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The motorcycle of the future is so safe riders can cruise without helmet—all of the thrills with none of the danger—according to BMW.
The German automaker unveiled on Tuesday its Motorrad Vision Next 100, a sleek, self-balancing prototype the company released as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations.
The zero-emissions bike has self-balancing wheels designed to stand upright even at a complete stop, stability that the company says will allow riders to forgo riding a helmet.
"Its self-balancing system will help protect the rider at any time," said Edgar Heinrich, the design director of BMW's motorcycle division. "Any late reaction from the driver will trigger and the vehicle will balance out."
"In the future, motorcycle riders will be able to enjoy riding without protective gear."
The TRON light cycle is almost here.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday October 13 2016, @02:26PM
Right now, many motorcyclists ride around without any protective gear. Doing so is incredibly stupid, to the point where cops routinely refer to them as "organ donors", but people still do it knowing that it could get them killed.
And as many have pointed out, the reason motorcycle crashes are so dangerous is because people get thrown off the bike really easily, and that can happen for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with balance problems.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 1) by justinb_76 on Thursday October 13 2016, @02:38PM
in all fairness, myself and most riders I know are convinced that the statistics have been heavily skewed by dumb kids on 'crotch rockets'. I ride what I think is a decent sized bike (1200 Sportster) that has a whopping 48 horsepower - I can't think of any reason why I would need several times more on a bike with 1/2 the weight. But hey, at least when a kid on a bike crashes, they usually only take themselves out unlike someone in a monster SUV...
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday October 13 2016, @03:06PM
I'll admit, my perceptions are a bit skewed by growing up in New Hampshire and seeing all the hardcore bikers that show up at the big annual bike week. Since libertarian-minded New Hampshire considers it your own business if you get yourself killed, there aren't any helmet laws or anything like that, so most of the bikers don't wear them while they're riding up and down the highways.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by CoolHand on Thursday October 13 2016, @07:28PM
I object to your apparent definition of hardcore, sir. I think most of my compatriots in our BMW riding club would consider themselves hardcore riders. Yet, they all ascribe to the notion of ATGATT (all the gear all the time). I imagine the average riding mileage of our club would far outpace any group of "cruiser" (ie Harley) riders..
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 13 2016, @03:09PM
> myself and most riders I know are convinced that the statistics have been heavily skewed by dumb kids on 'crotch rockets'
And 80% of people consider themselves above average drivers. [nih.gov]
The fallacy of personal superiority. Gets 'em every time.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday October 13 2016, @06:21PM
While that's true, it's not much comfort to that family of the guy I saw lying down after a distracted pickup truck shredded the side of a sedan, and one of them sent him flying into a concrete barrier. He had gear, he was not speeding (his bike was too noisy, but that didn't help).
You can be careful and still end up a statistic, because other road users are idiots.
You're just less likely to be a victim of your own stupidity, but you're still more exposed to that of others.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 13 2016, @08:08PM
Survivorship Bias [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 1) by toph on Thursday October 13 2016, @02:53PM
As a motorcyclist I prefer the ease by which I may leave the bike to suffering life threatening g-forces inside a cage (a.k.a. car). Of course I wear my protective gear.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 13 2016, @03:05PM
> where cops routinely refer to them as "organ donors",
In the emergency room we refer to all motorcycles as donorcycles.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 13 2016, @03:21PM
Given that, I have always wondered why they don't make motorcycles with canopies. It hinges at the front and clips down once you're on the bike. Then you can ride through the rain without getting drenched, turn on the AC, and cut down on road noise. Put air bags in the frame, and you greatly reduce fatalities caused by laying down the bike or getting thrown from it. If people like the feeling of wind as they ride, swap the canopy for an open roll cage. There would be the look of such a thing, but that's a design issue; I always thought the TRON light cycles looked pretty cool.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Thursday October 13 2016, @03:37PM
Then add two more wheels and you have a car. Not what is wanted.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday October 13 2016, @06:25PM
Exactly. It's just like people who drive Jeep Wranglers: their choice has absolutely zero to do with practicality.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Thursday October 13 2016, @09:45PM
Not zero. A used bike that needs a little love can be had for under $1000, and insurance is cheap too. Plus good fuel economy if it isn't too big. Add the cage and extra wheels and you need a bigger engine which burns more gas, and all that costs more. You can get a decent motorcycle brand new for $5k.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 3, Informative) by art guerrilla on Wednesday October 19 2016, @11:16AM
and those jeeps are LOUD with road/engine noise...
man, i could not stand riding in it for the 90-99% of the time you are doing normal road driving...
i was in a buddy's the other day, and i was thinking, why bother having a radio/CD player, you couldn't fucking hear it...
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 13 2016, @04:40PM
I ride in the rain without getting drenched. My riding jacket is already "waterproof" to a large extent. My boots are almost waterproof. I normally ride in denim jeans, but if I know the rain is about to hit, I stop and put on a raincoat over the riding jacket, and rain pants. Additionally, I keep a set of Frog Togs in the tank bag, just in case I destroy the more expensive rain suit.
There's a guy at work who rides in all weather. I'm not sure he even owns a car - five or six Harleys, but I've never seen him drive a car. When he gets to work, he's as dry as anyone else.
It's a bit of nuisance, keeping the raingear at hand, and in good repair, but it pays off.