Here's Why Motorcycle Airbags Are Getting More Popular 

Motorcycle airbags are about to change the way we crash our motorcycles, but we need to be a little patient

History always repeats itself, especially when it comes to motorcycle safety systems. Think of ABS — BMW had adopted this tech from airliners in 1988, but even two decades later, only six motorcycles came with ABS as standard. In recent years, ABS has become a standard feature on most motorcycles. The same happened with traction control, which was introduced in 1992 on the Honda ST1100, but even today, only sport-oriented motorcycles come standard with MTC.

It's not a surprise that one of the most revolutionary safety systems for motorcycles is taking the long way around to reach consumers: airbags. Whether you're talking about onboard airbags or airbag vests, this technology takes motorcycle safety to the next level, and despite existing for a long time as a concept, it's only now that these airbags are making their way to the consumers. Credit where credit's due — MotoGP plays a significant role in promoting this technology. Hopefully, airbags become a standard feature or gear for bikers in the coming years. Fingers crossed.

Related: Everything You Need To Know About Motorcycle Airbag Vests

Motorcycle airbags may be a new concept for us normies, but they have been a feature on the Honda Goldwing for two generations (since 2006). But this is the only bike that comes with an airbag. But it's about to change, thanks to Autoliv, which is working on a motorcycle airbag system for the masses. According to Autoliv, airbags will start appearing on some 2025 model year motorcycles, beginning with a Piaggio, encompassing brands like Vespa, Moto Guzzi, and Aprilia. We're hoping that Piaggio includes airbags in a range of its motorcycles.

According to Atsushi Ishii, Head of Technology at Autoliv, their airbags will work similarly to car airbags. These airbags will come with a crash sensor, a crash detection ECU, a wiring harness, and an airbag module — a pretty standard kit — but the challenge lies in packaging this into a motorcycle. Honda Goldwing can get away with this system since it has a massive dash, but this is a different ballgame when you have to pack the system on a tiny scooter dash. This problem only worsens when you consider sportbikes where the biker is leaning over the dash — there's less room for travel before the rider collides with the car ahead.

Another challenge that airbag manufacturers face is the trigger time. A car has a deformation cell that gives some milliseconds to spare for the airbags to inflate, but a motorcycle airbag must be much faster. This calls for advanced algorithms that detect crashes while ignoring rider shenanigans and a trigger system that reacts instantaneously for utmost safety.

At first glance, motorcycle airbags don't sound so effective, considering they are only designed for head-on collisions, which account for under 10% of the total motorcycle crashes. But it's a place where it all starts, according to Autoliv. Over time, the technology is expected to evolve into a much more comprehensive safety package that should protect bikers from low sides, high sides, side impacts, and other types of crashes. Remember, even car airbags began life on the steering wheel before creeping into the pillars and curtains.

Even for head-on collisions, you may have some reservations about their safety. However, science has other things to say as far as current-generation airbags are concerned. Considering the Head Injury Criterion (HIC) from Autoliv, airbags turn a deadly crash into a few bruises here and there. For example, if you were to T-bone a car at 30 mph, your head would decelerate at 130 G, which is way worse than the worst concussion you can imagine. But with an airbag, this deceleration is brought down to 51 G — it's still bad, but it won't kill you.

Related: 10 Safety Tips While Riding A Motorcycle On Country Roads

Onboard motorcycle airbags are still a concept, and while we hope they will start arriving in 2025 model-year motorcycles, another form of airbags is already making its presence known in the automotive industry — airbag vests. As with anything else that becomes popular in MotoGP, airbags are trickling down to the masses just like other MotoGP technologies and trends like the infamous winglets. In the past few years, brands like Alpinestars, Dainese, and Held have launched their version of an airbag vest.

These airbag vests are still inconvenient — they restrict airflow, add another layer to your body (all the best if you live in a hot climate), and are expensive right now. However, they solve many problems that onboard airbags face. Manufacturers no longer have to worry about fitting the airbag system on the dash or handlebar, which may compromise the motorcycle's handling.

Another benefit of these airbag vests is their protection from various crashes — head-on collisions, low sides, high sides, death wobbles, rear-ends, and pure bad luck. They are much safer than you would expect since they are designed with extensive crash-related data backing them. For example, most airbag vests protect your back, shoulders, chest, and neck during a crash. And there are even some airbag pants being teased in the market.

Despite being safe on many occasions, airbag vests have some downsides. One of the biggest challenges airbag vests face is deployment time. A car airbag deploys in 170 milliseconds whereas most airbag vests deploy in 0.5 seconds — at 180 mph, you're traveling a lot of distance in half a second — it's not enough time. The second-biggest challenge is ensuring the airbag system does not rupture during the crash. It's essentially a really fancy, rapidly inflating balloon, but you don't want this balloon to burst when you need it the most.

That's not to say these technologies, onboard airbags and airbag vests, don't look so promising. For example, Alpinestars airbags use seven sensors and a 5-level trigger-decision routine, and the brand claims these airbags can deploy in only eight milliseconds.

It's as if onboard airbags and airbag vests began their journey on either end of the spectrum. Both suffer from downsides yet mutually fix each other's problems. Airbag vests don't inflate quickly enough, but they offer more protection, and onboard airbags only protect you from head-on collisions, but they are quick to trigger. With the likes of Autoliv and Honda bringing airbag technology to bikes, and other riding gear brands dabbling with airbag vests, we hope that motorcycle airbag technology reaches the sweet spot where they no longer feel like compromises or half-hearted attempts.

Every month, more and more bikers opt to invest in airbag vests due to MotoGP's popularity and awareness in the community. On the other hand, brands like Autoliv are actively working to bring airbags to mass-produced smaller motorcycles, where they are most needed. With so much effort going in, it's not too long before your motorcycle may come with an airbag. Hopefully, it will happen in this decade because we are getting impatient.

Meet Aayush, a motorcycle-loving writer from Goa. With almost a decade of riding experience and a (not so) trusty Dominar 400, you can find him exploring the Western Ghats on Sundays or tinkering with motorcycles during his free hours. From touring tips to DIY maintenance, he's got you covered. So, grab your helmet and join the ride!