Toyoda Gosei Develops Motorcycle Airbags in Push for Safer Rides
The Japanese company, Toyoda Gosei, has already developed the system and has begun crash testing the airbags.
Motorcycle safety might be about to get a serious upgrade, as the Japanese automotive supplier, Toyoda Gosei (TG) turns its attention from four wheels to two, with the development of a dedicated airbag system for motorcycles.
In a move that shows genuine promise, the firm has recently completed in-house crash testing using real motorcycles and dummies to try and better understand the dynamics of frontal impacts on motorcycles. The goal is to refine the airbag system so that it can one day be utilised on production motorcycles.
And it’s sobering stats that power the need for change, as, according to global statistics, some 360,000 riders of powered two and three-wheelers lose their lives every year globally. For TG, which already supplies safety systems for cars, this represents an urgent need to expand its portfolio and tackle rider protection too.
Unlike car occupants, who benefit from a steel cocoon, multiple airbags and seatbelts, motorcyclists are far more vulnerable. That makes fitting an airbag system to a motorcycle, where space is minimal and crash dynamics are far more complex, a serious engineering challenge.
During their latest crash test, TG examined how its prototype airbag system deploys in a head-on collision, and crucially, how it interacts with the rider during impact. Early signs seem encouraging, although the company admits there’s more development to come.
Next up is a mix of real-world testing and advanced simulation to hone the system’s effectiveness. If successful, this could pave the way for a new generation of integrated rider protection systems.
No word yet on when it’ll reach production or whether any manufacturers have signed on, but with safety tech becoming a growing part of the motorcycle conversation, it’s clear it’s a case of when, and not if. Major motorcycle manufacturers have already investigated airbags integrated into bikes, with Honda among the biggest names already looking into the technology.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
