Keeping a motorcycle upright at high speeds is simple. Mostly you just have to hang on. Yet, when a bike is slowly cruising through a parking lot, in traffic, or at a stop, balance is handled by the rider. That can be difficult on larger, heavier cycles like cruisers. Honda’s trying to make bike stability easier with its new Riding Assist technology.
But it’s not just showing off a bike that helps a person keep a bike upright. Instead, the motorcycle keeps its balance even without a rider. The researchers even have the bike drive itself without a person. If you’re thinking that Honda has outfitted their research bike with gyroscopes you would be mistaken. Instead the company has taken its Uni-Cub mobility research and applied it to a real-world problem.
When the bike transforms from regular riding mode to balance mode, the forks (the metal bars that connect the front wheel to the rest of the motorcycle) extend the front tire away from the rest of the cycle. No word on when the a bike with the Riding Assist technology will actually end up in production, but we’re hoping it happens soon for the sake of our side mirrors and grips.
Source: Honda
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