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Kawasaki Goes High-Tech
Kawasaki is reported to be working on some high-tech additions to the Concours14/GTR-1400 for the upcoming model year.
Kawasaki HUD System
They won’t be officially unveiled until later this year. I don’t know when. It was supposed to be at the Paris Motorcycle show in October, but that event has been canceled.
Anyway, the new additions include an infrared night vision system, and a heads-up display for riders.
The heart of the system is a pair of infrared cameras mounted on the front of the bike. They allow the rider to “see” about 300 meters ahead of the bike, which is well beyond the viewing distance provided by the headlights. Not only will the system be able to find a heat signature before the rider is able to see it, but it will also provide an audible alarm to the rider. This will keep focus on the road rather than the gauge cluster.
Aside from the night vision the Kawasaki Engineering team is also working to design a helmet mounted heads up display. If they are successful, it could be mean riders will rarely have to look away from the road to check their speed or whatever they are monitoring at the time. The current design is mounted on the exterior of the helmet, rather than being part of it, meaning it could quickly become a popular aftermarket accessory.
It’s also supposed to have a bluetooth hookup to the helmet HUD, so there won’t be any annoying wires or whatnot.
Maybe I should reconsider an earlier post. If you’re gonna have the heads-up display, and the infrared night vision, you might as well spring for the Batman suit after all.
Modular Helmet Testing Results
I’m one of those people that needs to wear a modular (flip-up) helmet. I have two of them, a Harley-Davidson Stealth, which is OK, and an HJC Sy-Max II, which I like a bit better for the lower wind noise. Unfortunately, I have to wear glasses or contact lenses, and, even with my contacts, I’m kind of light-sensitive, so I need to wear sunglasses. A full-face helmet makes that a bit difficult.
But there’s always been some controversy as to how well modular helmets poerform in a crash. This is kind of important, since about a fifth of crashes involve the biker taking one to the chin. I’d kind of like that bit protected, since chicks dig guys with chins.
So, I am interested to learn that, over in the UK, SHARP is testing modular helmets for crashworthiness, and rating them. They’ve already started putting ratings up, so you may want to amble over and see if your helmet appears, and how it did in testing.
If you are wearing a KBC FFR, or a Duchinni D601…well…you may want to go to the dealership and see how much a BMW System 5 helmet or a Caberg Trip will set you back.
I’m just saying…