From ABS to emergency brake assist, motorcycle electronics have changed dramatically in almost 40 years. Which systems demonstrably prevent crashes, where the technology creates its own problems and what prototypes and patents hint at for the future.
On Suzuki’s endurance GSX-R1000R, the mudguards, fairing and winglets are made of flax instead of carbon. Swiss manufacturer Bcomp openly names the strengths and weaknesses of the material, and a crash at Suzuka showed how the parts behave when it really matters.
BMW has announced the third model of its new 450 family. Everything points to the BMW F 450 RR, a fully faired sportbike for the A2 licence that is likely to adopt a lot of technology from the F 450 R.
Honda HRC Progressive is auctioning the plastics the team raced at the SMX playoff in Carson. All proceeds go to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, which fights brain tumors in children.
Ducati is updating its Desmo450 MX and Desmo450 MX Factory motocross models for model year 2027 with lessons learned from racing. New features include shorter gearing, reinforced components and, for the first time, a dedicated suspension setup for the US market.
For a year now, rumble strips on the twisty country road between Zella-Mehlis and Oberhof have been meant to slow down speeders on two wheels. The results are mixed, and in November the accident commission will decide what happens to the strips next.
Serious motorcycle crashes keep happening at the so-called Applauskurve on the B62 near Netphen. Now the accident commission is to decide at a special meeting whether motorcyclists there will face further restrictions, up to and including a ban.
From early October, seven new posters from the road safety campaign “Runter vom Gas” (Slow Down) will be displayed along German autobahns, painted by girls aged between nine and twelve. Behind the designs lies a months-long selection process in which drastic alternatives and AI-generated drafts ultimately played no role.
