This month, BMW revealed a motorcycle that doesn’t need a rider to get itself around a track – it will start off (with a push), take gentle corners and come to a safe halt on its side stand without anyone in its seat. It’s a prototype, developed to help researchers recognize when a bike’s sensors may be able to help a rider, without getting in the way.
This motorcycle will never be produced for sale – what’s the point? – but Harley-Davidson’s all-electric Livewire will go on sale next year. Just as car technology has improved exponentially over the past decade, so has two-wheeled technology. What’s on the road today that didn’t exist a decade ago?
Traction control
New to motorcycles and developed on racetracks, many bikes now offer traction control to help in slippery conditions. As with a car, they sense when a tire is sliding and will cut power to the rear wheel if necessary to stop the slippage. Different makes and models offer different variances of traction control, with some adventure bikes allowing up to six separate modes, for normal, rain, sport, touring, and light or rough off-road riding.
ABS and linked brakes
Most motorcycles now include antilock braking systems (ABS) for their brakes, but it’s often a costly option. ABS was first seen on the 1988 BMW K100 series, though back then it was heavy and rudimentary and caused considerable vibration. Braking a motorcycle is usually a more delicate action than braking a car, where a driver can just stomp on the pedal and not worry about losing balance.
Some makers are now starting to offer “leaning ABS,” in which the motorcycle senses if it is leaned over when the brakes are applied and will adjust for that. Normally, if a rider hits the brakes hard while the bike is leaned, the wheels will lock much more easily and the bike will flip into a “highside.” The motorcycle should be slowed with increasing braking until it’s upright, when full pressure can then be applied. Leaning ABS allows the rider to hit the brakes hard right from the start, whether cornering or not. No more highsides.
Only a few motorcycles have linked braking systems, though many Hondas do. This activates both brakes, to different degrees, when just the front brake lever or rear brake pedal is applied. In dry weather, at least 90 per cent of a bike’s stopping power comes from the front brake, but in wet weather, it can be a 50/50 split. Improvements in ABS brakes have made linked systems less necessary.
Smart helmets
Motorcycle helmets aren’t just for safety anymore. There are many communications systems available that attach to helmets and provide flat, interior speakers and a microphone so connected riders can talk to each other, as well as take phone calls and listen to music from their Bluetooth phones.
Sena now makes a range of helmets that include the communication system built right in: one model includes an ambient noise reducer, similar to the headphones that mute airplane sound, to counteract the noise from the wind and road. Another model includes an integrated camera on the top that discreetly records an endless loop of video.
Connected helmets allow a navigation system to speak to a rider, so Siri or a GPS’s voice can talk through directions to a destination. Most motorcycle-specific navigation systems now offer alternative routes to riders based on more winding roads, or hilly scenery.
Several manufacturers are working to produce heads-up systems for motorcycle helmets, projecting basic vehicle and road information onto the visor, such as speed and a rear-view camera. They’re not quite there yet, but it won’t be long.
Automatic gears and quick-shifts
Honda and Yamaha both make motorcycles that don’t need a clutch lever. They’re not automatic in the true sense of an automotive transmission, but they do the shifting for you electronically, or you can flick a little finger lever to go up and down through the gears if you prefer. This is an option on certain models, though Honda intends to make its Dual Clutch Transmission available with almost every bike it sells.
An alternative is quick-shifting clutches, developed from racing, which are becoming more common now: a rider does not need to use the clutch to change gear in the manual transmission. Essentially, the system senses when the shift lever by the rider’s left foot is being moved, and cuts either fuel or the ignition spark for a few microseconds to take pressure off the drivetrain until the next gear cog is in place. Some systems only work for upshifting; a few work in both directions.
Weather protection
There’s no need to be cold when the temperature drops. Heated hand grips are a popular accessory and some large touring bikes offer heated seats. Fairings with electrically-adjusted windshields can keep the wind off both rider and passenger. Many bikes also provide accessory plugs, both for USB charging and for on-board power.
Almost everything you can wear can be found with a heated option: gloves and thin glove liners, vests, pants, socks and balaclavas. Power can come from a self-contained battery that must be charged separately, or just from being plugged directly into the motorcycle’s own battery. BMW sells thin vests and pants that use chemicals in their material to help keep the rider’s temperature regulated – not too hot, not too cold.
Crash apps
There are a number of apps that can be loaded on a smartphone that will sense if the phone has been involved in a motorcycle accident – they can tell if the angle of the phone changes suddenly and it comes to a quick stop. When this happens, the phone will automatically call for Emergency services and provide its GPS co-ordinates.
Most of these apps include a social side to riding, too. They encourage motorcyclists to recommend good riding roads and friendly restaurants to each other and provide forums for opinion and staying connected.
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