[N/A] Goldwing airbag test video

[Bill]

For those of us who ride bikes and haven't yet seen the video, Honda recently added airbags (I think as an option) to the latest generation Goldwing. Looks to me the non-airbag rider is going to have a sore neck. Also notice the devistation inflicted upon the minivan. This crash is at 31mph.

http://www.adac.de/images/Crash_Goldwing_DSL_tcm8-160126.wmv

Also see this older vid of the system as being developed on the older version of Goldwing. Also note the destruction of the Corolla hit by the bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4JACzIEa1w

 

[ScottM]

Amazing watching how the dummy without the airbag sustains injuries (watch the neck) and to his ankle. All the while the dummy with the airbag tends to stay on an orientation where he is likely no suffer deadly injuries

 

[Ghery]

But what about getting hit broadside while on the bike? No help there.

Airbags on motorcycles. What next?

 

[tonycondon]

from the sounds of it, side impact airbags on motorcycles

 

[Bill]

But what about getting hit broadside while on the bike? No help there.

Agreed, airbags will only work in some types of accidents, but it is an improvement. I can't remember the percentage, but a large number of car/mc accidents are the classic left turner accidents. A car left turns in front of a motorcycle, violating the motorcyclists RoW. Bike T-bones car, and in this scenerio, the airbag will help.

 

[bstratt]

Honda has been gradually turning the Gold Wing into a car without a roof and doors. They haven't been a "motorcycle" to me since 1984 - prime reason why I never traded my '84 in on a newer model despite the dealership's entreaties. Reverse gear, airbags! Sheesh!

 

[Bill]

They haven't been a "motorcycle" to me since 1984 - prime reason why I never traded my '84 in on a newer model despite the dealership's entreaties. Reverse gear, airbags! Sheesh!

I had a '98, enjoyed it greatly. When the girl was born, I no longer needed a two up bike, and traded on the R1150RT, and it is a great bike. If Sherry ever wants to be on back again, I'll buy another wing. Best two up bike out there.

 

[ScottM]

But what about getting hit broadside while on the bike? No help there.

Airbags on motorcycles. What next?

Might have saved me some hurt. I had a head motorcycle accident similar to what is shown in the video. I was lucky that I was able to duck and hit with the top of my helmet covered head. I got a concussion, two fractured cervical vertebrae (C1 and C2), 22 fractures in all. A week in intensive care, halo-traction for three month, and another 6 months learning how to walk and use my arms again.

 

[mikea]

Honda has been gradually turning the Gold Wing into a car without a roof and doors. They haven't been a "motorcycle" to me since 1984 - prime reason why I never traded my '84 in on a newer model despite the dealership's entreaties. Reverse gear, airbags! Sheesh!

REVERSE GEAR?????

 

[gkainz]

REVERSE GEAR?????

hell, even snowmobiles have reverse now ...

 

[gprellwitz]

hell, even snowmobiles have reverse now ...

Hell, some prop planes do, too!

 

[flyersfan31]

I saw the aftermath of a motorcycle accident in Freiburg, Germany about 20yrs ago. I had never seen police chalk lines before. The point of impact with the curb, which I presume started the chain of events, was a good 50-70 feet down the dotted line which emanated from the human figure outline drawn (wrapped) around the speed limit signpost.

At that time, I was impressed with motorcycle riders in Europe. I had never seen anyone ride in full leathers in the US, seemed like everyone did in Europe. I figured they took things much more seriously there. Leathers and helmets won't defeat the immutable laws of physics.

I tried to convince the missus to let me have a bike a few years back (BK -- before kids). I was unsuccessful, maybe because my heart wasn't in it.

 

[Henning]

For those of us who ride bikes and haven't yet seen the video, Honda recently added airbags (I think as an option) to the latest generation Goldwing. Looks to me the non-airbag rider is going to have a sore neck. Also notice the devistation inflicted upon the minivan. This crash is at 31mph.

http://www.adac.de/images/Crash_Goldwing_DSL_tcm8-160126.wmv

Also see this older vid of the system as being developed on the older version of Goldwing. Also note the destruction of the Corolla hit by the bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4JACzIEa1w

Interesting and impressive. Too bad it does nothing to mitigate the greatest risk to the cautious and experienced rider though. Hving been a person who used a motorcycle for sole means of transport for ten years in SoCal, my conclusion is the greatest risk comes from four o'clock especially when you wear a helmet and cant hear them.

 

[fgcason]

Atgatt

At that time, I was impressed with motorcycle riders in Europe. I had never seen anyone ride in full leathers in the US, seemed like everyone did in Europe. I figured they took things much more seriously there. Leathers and helmets won't defeat the immutable laws of physics.

Too many riders in the US dress for the ride, not the crash. Really bad preflight planning IMNSHO. Except for BMW or KLR/KTM series riders and the rare oddball motorcycle who wear All The Gear All The Time, I seldom see any others wearing much beyond a helmet and the occasional jacket - if that.

Gear will never defeat physics however it can definitely dissipate the energy from lethal/serious injury to very survivable/minimal injury in a substantial percentage of crashes. No gear will cheese grater your skin off. Anything short of a full face helmet will bash your head in and scrape your face off.

It only takes 5 minutes to avoid a world of hurt.
ATGATT. No Exceptions. This is why:

 

[flyersfan31]

Yup. I'm with you on that, brother.

 

[Richard O]

It looks to me like both of the riders without the air bag would have been killed. I ride but it scares me to be near other cars. I have a headlamp modulator and dual driving lights in addition to the headlamp and people still turn in front of me. Usually someone talking on a cell phone. I do have full leathers and a full face helmet but in the middle of the summer it's impossible to wear all of that gear.

 

[Ghery]

Might have saved me some hurt. I had a head motorcycle accident similar to what is shown in the video. I was lucky that I was able to duck and hit with the top of my helmet covered head. I got a concussion, two fractured cervical vertebrae (C1 and C2), 22 fractures in all. A week in intensive care, halo-traction for three month, and another 6 months learning how to walk and use my arms again.

You got nailed even worse than we did. I've told the story before. Wife and I got hit broadside by a 1968 Ford Mustang that ran a stop sign. Put his radiator back in the fan. You could tell in his bumper where our legs were. I was picking boot leather out of screw heads on the engine later on. I spent 5 days in the hospital, my wife 6. I think the only reason my left foot is still with me is that I was wearing combat boots, and not shoes. That was 33 years ago and I still pay for it. So does she. But, we were wearing helmets, otherwise that would have been game over.

 

[gprellwitz]

But, we were wearing helmets, otherwise that would have been game over.

I don't understand riders who refuse to wear helmets. In the medical profession, they're called "organ donors". Just remember, they're out to kill you! In my mind, it's like a soldier going on patrol in Iraq not wearing body armor because it's "too constricting."

Yeah, I'll probably get flamed for this.

 

[fgcason]

I do have full leathers and a full face helmet but in the middle of the summer it's impossible to wear all of that gear.

You have to balance crash survivability with mental capability to avoid going down. Everyone has their tolerance limits beyond which is likely to cause more problems than it solves. IMHO, two hours in 40mph stop and go traffic in 105F 100% humidity with full sun bearing down on you wearing full leathers is far more dangerous than mesh crash gear in the same conditions. You're far less likely to get injured if you're brain can process what's going on around you instead of focusing on an overheated body while at the edge of heatstroke.

I have a low tolerance for heat so I wear mesh gear. Tumbling off would hurt more however I'm more likely to be able to avoid tumbling off in the first place.

 

[fgcason]

I don't understand riders who refuse to wear helmets.

It's simple. They don't think it can happen to them or simply don't understand the physics of a crash. Crashes are called faceplants because about a millisecond after your hands hit the surface, your face is violently planted into the ground followed by watching the ground slide by about an inch past your nose. That's just the way it is.
Then there is the no helmet feel good fluff of "the extra helmet weight will break your neck" logic. They main problem that's overlooked is the "slam your head directly into the dirt at speed and shatter your skull into a bazillion pieces" logic. There's probably some truth in their logic however those are oddball data points compared to the reality of most crashes.

The bit that really gets me is that open face and even beanie caps are DOT approved. If DOT approval is for safety, I don't see how those thing get the sticker. I've seen quite a few crashed helmets and every one of them have had lots of road rash in the cheek and chin area with abraded visors. The top is almost always unscratched. The sides and back seem to take minimal to moderate damage compared to the chinbar/forehead area. (Just putting on a 3/4 helmet in the store for fun to see what it's like scared me silly)

Yeah, I'll probably get flamed for this.

Not from me.
Dress for the crash, not the ride...or get what you deserve.

 

[Henning]

It's simple. They don't think it can happen to them or simply don't understand the physics of a crash. Crashes are called faceplants .

I've had a few hundred crashes (if you coun't every time you end up on the ground a crash) from my racing days on dirt and pavement and 1 on the street where I had to lay it down for a truck. Not once did I do a faceplant, not once did i go down hands or head first. I pretty much always go down rolling on my shoulder or sliding on my hip. I've gone back first into the hay more than once. 10 years on the streets of SoCal taught me a couple things. Street riding accidents are preventable but it takes full concentration and hearing as well as sight, and it takes horsepower, lots of horsepower. Personally, I don't ride anything less than a liter bike. I found the only advantage I have over the steel blocks trying to kill me is accelleration. They get near me, I dial on the throttle and I'm a car up before you can count 2. With a 750 or less you have to downshift. I think the V max was the safest bike I owned, no one could touch me. Anyone in front of me is my responsibility. The biggest problem I always had was people trying to change lanes into me.

 

[Richard O]

It's simple. They don't think it can happen to them or simply don't understand the physics of a crash. Crashes are called faceplants because about a millisecond after your hands hit the surface, your face is violently planted into the ground followed by watching the ground slide by about an inch past your nose. That's just the way it is.
Then there is the no helmet feel good fluff of "the extra helmet weight will break your neck" logic. They main problem that's overlooked is the "slam your head directly into the dirt at speed and shatter your skull into a bazillion pieces" logic. There's probably some truth in their logic however those are oddball data points compared to the reality of most crashes.

There was a study done (not sure if it was the Hurt Study) to determine which part of the helmet recieves the most frequent damage in an accident. The chin and face area was the most often area to be damaged in an accident, something like 19% of all accidents. You're not going to be able to protect your face with your arms when you go over the handle bars and your face is the next thing that contacts the asphalt. The helmet / no helmet discussions tend to be the most viscious arguments on biker forums, moreso than "any traffic....". I support anyones decision not to wear a helmet but don't try to tell me not wearing a helmet is safer. That and the loud pipes save lives arguements are both lame.

 

[Frank Browne]

Interesting and impressive. Too bad it does nothing to mitigate the greatest risk to the cautious and experienced rider though. Hving been a person who used a motorcycle for sole means of transport for ten years in SoCal, my conclusion is the greatest risk comes from four o'clock especially when you wear a helmet and cant hear them.

One guy I knew in high school, and on guy I knew for 30 years at work might very well have been saved by this technology, and a third, a coworker for 20 years at least, could have been spared massive, and crippling, injuries by this system. I too, rode bikes for many years as my primary mode of transportation, and I think Bill is right, the biggest threat is the left turn by an auto driver that isn't into doing what they're supposed to be doing.

 

[fgcason]

There was a study done (not sure if it was the Hurt Study) to determine which part of the helmet recieves the most frequent damage in an accident. The chin and face area was the most often area to be damaged in an accident, something like 19% of all accidents.

IIRC this picture comes from the Hurt study or another study related to it. (I forget where I picked the picture up however it was when I was doing helmet research and not accepting hearsay hogwash because I wanted to keep the rocks out of my brains)

63.6% of the impacts are in the chinbar/faceshield/forehead area that open face helmets offer minimal protection.
45.3% are not protected by open face helmets at all or marginally at best with 3/4 helmets.
Beanie caps fall deep in the why-bother category.

You're not going to be able to protect your face with your arms when you go over the handle bars and your face is the next thing that contacts the asphalt.

When you hit the ground, your arms are about as effective as catching yourself after jumping off a 3 floor building head first. Kinda pointless other than deflecting the impact angle slightly.

 

[Bill]

I do have full leathers and a full face helmet but in the middle of the summer it's impossible to wear all of that gear.

Disagree. Chattanooga has the same summer weather, and I still go full gear, and commute to work by bike nearly every day. One piece Aerostich (in the hideous hi-vis lime yellow), full face Arai, Alpinstarts boots, Held gloves. All the time, every time, even when it's 100F. Yes, I get hot and sweat. Cages ask me at red lights, "Aren't you hot?" and I reply, "I'd rather sweat than bleed. The concrete ain't any softer when it's hot out."

 

[Bill]

The biggest problem I always had was people trying to change lanes into me.

Part of my daily commute is about 12mi of very busy interstate, I get about two of these a week. Responses are one, hit the horn button (big fookin' extremely loud Fiamm horns), and two either go WFO or full brakes depending on situation. There is normally enough space between the yellow line and the jersey barrier if things get tight...