http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/ Engadget Comments for Honda to ship airbag-equipped motorcycles http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/If an Airbag Suit deployed, that would be good.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/
They're not meant to stop you like a traditional car airbag...think of it almost as a trampoline that slows you down. But again, it's not so much the airbag knocking you off the bike - it's the inertia and lack of a seatbelt. Either way, an accident that would require the deployment of an airbag on a motorcycle, you are leaving that bike one way or another.

Another thing to note is that Honda said these will not be placed on sport bikes due to the differences in the placement and style of the controls.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/
Jayson: Indeed. In fact, they don't ride motorbikes at all. They ride Harleys.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/
Though, jesus, I dunno. People seem to either A) kind of tip it and slide around and get like an avulsion and a misplaced sense of invincibility or B) get just so effing effed up from so many mechanisms (person v. bike, bike v. pavement, abrasion on payment, launch followed by a fall from height, femurs on the handlebar, torsion injuries on the roll that there's no helping them that I'm not sure about the efficeacy of an airbag.

Maybe the inflatable jackets would help, I could see that, but in general riding an ambulance up on a motorcycle crash feels like rushing towards the Hindenburg with a socket set.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/
I bitch the guy the hell out, he goes for his wallet and i think he's going to try to buy his driving karma back. Instead he pulls a badge and asks if i wanted to F*** with him now. I laid into him with redoubled vigor. effing cop, trying to hide his inept driving behind a badge. He turned all shades of red when i told him what to do with it.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/
BUT

I'll still complain that the airbag is a stupid design that's going to knock people off their bikes, trigger without a reason, and cause lots of unintentional damage. Because, hey, you know, they probably didn't know what they were doing when they designed this and haven't taken into account my hastily-thought-of reasons of why this won't work.

It's like the new Revolution controller. Give the poor engineers/designers/smart folks the benefit of the doubt. Wait until you see it, or see how it performs in the wild, before forming firm conclusions.

Cheers...

Jason]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/
The worst accidents happen when the bike lands on you. If being knocked off your bike is inevitable (as it would be in a head-on collison), having something that just prevents you from being smashed by your bike is good enough.

That said, I sincerely doubt that Honda would put out an airbag that did nothing but that. They have brilliant engineers with high standards, and I don't think they'd let something like that go.]]>Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/15/honda-to-ship-airbag-equipped-motorcycles/Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM