Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
Traditional and electric motorcycles have been omitted from a major academic report that claims to be a blueprint for future transport in Australia. The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering report, “Shifting Gears – Preparing for a Transport Revolution“, calls for the next Federal Government to provide incentives for electric and low-emissions vehicles. However, there is not …
Suzuki Motorcycles have developed a radar reflector, not to detect or jam a police speed radar, but to make motorcycles easier for hi-tech cars to detect them. In fact, the radar reflector could make motorcycles easier for police to detect with radar guns! Suzuki have filed a patent in Japan for the radar reflector. There …
A worldwide program to find, encourage, test and develop innovative technology that will improve motorcycle road safety is being launched. The Motorcycle Technology Evaluation Challenge (MotoTEC) program is being developed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute with $US400,000 from Australian company Transurban which operates toll roads both here and in the USA. A joint press …
Lane filtering riders have scored two big wins with General Motors compensating a rider hit by one of their automated cars and Ford Motor Company applying for a patent to detect and avoid filtering riders. San Francisco rider Oscar Nilsson was hit by a Chevrolet Bolt in automated drive in San Francisco late last year …
Autonomous vehicles have several positive outcomes for riders including greater safety, improved riding experience and attracting new riders, and should be included in rider training curricula, an American conference has found. The recent “Intelligent Transportation Systems and Automated Vehicle Applications Impacts on Motorcycle Safety” hosted by the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) and Congressional Motorcycle Caucus …
In the not-too-distant future motorcycles will be banned because they are the last dangerous vehicles in a world of electric automated cars, trucks and buses. That’s the fear of many riders and it’s also the subject of a three-part series called The Last Motorcycle on Earth featuring Morgan Freeman that is being crowd-funded on Indiegogo. …
It seems ridiculous that there could be any advantages to riders in developing a riderless motorcycle, yet there are several manufacturers and companies developing them. They say the advantages are proving whether motorcycles can exist safely around autonomous vehicles and testing motorcycles for durability without endangering the life of a human rider. There could also be …
The introduction of autonomous, or self-driving, vehicles could kill off motorcycles, a comprehensive American industry report has predicted. The report was compiled by former Indian Motorcycle External Relations Manage Robert Panda, moto journo Guido Ebert and a group of industry luminaries cleverly called Give a Shift. “There is a very real risk of motorcycling being …
Yamaha is already working on a Motobot road motorcycle that rides itself and is now developing an autonomous self-driving off-road vehicle. While most car manufacturers are developing and testing self-drive vehicles there has been limited work done on autonomous vehicles by motorcycle manufacturers. Honda and BMW have only developed self-balancing bikes that assist riders by …
Australian governments have issued guidelines for trials of autonomous vehicles on our roads but made no mention of motorcycles. The 24-page Austroads and National Transport Commission report does not mention motorcycles once, although bicycles are mentioned. Austroads boss Nick Koukoulas says the guidelines draw on international best practice and have a strong focus on safety. …