No more helmets?

[Bob2010]

http://mashable.com/2016/10/12/bmw-m...utm_cid=hp-h-2
The BMW Motorrad is designed to fit right into the near future, blending the analog with the digital experience and offering unprecedented safety features for the rider.

The biker will not even require a helmet, or any other protective gear for that matter, as the bike, which also self-balances, will be able to suggest and make corrections in case of impending danger.

The bike is stripped down almost entirely, with most information provided to the rider via an augmented reality headset, called the visor. It shows speed, navigation and the rear mirrors.

The Motorrad is part of BMW's Vision Next series, which celebrates the company's 100th anniversary.

[MrAtom]

Its a bike for someone who really wants a car instead. Or to play video games instead.

[adouglas]

Yeah, that'll do real well when a texting teen takes you out, you go flying through the air and your spandex-pajama "Vision Next 100" suit winds up skidding down the road with you in it.

Yesterday a falling acorn pinged off my fairing at 80 mph. Just sayin'.

Why do these pointless exercises always wind up looking like the bastard child of a TRON LightCycle and the Batcycle? Ergonomic disasters with ridiculously fat tires that scream “cornering is for p*ssies!” Handgrips three feet apart, with a seat that forces you into an extreme tuck... with no place to rest your chest. Design from people who OBVIOUSLY do not actually ride.

Spend the money on useful R&D instead, eh? Show real innovation in materials, powerplants, control systems, energy management…

Instead of a mythical "zero-emissions drive unit" made of pure handwavium, how about a hybrid bike using ohmygosh REAL, EXISTING technology, for example? Push the envelope in a direction that can actually become to pass. Just look at the current gen of F1 powerplants for inspiration.

How about a bike with adjustable suspension and ergonomics for different uses? Urban relaxed for commuting, sportbike for canyon carving, tall and upright for ADV.

How about easy-to-customize bodywork so you can go sport, touring, hipster naked at will?

How about experiments with advanced materials and manufacturing methods to radically rethink structures and weight? Imagine what you could do with a 3D printer and advanced materials....

There’s lots of room to innovate and envision without this kind of nonsense wasting everyone’s time.

[tgold]

The technology already exists for this type of, um, riding experience. All of the thrills and none of the terrible dangers that conventional motorcycles have.

It's called a roller coaster.

Oh wait, people have been hurt and died riding those too.

What a silly (and disengenous at best) claim. There is no way to eliminate all possible hazards no matter how advanced the technology is. Think of the skilless "motorcyclist" who jumps on this bike and has no clue of what to do when (inevitably) there is a systems failure. Instant stain on the pavement.

And here's the thing: It's an answer to the question the vast majority of motorcyclists would never even ask. That question is: "How can I be made completely safe while riding a motorcycle?"

One of the primary reasons that I ride motorcycles because it is a respite from the sanitized no-risk, no-possible-danger life that we are constantly told is what we need.

I've been riding motorcycles for 40 plus years and racing them for over 35 years. I don't want BMW or any other motorcycle company to lead me into this kind of future.

[Dave Wolfe]

If it isnt dangerous I dont want to ride it. If it wont let me be a hooligan, Im not interested. I think maybe this might work for the buyers of three wheeled street vehicles.

[Racer x]

Leave it to the Germans.
A story about German technology. Early sixths and the 600 Mercedes came out with central locking. "The vault " they called it. The 600 is a limousine for heads of state. Not sold to the public . They are amazing cars with hydraulic systems for everything. Little aluminum pipes running through the car. Oil pumps operated the locks and windows.

Anyway the king of Spain or some big wig had one and left it parked outside a hotel. That night a kid broke the window with a rock. He stole a briefcase off the Seat. Violating "the vault" needless to say the 600 and Sports car division was very embarrassed.

[Sirref]

yeaahhhhhh not skipping the helmet any time soon

[csmith12]

Two words....

Death Proof

[1uglybastard]

I like it. It shows imagination and innovation. It likely won't be completely idiot proof but the ideas will lead the way to other technology.

I dont know why some of you are complaining. There already are bikes with variable suspension settings that can be changed on the fly, angle traction control, cruise control, ABS, electric throttle control, automatic transmissions, variable valve timing, etc; things that didn't seem possible 20 years ago for a motorcycle. These guys are just taking imagination and applying it to modern technology in order to evolve the technology to the next level. Technology, innovation, and engineering are about evolution. Even if these particular pieces of tech don't get off the ground, they will lead to other things. We've gotten bikes to go faster, lean lower, and do so more safely because of such innovation. The Isle of Man lap was reduced from 45 minutes to less than 18 minutes because of technological advances.

If scientists listened to whining like this 50 years ago, we wouldn't have modern things like fuel injection today. Hell, we wouldn't even have space travel.

I still won't ride without a helmet though.

[Bigballsofpaint]

Thats really the only thing that bothers me about the article. "You dont need a helmet or even protective gear!" Really?

The tech is cool enough but its not going to help the deer jumping in front of me, the ice when im an idiot and ride int he cold, or ya know, the reason MOST riders have accidents...single vehicle. Charging the corner, etc....

[1uglybastard]

Originally Posted by Bigballsofpaint

Thats really the only thing that bothers me about the article. "You dont need a helmet or even protective gear!" Really?

The tech is cool enough but its not going to help the deer jumping in front of me, the ice when im an idiot and ride int he cold, or ya know, the reason MOST riders have accidents...single vehicle. Charging the corner, etc....

Right, I thought of all of that also. But with computer algorithms and sensors, I think they're trying to make most of that predictable.

To give you an idea of what scientists and computer scientists are trying to achieve: a friend of a friend attended an elite technology conference. There he found a company that's trying to write algorithms that can trace purchases, Internet queries, and a ton of other behavioral patterns that will one day help prevent murder and crime, just like in the movie Minority Report. He said that they are very close to achieving it. With everything connected to the internet today, it's very probable that they will.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by 1uglybastard

I like it. It shows imagination and innovation. It likely won't be completely idiot proof but the ideas will lead the way to other technology.

I dont know why some of you are complaining. There already are bikes with variable suspension settings that can be changed on the fly, angle traction control, cruise control, ABS, electric throttle control, automatic transmissions, variable valve timing, etc; things that didn't seem possible 20 years ago for a motorcycle. These guys are just taking imagination and applying it to modern technology in order to evolve the technology to the next level. Technology, innovation, and engineering are about evolution. Even if these particular pieces of tech don't get off the ground, they will lead to other things. We've gotten bikes to go faster, lean lower, and do so more safely because of such innovation. The Isle of Man lap was reduced from 45 minutes to less than 18 minutes because of technological advances.

If scientists listened to whining like this 50 years ago, we wouldn't have modern things like fuel injection today. Hell, we wouldn't even have space travel.

I still won't ride without a helmet though.

You're making the same point I am. The long list of innovations you cite are USEFUL R&D -- engineering solutions to real problems, using technology that is, and was, real even 20 years ago. IMUs were real 60 years ago... but they were complex, heavy military technology used in nuclear submarines and ICBMs. ABS was real decades ago too. Ride by wire... electronic control is decades old too. And so on, including gyro stabilization. The trick is to make it practical, which isn't easy.

Here's the core point: Assuming you don't want to go in the direction of two-wheeled autonomous "transportation pods," a motorcycle is part of a system in which the rider is a major component. Therefore it should be designed with ergonomics and human control in mind. The majority of these styling exercises don't put the human at the center of the design... the rider is an afterthought.

PS: I don't like choppers with ape hangers either, for the same reason. Appearance is the purpose, not function.

I find elegant design compelling. When I say "elegant design" I mean design that is simple and functional, where the purpose is central to the outcome and the human is an essential part of the equation. This BMW exercise is not elegant. It's got lots of fun gimmicks on it, but the gimmickry has been put ahead of the essence of the thing, which is to integrate human with machine.

Look at the design of a modern sportbike. The tank on my GSX-R is high to give me a place to rest my chest when in a tuck. It is wide to provide a reference point for my forearm when hanging off. There's a dish in the top of the tank to make room for my helmet when I'm headed down the front straight and tucked in. There are cutouts in the side of the tank for me to drive my knee into. The seat is narrow at the front to allow me to reach the ground more easily. The aerodynamics are tuned so that even at 130 mph I'm not buffeted by the wind. These are design choices made specifically to integrate the rider into the system, not because they look cool. The result is aesthetically pleasing, but it is functional first.

I am in no way arguing against innovation. I am, however, suggesting that driving innovation in useful directions is the better path.

[1uglybastard]

I see your point, but rider oriented modifications have been and are always being made. This, to me, seems that they just want to take motorcycles and integrate technology that is new to them in order to go in a new direction. I encourage that, because other, more useful technology often branches off such experimentation.

Perhaps it will better suit a new generation of riders. Some of us have been riding too long to want to give up the pleasures of riding bikes as they are now. Some whom I've met don't even like bikes with fuel injection because they're too complicated. I, on the other hand, don't want to own anything that has a carburetor. Unfortunately, lawn mowers and weed wackers are too simple to have such electronics.

[kdogg2077]

This is a concept for a bike they might make in the next 100 years, AKA it's total fantasy. They might as well have a dragon.

The whole no helmet thing was def cooked up by some idiot who has never ridden a bike and thus doesn't understand the hazards.

I'm all for the fancy rider aids. They need to be something I can turn off though.

[Abu_Mishary]

I have been riding motorcycles in tracks or open roads before at speed almost 300 mph without a helmet. It's called "dreams".

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by kdogg2077

The whole no helmet thing was def cooked up by some idiot who has never ridden a bike and thus doesn't understand the hazards.

Nah brah... 100% on purpose. How do you get a rise out of the moto community? Say they can ride a bike without gear and attach it to a product. Instant viral debate....

[kdogg2077]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Nah brah... 100% on purpose. How do you get a rise out of the moto community? Say they can ride a bike without gear and attach it to a product. Instant viral debate....

Well their evil plan worked!

The bike looks pimp though, imho.

[CaliGrrl]

Originally Posted by kdogg2077

I'm all for the fancy rider aids. They need to be something I can turn off though.

It's interesting as a concept bike and I'd like to try it but I don't know that I'm interested past that. And yes, I need an off switch for things.

I'm finding I like the idea of mechanical links better than digital stuff a lot of the time. Easier to wrap my brain around what it's doing.