Get ready for a motorcycle without a helmet

In BMW's Motorrad Vision Next 100, 'flexframe' extends from front to rear wheel

On Tuesday in Santa Monica, California, BMW Group debuted a motorcycle concept so artificially intelligent that it eliminates the need for the rider to wear protective gear, including a helmet.

According to BMW, the "flexframe" extends from the front to the rear wheel of the BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100. It allows the bike to be steered without the various joints found on today's motorcycles. Turning the handlebar adjusts the entire frame, changing the direction of the bike.

The BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100 motorcycle is the latest incarnation of BMW's Vision Next series, which celebrates 100 years of the German brand with forward-looking concept vehicles from Rolls-Royce, Mini, and BMW. The group has been hosting events around the world this year to debut each new concept in a different city. California's event, held in an old airplane hangar, displayed the motorcycle along each of the group's other previously shown concepts. This is the fourth and final of its concepts to be shown.

When the bike is resting, the unit that powers it stays small; when the bike moves forward, the unit lengthens to enhance aerodynamics and protect the rider while at speed.

So what does the future of motorcycles hold?

At least according to BMW, it's a bike that has self-balancing systems to keep it upright both when standing (a boon for novice riders, on par with training wheels for bicycles) and in motion (beneficial for experienced riders who want erudite handling at high speed). Several systems - one BMW calls a "Digital Companion," which offers riding advice and adjustment ideas to optimise the experience, and one called "The Visor", which is a pair of glasses that span the entire field of vision and are controlled by eye movements - correlate to return active feedback about road conditions to the rider while adjusting the ride of the bike continuously depending on the rider's driving style. (It sure beats today's motorcycle touchscreen technology.)

On the frame above the front wheel is a large metal reflector and the daytime running light; the unit acts as a wind deflector, BMW says.

It's meant to equal the driverless systems automakers also expect to be producing in cars by 2040 and beyond.

"The bike has the full range of connected data from its surroundings and a set of intelligent systems working in the background, so it knows exactly what lies ahead," said Holger Hampf, BMW's head of user experience.

BMW says a visor that each rider will wear will help control and direct the bike. The commands from the visor are controlled by moving your eyes.

It also purports to use a novel matte black "flexframe" that's nubile enough to allow the bike to turn without the joints found on today's motorcycles. The idea is that when a rider turns the handlebar, it adjusts the entire frame to change the direction of the bike; at low speeds only a slight input is required, while at high speeds it needs strong input to change course.

© Bloomberg