BMW's Motorcycle of Tomorrow Is All About the Feels
In BMW Motorrad's vision of the future, technology will protect the rider from crashes, but bikes won't be totally autonomous.
BMW
It's been a full century since BMW got into the transportation business, and it's using its year-long celebration of itself to prove it's got another 100 left in the tank—or battery pack, or cold fusion reactor, or whatever. After showing wild concepts imagining the future for its Rolls Royce, BMW, and Mini brands, it debuted the Motorrad Vision Next100 yesterday in Los Angeles.
In a future where cars drive themselves, BMW sees two-wheeled transport as a bastion of emotion. "Riding a motorcycle is the ultimate sensual and analog experience in a more and more digital world," says Edgar Heinrich, BMW Motorrad's head of design. "The wind in your hair, the centrifugal forces, the indescribable feeling in pit of your stomach." His retro-futuristic concept is a swoop of black carbon fiber. It will never wipe out, but it still demands a human rider. Because without someone to enthrall, it's useless.
BMWThe driver's physical interaction with the bike will change.
The BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100 is built from a single "flexframe," a carbon fiber shell that extends from the front to the rear wheel. The designers call its shape a dynamic sweep, and it does away with old fashioned things like bearings and joints. Turning the handlebars moves the whole frame to change direction, and it can relax and stiffen to change steering effort. "It will allow us to introduce new steering movements that are very far removed from today’s geometries," says Heinrich.
BMWNew powertrain in an old design.
The classic BMW boxer engine shape remains, although this bike will have a zero emissions drivetrain, which currently comes with zero further details like horsepower, top speed, or acceleration. And actually, that boxer shape is subject to change. Compact when the bike is stationary, it will extend outwards to enhance aerodynamics and help protect the rider from the elements as she piles on speed.
BMWA call back to the 20th century.
BMW Motorrad is keeping some other classic design elements. The black triangular shape of the frame is a reference to the R32, BMW's first ever motorcycle in 1923 (it got its start building airplane engines). The white stripe is a throwback too. The company's logo remains, but glows blue at night.
BMWLook Mutter, nein helmut!
"The vision vehicle will act with foresight and is able to protect the rider at any time," says Heinrich. Driver assistance features will continually monitor the environment, the route, the speed, the angle of lean, and myriad other factors, intervening to ensure the rider can't crash. Gyroscopes keep the bike upright when stationary, so you can't even fall when stopped. BMW's roughly an eternity from actually telling riders to ditch traditional safety gear, but things like traction control, hill start assist, and antilock brakes are already making it harder to kill yourself on two wheels.
BMWGoggles are a must.
Instead of a traditional instrument cluster, the bike communicates key data like speed and navigation through a head-up display. That's why you need the goggles. Most of the time, they display minimal information, just a triangle and two horizontal lines showing banking angle and ideal cornering lines. There's no reason to interrupt your emotional journey.
BMWLook down for more.
If you do need more info, just glance down to call up a menu of options, then point a finger to make your selection. Glance down further still, and a map pops into view, glowing in blue, positioned where the riders of yore once clipped paper maps onto their tank bags.
BMWSafe doesn't mean boring.
Unlike other [conceptual motorcycles](https://slim-weight.info/2016/08/get-know-aboard-self-driving-motorcycle/) that ferry the rider around with zero input, here the human remains in charge. BMW says driver assistance will enhance the experience for novices, keeping them safe and building their confidence. Experienced riders can push their limits and pick up new skills. "It will allow all riders to get an experience independent of their skills, and lift the ride to a whole new level," says Heinrich.
BMWCertainly not when it comes to what you wear.
Killing the need for heavy leather and kevlar doesn't mean you can't dress like a boss. BMW has also designed a lightweight, flexible suit that cools or heats the rider, while enhancing comfort and posture with banded and strengthened areas. If it senses danger, it can vibrate against its wearer's skin as an alert. The idea is to blend the best parts of the digital and analog worlds. Sure, you could get most of the experience at home, with VR goggles on, sitting in front of a fan---but only if you don't have anywhere to go.
