Airbags For Motorcycles???????

mo650chopper · Posted: September 8, 2005, 8:35 am Post subject: Airbags For Motorcycles???????

Check the following link. Honda will be selling Goldwings with airbags in 2006?

news.moneycentral.msn....ID=5094810

Tomterrific

The best (?) idea I've seem is a vest that is an air bag. The vest inflates into a neck and back brace and upperbody protection when needed. A big problem is accidental inflation. How would you like it if you stepped off your bike in front of a bar and the vest blew up? I bet your buddies wouldn't let you live that down! :^)

Tom

650rider · WebMaster Joined: Feb 09, 2005 Posts: 431

This is what scares me

(from the link text)

"The airbag, which inflates after sensors detect an oncoming crash"

What's an oncomming crash?

Is that one that has not happened yet?

If so, does the bag still blow up in your face?

That would suck!

xs650mike

Oncoming? What's it got, radar? Crash? Does that mean collision or just a get-off? I can't count the times I've gotten way out of shape and saved it at the last second, sure don't want that airbag inflating then. Oh well, people who ride those two wheel Winnebagos are sort of strange anyway and usually don't wave back when waved at, the snobs.

kingwj

I've seen video of the motorcycle airbag and it keeps the rider from launching over the bars. As someone who has flown when the bike stops instantaneously I would have gladly had this on my bike.

Bill

xs650mike

So it responds to sudden decelleration like a car air bag? That makes sense.

I've been fortunate so far in that I've never hit anything or highsided (on the street)so I've never been seriously hurt in 47 years of riding. I was hit once, destroyed the bike but somehow I was unhurt. Highway Patrolman asked me if I needed an ambulance. I told him no. He looked down at my smashed bike and asked again, "Are you SURE you don't need an ambulance?" Knock on wood!

grizld1

I'm safety-conscious. I won't ride without a Snell-rated lid on my head and good boots and body armor. That having been said, I don't like the idea of any device that interferes with my ability to part company with the scoot in a crash, and in 40 years of riding I've done the Flyin' W a few times. Glued to the bike that way you're gonna come down with the SOB on top of you. How you gonna roll away from that mess?

xs650mike

I too believe in dressing for the crash, not for the ride.

About the airbag, airbags inflate instantaneously and then deflate so the bag shouldn't be holding you on the bike, it'll just keep your bod from hitting whatever solid object you hit. That said, I don't know if I'd want one anyway. My long time record of survival has been do to my 2 rules: Don't hit anything and don't get hit. One can fall at almost any speed and not get hurt seriously, painfully maybe, but not seriously just so long as one doesn't collide with anything solid (other than the road surface of course).

Exclamation

BTW if you're a fan of the Snell standard you need to read this article from Motorcyclist magazine: motorcyclistonline.com...rbox/hatz/ .

Borris

Tomterrific wrote:

The best (?) idea I've seem is a vest that is an air bag. The vest inflates into a neck and back brace and upperbody protection when needed. A big problem is accidental inflation. How would you like it if you stepped off your bike in front of a bar and the vest blew up? I bet your buddies wouldn't let you live that down! :^)

Tom

All seriousness aside, this device could provide some great entertainment. Put one of these on your friend/family member who you know at the next event will get so wasted they (normally) don't know their name. About the time they start staggering, fall or bump into somthing, POOF. Twisted Evil

xs650mike

nyuk nyuk nyuk!

Phred

[quote] BTW if you're a fan of the Snell standard you need to read this article from Motorcyclist magazine: motorcyclistonline.com...rbox/hatz/ .

This is a VERY interesting article! Now I don't feel so bad about my "value-priced" helmet. Honestly though, this points out the issues that seem to happen all the time when the "experts" fail to consider the "real world" and an antiquated, arbitrary standard becomes sacred.

xs650mike

Phred, I sure found it an eye opener. I subscribe to Motorcyclist and I noticed all of the lucrative full page advertisers they lost because they had the courage to publish this article. Neither was it lost on me that several major high-end manufacturer's refused to supply helmets for testing. This indicates to me that they know the truth themselves but use the Snell standard to justify their high prices. Recently several low priced manufacturers have offered Snell approved helmets which means if one has faith in that standard one needn't pay through the nose. I'm a firm believer in a "real world" standard myself. I've fallen a bunch of times over the last 47 years but fortunately I only hit my head once. This was in 1959 and I was wearing a "puddin' bowl" helmet that offered almost no shock absorbsion. It did however do the trick and save me from injury though the helmet itself was smashed which goes to show that even a POS helmet is a whole lot better than none!

grizld1

Hey, NorCal Mike, thanks for the heads-up on headgear! I'm not a "fan" of the Snell standard--I just didn't know any better. I bought my first helmet in 1965, a Bell open-face, and I've stuck with Snell standard lids since. The Motorcyclist article makes a real convincing case that a DOT standard plastic lid is overall more likely to keep my brain intact than the Shoei I'm wearing. What clinched the argument for me was the evasive and misleading response of the Snell Foundation. I'm gonna go shopping for a plastic bucket.

insulinboy

Getting back on topic.. Im glad Im not the only one who thinks this airbag thing is a bad idea.. a big bike like that.. Id rather fly off it than be under it.. with full leathers.. yeah.. its gonna hurt a lot.. but leathers are no good agenst an 800lb motorcycle falling on top of you.. that being said.. I saw somthing on this on TWT the otherday.. apearently from what I can tell.. there are 4 sensors in the botom of the forks that deploy the airbag when there is a significant impact to them (ie hitting a car that just turned left in front of you) but unless its a direct front impact i dont belive the airbag will deploy

What Happened to 650rider.com?

Yamaha xs650