Honda has been working on airbag technology for almost twenty years and after showing several Advanced Safety Vehicle (AVS) prototypes, the production version in the Gold Wing was introduced in 2006. Honda is now working on a new airbag system that is much more advanced.
It took a while, but the airbag is becoming more and more accepted as effective protection for motorcyclists. In all international road racing classes, MotoGP, WorldSBK, EWC and the Isle of Man TT, airbag suits have been mandatory for several years, but motorcycle-mounted airbag systems have not really taken off yet.
The Gold Wing Airbag made its debut in 2006, but apart from teething problems, that system was far from perfect, so no one was inclined to focus on it. Seventeen years later, the Gold Wing is still the only motorcycle on the market equipped with an airbag.
Where no other manufacturer has focused on airbag technology to date, clothing manufacturers have taken up the gauntlet. Dainese was the first to come up with a race suit with an airbag system, followed by an airbag jacket for the street.
While several sensors had to be mounted on the motorcycle for the first airbag jacket, these systems have also become more and more advanced over the years and have evolved into airbag vests that can be worn under or above the jacket.
However, both systems (Gold Wing Airbag and Airbagvest) have drawbacks. The airbag of the Gold Wing is certainly effective, but only in a frontal collision, the airbag vest, on the other hand, protects against any type of impact, but only protects a limited part of the body.
In addition, an airbag vest is not breathable and therefore retains heat, and when you wear it under a jacket you must be sure that it is prepared for an airbag vest and can therefore expand sufficiently when the airbag is activated.
The system, now patented by Honda, could well be the best of both worlds in that respect. The bike-mounted system acts like an airbag vest on impact, wrapping around the body but detaching from the bike, so it stays on your torso when you fall off the bike.
Honda has devised two different types of this new concept, in which the positioning of the airbag differs. In the motorcycle system, the airbag is housed in the front part of the seat and the rear part of the tank, whereas in the scooter it is housed in the rear part of the seat, i.e. behind the rider.
The sketches show how the airbag wraps around the torso, so you are better protected than with an airbag vest and the airbag on the Gold Wing, which, as said, only offers protection to the front. Thanks to an ingenious quick-release system, the airbag detaches from the engine the moment the airbag is inflated and traps the air, so that the airbag remains inflated during the crash.
As with any other patent, there is no guarantee that the patent will actually find its way to a production model, but the idea itself is not that crazy. If Honda manages to make this system suitable for riders of all shapes and sizes, it will indeed offer the best of both worlds.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.