Driver-assist and safety technologies are now commonplace in cars but motorcycles pose an additional challenge which has slowed down their spreading to the two-wheel industry. Manufacturers are gradually finding workarounds to adapt these systems to motorcycles to help increase safety in the saddle. Bosch is one of the household names in safety technologies, especially thanks to the widespread use of its ABS and stability control systems by motorcycle makers. The company is about to gain even more recognition thanks to Kawasaki.
Safety First:
Team Green announced that it plans to launch a motorcycle for 2021 armed with Bosch’s new Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (a spin-off of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems). The suite of systems includes adaptive cruise control (ACC), forward collision warning, and blind-spot detection.
Bosch explains that the advantage of these three systems is that they are active at all time—they are scoping out for potential hazards non-stop, unlike the rider’s attention that can dwindle at times. Bosch’s solution uses a pair of mid-range radar sensors located at the front and at the back of the motorcycle that provides a constant and instant reading of the situation.
The adaptive cruise control monitors the distance of the vehicles located in front of the motorcycle and maintains a safe distance while the cruise control is functional—the rider doesn't have to do all the work, the system does. The forward-collision warning system detects when the braking lights of the vehicles ahead are activated and warns the rider using visual and acoustic cues. As for the blind spot detection system, like in modern cars, it warns the rider of the presence of a vehicle in the motorcycle’s blind spot by displaying a visual cue in the side mirrors.
There is no say which Kawasaki motorcycle will be the first one to receive the package or whether it will be an existing model or an entirely new one. The current renders point to the integration of the systems on a sportbike but any type of bike goes. All we know for now is that the bike will come in 2021.
Sources: Bosch, Kawasaki