VIDEO: Honda Gold Wing airbag in action
Normally, we don't keep up on the world of motorcycles. Some of us realize that when you hop on your crotch rocket you instantly become 32-times more likely to be killed then the guy next to you surrounded in metal, plastic and glass. So until they develop a system that detects that we've left the bike, then proceeds to envelop us in a large bubble, allowing us to bounce down the road unscathed, we're not taking any chances.
Honda seems to be taking a more traditional approach to the problem of crashing a vehicle whose driver is only equipped with a helmet and some dead cow. They've developed and successfully executed an airbag system for their Goldwing cruisers.
The video above shows the Goldwing being propelled into a minivan at 31 MPH, both with and without the newly minted airbag. The results for the dummy manning the airbag-equipped bike are clearly more desirable than his unlucky brother, but we're still a little apprehensive.
[Top tip, Meek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Loren 1:42PM (9/08/2006)
hmm, what happens at a 120mph? Seems like all the dumb idiots that own crotch rockets only know one speed.
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Justin 1:58PM (9/08/2006)
Ben Roethlisberger...eat your heart out.
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Sean Flanagan 2:03PM (9/08/2006)
Justin, I think you mean appendix... oh wait. :-D
This seems like a step in the right direction, but the Goldwing is like the S-Class of bikes: it gets all sorts of high technology and safety features, but it takes awhile for that to reach the cheaper models.
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XB Owner 2:03PM (9/08/2006)
The differences in impact and lateral travel of the dummy are very stark with the airbag. I wonder if the airbag is standard fair or optional equipment? Any Goldwing aficionado's out there?
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Takeo 4:03PM (9/08/2006)
Loren, a Gold Wing HARDLY qualifies as a crotch rocket.
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epilonious 2:09PM (9/08/2006)
While it's nice to know that the dummy is being stopped from plowing into the minivan headfirst... the neck still looks like it is stretching a good bit since the airbag aims for the torso... and I'd hate to see what happens to the air-bag dummy when they land across the bike seat after being ricoched 4 feet in the air
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David F 2:08PM (9/08/2006)
Nice! It should come with a bungee cord, so the rider doesn't fly away.
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Nat 2:15PM (9/08/2006)
So the airbag punches you in the chest sending you flying over the car instead of into it. An improvement for sure, but I want to see what happens next.
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MattB 2:52PM (9/08/2006)
Now honda should install seatbelts to keep the rider from bouncing off the airbag and flying into the air. That video is pretty scary, with or without the airbag.
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JC 12:46PM (9/10/2006)
It's optional as of late summer/fall '06 XB. They started showing up in Dallas showrooms last month...
Not sure I'd want to be one of the first to do real world testing either, so I'll stick with my 2004 model. :->
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MikeW 3:16PM (9/08/2006)
I wish honda would have crashed the GoldWing into a Fit.
GW + rider is going to be at least 1000 lbs, just imagine a passenger & trailer or trike or convertible conversion.
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Randall Halcomb 3:16PM (9/08/2006)
That's why people who ride motorcycles are such bad-asses. Nothing but respect for those who choose to ride. Personally, I'm not too keen on dismemberment or decapitation.
This is great step forward in motorcycle safety. I'm still waiting for the D-Air concept from Dainese to make it into production. It was an air bag vest/jacket that had electronics to determine when the rider seperates from the bike and envelopes the rider in a nice balloon cocoon.
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Dustin 3:21PM (9/08/2006)
look closely - the driver still impacts the minivan, just with less force
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Richard 3:37PM (9/08/2006)
David F and Nat: LOL!!!
I see this as redirecting the rider's head to the frame of the door/ roll structure of the vehicle IF said airbag deployment doesn't launch said rider over the vehicle.
No matter what you do Newton's laws will always win. I have plenty of respect for riders expecially as an avid cyclist but, bad physics is bad physics.
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DPC car videos 3:43PM (9/08/2006)
The guy still flies off the motorcycle, I would think its better to make an airbag jacket where the jacket inflates.
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Mike 4:32PM (9/08/2006)
Offered and available only on the top Goldwing model. More than a few dimes required, but you get premium audio/ABS/Navigation/Heated Seat and Grips as well. Definitely top of the line. At around $25k, by no means entry level, but still cheap when compared to it's car counterparts.
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Tom 5:47PM (9/08/2006)
So, why did it failed to go off?
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benji 7:57PM (9/08/2006)
Hmmmmm....
I'd say homeboy with the bag still has a solid shot at a broken back.
And rider position seems key. The GoldWing erectoid posture saves the day!
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xmnr 1:06AM (10/05/2006)
wow... ok, I'm never getting on a motorcycle again...
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Jim 6:55AM (9/09/2006)
Actually, there is a motorcycle jacket with small airbags in the chest, back, and in the collar. Don't remember the manufacturer, but it's been out for about 5 years.
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