Bikes to get warning systems ‘within two years’

Motorcycles that warn riders when they’re speeding or cornering too fast will be on the road in two years, say researchers.   

Warning systems have been fitted to a Yamaha Tenere and Triumph Sprint for tests by the Motor Industry Research Association.

Details of the tests were first reported by MCN a year ago, when we revealed a prototype would use GPS and a digital map to give riders a recommended speed for bends ahead.  

Systems tested by Mira also use vibrating parts including seats and even cheek pads in helmets to warn riders of hazards, such as vehicles close behind them in a blind spot.

Mira engineering consultant Jonathan Moore said: “We put a motor in the cheek pad of the helmet so if you do not notice the object it will vibrate and give you a tactile warning that there’s something to the right or left.”

Moore told the BBC he expected manufacturers to begin equipping bikes with the technology in the next 18 months to two years.

The project, called Saferider, has been funded by the European Commission, which wants to see the systems on road bikes within five years, and backed by the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations.