport and software was going for a job opportunity with the Maclaren F1 team in South London (UK) about 15yrs ago (wow has it been that long?) .
 
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I love how some responses has nothing to do with "software developing" .

OP, to just stay on the software side there is nothing you can do but writing apps for mobil phones.

Anything requires hardware integration will be out of your reach
 
I know a number of people who have focused their jobs around their hobbies (skiing/riding). Most don't end up doing their hobby that much any more as the "job" part of it takes over.

Just saying ...
 
Everybody's looking for nirvana. Good luck with that.
 
(Semi) successful examples I can think of would be Harry's GPS LapTimer, TuneBoy and ... ?

There are a number of bikes on the market now with fancy LCD/LED screens as dashes. If you could figure out a way to replace the software that the dash uses so you could completely customize it, I bet people would be interested...
 
Good luck OP... I feel your exact pain. Every day that goes by, the more I wish I went to MMI instead of taking computer related things in school. The worst part is I am the only computer person in a family of mechanical people. Now that I am getting good with the bikes, my real job is extra painful.

Have you by any chance seen what Aprilia is doing right now, with their integration of the iPhone to the new RSV? Maybe you can think of some type of idea to use data aquisition from the phone and make something for other types of bike..

Or perhaps some type of competitor to the Harry's Laptimer?

Something for SOAR score/record keepers/riders?

Twisty road finder?? You should write a program that will find curvy roads and then at every intersection, look at the Google Street view of the location and determine if the road you're turning onto is dirt or gravel, and re-route to another one if so. :) It should keep you busy for a few months if you go with that idea.
 
Barcode ordering at Tim Hortons. Sticker on your bike, and they know how to make your coffee, and reserve a parking spot.
 
How good is your Assembly and hacking OEM modules?
 
油井緋色;2301986 said:
...or maybe even traction control/abs artificial intelligence that adapt to the rider.

Anyone else in the software world that has had similar thoughts?
Click to expand...

Honda and Yamaha already do this with 6-axis gimbals, for Honda , derived from the ASIMO program -we're talking tens of millions of dollars and large teams for PhD scientists.
Marelli does this as well with Aprilia and others.

Motorcycling could use navigation apps with better voice directions and alerts, i.e. navigation without any visual cues.
 
mikbusa said:
Barcode ordering at Tim Hortons. Sticker on your bike, and they know how to make your coffee, and reserve a parking spot.
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NFC when you pull into the parking spot: regular or dark roast, which as far as I can tell, is just a different colour cup.
 
A suggestion that could be useful: focus on developing a practical solution for an existing problem first. Example: Everybody loves to ride, no one wants to waste time fixing the bike or trying to troubleshoot a problem, especially an electrical one.

I have two Yamaha scooters. I had a small problem with one of them recently (Tmax 500). I discovered that the scooter has many sensors to perform diagnostics, for example, it can self-test the fuel injector unit in each cylinder, or show me the battery voltage, or check the kickstand sensor, or get me the "check engine codes" history, etc. etc. etc. Honestly, it is an amazing tool and all the hardware is already there. But the user interface sucks, basically it just shows numbers on the digital display below the speedometer.

Why not develop a program that has a better user interface, and can get all the details out of the sensors, instead of just showing the codes?I understand Yamaha put this same diagnostic system on most bikes, including R6, R1, big cruisers, etc. So the market is sizeable. It could be worth the effort.

EDIT: Any "rabid monkeys" out there feel free to "snatch this idea instantly", I honestly would pay for a program or utility that would allow me to troubleshoot electrical problems faster, so I can ride more and wrench less.
 
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CafeRay said:
You can find fault codes all over the interwebnet...

http://motorcycle-repair-manual.jimdo.com/yamaha-fault-codes/


Yamaha and others design them to be cryptic on purpose.
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:-?
That's not the point.

Yes, the codes are on the internet, but you need more than the codes. Even having the manual sometimes is not enough.

Imagine the following: You put the bike into diagnostic mode, you get to the "D" codes, the first one is d01, then what? What do you do? You see a value that says 14 or 15 or 16, but what does it mean? is it working fine?

You can go to the website you posted, it only says "d01 = throttle position (twist the throttle)". Twist the throttle and then what?

That website is useless.
 
MarcosSantiago said:
:-?
That's not the point.

Yes, the codes are on the internet, but you need more than the codes. Even having the manual sometimes is not enough.

Imagine the following: You put the bike into diagnostic mode, you get to the "D" codes, the first one is d01, then what? What do you do? You see a value that says 14 or 15 or 16, but what does it mean? is it working fine?

You can go to the website you posted, it only says "d01 = throttle position (twist the throttle)". Twist the throttle and then what?

That website is useless.
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Yes this absolutely makes sense, basically a hierarchal structure of troubleshooting steps based upon symptoms ie check engine codes.

I ran into a similar scenario a couple weeks ago with the cage. It was throwing 2 engine codes... I Internet Mechanic'd them myself, but when I called the dealership, he said I was probably right but said they would have to do their "diagnostic" first. Obviously the diagnostic is to get the same codes I already have and then follow Step 1 of the official GM Troubleshooter's handbook and go from there.

It turned out that my Internet Mechanic's intuition was correct. Not only that, but the parts/labour was covered for free!

What we need in this step would be what? Information from different bike's service manuals or from the OEM's official technician training??
 
jc100 said:
HUD is distracting and wouldn't get a lot of interest I don't think but what about audio and speech recognition attached to the bike? Something like "what's my speed", "what road am I on", something like OnStar for bikes useable through bluetooth headsets etc. Right now voice recognition stuff is limited to higher end GPS and very basic commands in high end headsets and Siri requires a data connection and connecting an Apple phone. If a bike had inbuilt audio based functions that were data and non-data dependant that might be interesting. The equivalent would be the way some vehicles have built in entertainment/gps functions etc.

Just brainstorming...of course this could also be a **** idea.
Click to expand...

Well, to expand on the idea...

I've played a ton of Gran Turismo. When the "show race line" feature was put into GT5 and 6, it gave me an idea. Based on your speed, the line would turn red prior to a corner to indicate you need to start braking. We're currently using braking markers for this (pylons lol) at most tracks.

On the fully retard side of things, a friend in engineering said we could throw some kind of sonar type device onto the bike or helmet. Using Bluetooth on the helmet and a computer somewhere, you could analyze and project said analysis onto the heads up display. This is really more of a 'for fun' idea but it'd be pretty fun to throw together an Iron Man heads up display.

TwistedKestrel said:
(Semi) successful examples I can think of would be Harry's GPS LapTimer, TuneBoy and ... ?

There are a number of bikes on the market now with fancy LCD/LED screens as dashes. If you could figure out a way to replace the software that the dash uses so you could completely customize it, I bet people would be interested...
Click to expand...

This is probably the most feasible idea. Could easily team up with someone that makes lap timers, develop something for commercial use, and create an API or phone app to configure it. The thing would probably cost $3000+ though.

xfactor said:
How good is your Assembly and hacking OEM modules?
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I'd have to learn both but learning has never been a problem for me. All of the jobs I've done I've had 0 experience in the business domain going in; one I didn't have experience in the language or technologies they were using.

SweetOnion said:
Twisty road finder?? You should write a program that will find curvy roads and then at every intersection, look at the Google Street view of the location and determine if the road you're turning onto is dirt or gravel, and re-route to another one if so. :) It should keep you busy for a few months if you go with that idea.
Click to expand...

I know some GPS have this feature...and it blows. It'll route you through residential streets lol

Google Maps has an API to communicate with but I doubt there is an easy way to differentiate between residential streets and twisty backroads. Maybe something as simple as no intersections over 1km would work.

MarcosSantiago said:
A suggestion that could be useful: focus on developing a practical solution for an existing problem first. Example: Everybody loves to ride, no one wants to waste time fixing the bike or trying to troubleshoot a problem, especially an electrical one.
Click to expand...

Really interesting idea. Wonder if I'd get sued for this though lol

There's a lot of great ideas in this thread actually. I'll find something to do this winter. :cool:
 
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