Motorcycle manufacturers and equipment suppliers are working hard to present us with countless safety features: from traction control to cornering ABS, airbag vests, etc. brands continue to push to introduce safer equipment. Aside from Honda's airbag system found on the GoldWing, most OEMs forgo additional on-board crash devices. This does not seem to be the case for the Swedish Autoliv, which presents an innovative device.
More recently, a Honda patent revealed that the brand had refined its system with curtain-style airbags while Italdesign was developing a new seat belt system for motorcycles and scooters. Now, a new patent filed by Swedish automotive airbag company Autoliv introduces a set of detachable handlebars to alleviate rider injuries during a crash.
In most head-on collisions, motorcyclists are thrown over the handlebars. If the motorcyclist hits the handlebars in this type of accident, he or she can suffer serious injuries. To clear the way, Autoliv has designed a system that allows you to quickly and easily get rid of the handlebars as soon as the motorcycle's electronic system detects a collision.
How it works ? When equipped with Autoliv's crash sensor, the motorcycle's ECU will be able to determine when the vehicle is involved in an accident. Meanwhile, the upper triple clamp was to accommodate several “pyrotechnic charges that ignite and destroy the threaded bolts” holding the handlebars when the system detects a crash. This allows the handlebars to break easily, removing an obstacle from the rider's path.
However, Autoliv is also considering alternative means that don't include blasting these bolts. The second method still includes pyrotechnic charges, but the company also adds a cutting device for good measure. When activated, the device “cuts off a section of the handlebar cylinder wall resulting in significant weakening.” According to the patent, once the rider comes into contact with the handlebars, “it bends easily.”
