Galwaylotus wrote:. . . or less technically adept?!
There may well be some element of truth in that - or at least it's in accord with what I've noticed about motorcycles in particular over the last 40+ yrs. Back in 1969 Honda introduced their CB750 model - 4 cylinder, OHC, disc brake + a few other never before seen bits. The reaction was one of shock about the sophistication of it all, followed by comments that something like this was far too difficult to maintain at home. They were comparing it with the British twin cylinder stuff - BSA, Triumph etc that then dominated the market and which were based on designs going back to the 30's (OK, not all of them!). These days the CB750 is seen as stone-age simple, an entry level classic to learn on.
Read the contemporary road tests of the Elan and the same concerns comes through - when you're used to pushrods and cart springs this new stuff looks frightening and it takes some time before it becomes the norm. Now we're head scratching over how to deal with ECUs and F.I., soon that'll be OK and it'll be the mysteries of lithium batteries and electric motors. None of this applies if you've some sort of connection to the technology - an engineering background or similar, but for the rest of us who were upgrading our hammers in the 60's and working through the settings on our new multi-meters now.