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Electronics technology has overtaken the 'gladiatorial' element of riders doing battle in MotoGP, 500cc world champion Wayne Gardner believes.

Gardner won his 1987 title with Honda during the two-stroke era of motorcycle grand prix racing, which featured bikes he describes as "vicious things, difficult to ride and aggressive".

With four-stroke engines having been the norm since 2002 and constant development from manufacturers, the Australian feels modern riders are not able to bring as much to the table.

"I raced two-strokes and four-strokes, I did the Suzuka Eight Hour race and a few things like that," Gardner told Autosport.

"And when you raced the four-strokes compared to the two-strokes, it was 70 per cent easier.

"So straight away, that's an easy way to go racing, and safer.

"Then you add in the electronics, which brings the safety aspect up a lot higher, but also takes away a lot of the thrill.

"I think it's lost a little bit of its touch with the public, and the thrill and the excitement, and seeing the gladiators out there, fighting."

MotoGP's new-for-2016 ECU has been dubbed a "step backwards" by some riders, but Gardner - who has been reunited with 500cc bikes in the World GP Bike Legends series - feels more could still be done.

However, he concedes that is unlikely, based on the manufacturers' interests.

"In my opinion, take all of the electronics off them," Gardner said.

"They've got electronics, anti-wheelie and clutch and launch control, all of the other gizmos.

"We have no control over it, because it's what the manufacturers want, but it'd be nice if they threw the electronics off all of the four-strokes.

"They're pretty easy to ride as it is, without having to have all of that stuff on them.

"I understand why all of that happens, because manufacturers want to work on technology and to extract that from the racing and put it in their road cars or road bikes.

"But I think sometimes it probably goes too far, because they are at the pointy edge of technology that is actually killing the earthiness, the essence of it.

"I think that there should be a balance of the two."