I blogged here about Mugen Denko's motorcycle jacket with built-in airbags. The thinking behind it was that riders tend to get thrown clear of the bike in a crash, so an airbag should be attached to the rider, not the bike. But just in case you're still on board at the moment of impact, Honda has you covered. Kyodo News reports:Honda Motor Co said Thursday it will install its new motorcycle air bag system on the Gold Wing motorcycle it will launch in the U.S. market in 2006. The system, which Honda says is the world's first air bag system for mass-produced motorcycles, will help reduce the severity of injuries caused by frontal collisions.Of course, a Gold Wing is practically as big as a small car anyway, so an on-board airbag might not be such a bad idea.
It comprises an air bag module which includes the air bag and the inflator, crash sensors which monitor acceleration changes, and an electronic control unit which performs calculations to instantly determine when a collision is occurring.
FOLLOW-UP:
More pics here.
My dad has the Beemer equivalent of a Gold Wing, and he's trading it in for a smaller, lighter model. The thing is just too big &too heavy!
Any development on that Japanese bikenews site?
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