NO IDEAS BUT IN THINGS

What's interesting about motorcycle controls is that their use is learnt and 'blind' - looking for the right button while riding is inadvisable to put it mildly. Labelling is therefore of little use beyond familiarisation and ergonomics are much more important. Because of the consistency of use their application is practically subconcious (think gear change in a car), consequently, if you change the order of the buttons you get mistakes. For example on the left hand controls, not shown here, of my Suzuki the indicators are above the horn. On my Aprilia the horn is above the indicators. Pretty much every time I switch bikes I will unintentionly use the horn when turning. Also of interest is that motorcycle controls put emphasis on the thumb while most modern control mechanisms focus on the forefinger.

Jay, motorcycles put emphasis on the thumb for a reason. Try visualizing a control arrangement designed for the forefinger. Now consider the effect on throttle and clutch control, and the manufacturing ramifications.

Of course, if we redesigned the entire arrangement from scratch, a lot of possibilities would open up. But a complete redesign is rather unlikely in the real world.

Motorcycle hand controls are a very interesting study. I remember when BMW came out with the K-bike turn signal controls, which represented a major design departure from the traditional directional switch approach used on all other bikes. Many people simply refused to believe there could be a benefit to the change in design and you'll run into a lot of riders who hate these controls. No other motorcycle company that I've seen has adopted the design either.

Personally, I loved the design when I bought my first BMW with that style of control and wish my current Aprilia utilized it. The genius of the K-bike style signal switches are that the signals are located on push controls aligned with the underside of each handgrip.

For anyone unfamiliar with riding a two-wheeled vehicle at speed, this approach to designing turn signal controls may not seem quite as revolutionary as it really is. At any speed over about 5 miles an hour, however, actually turning the handlebar on a bicycle or motorcycle is an invitation to crash.

Instead, to turn right, the rider pushes on the right hand grip. (I'm purposely ignoring the controversies in motorcycling about body weighting vs. counter-steering as the methods for initiating a turn.) Thus, utilizing the K-bike style controls, when the rider activates the right turn signal by pushing the switch on the right grip, s/he is helping to prepare and/or initiate the weight change that causes the motorcycle to turn right.

By contrast, and relevant to JayN's observation above, the Aprilia employs the standard rocker-style switch located on the left hand-grip and places the signal switch in the lower position with the horn button located above. If you spend any time talking to Aprilia riders, you'll hear this referred to as being backwards and a significant annoyance.

Using a signal, although not really optional, isn't the kind of action that demands immediate and unconscious access. By contrast, if I need the horn, I need it right now and with no thought or delay as to my ability to reach it. (Remember that the consequences of collision for the motorcyclist tend to be much more catastrophic than a ticket for failure to signal.)

On the Aprilia, you can't find the horn button unconsciously, even after you've been riding the bike for tens of thousands of miles as I have. You have to locate it by moving your thumb off the grip, out and around the signal switch and onto the button, and therefore it becomes a much less useful tool.