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PLEASE HAVE A SAFE 2010 | Have a website? Link to Netrider | |
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[ ]The ride of your life By Joshua Dowling, Sydney Morning Herald Motoring Editor
If a motorcyclist happens to be involved in a crash with another vehicle, the risk of death increases yet again. In that event, a motorcyclist is 20 times more likely to die than a car driver. Despite these chilling statistics from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, safety technology has largely bypassed those at most risk of death on our roads. Motorcycles account for about 3 per cent of all registered motor vehicles but, last year, motorcycle riders were involved in 14.8 per of all road fatalities. Almost half of all motorcyclist deaths in Australia are the result of "single-vehicle crashes", that is, the motorcycle ran off the road and no other vehicles were involved. Many of these crashes could have been prevented, experts say, if technology such as anti-lock brakes and traction control were more widely available. Such safety systems are increasingly commonplace on cars, yet motorcycle manufacturers have been slow to adopt the technology because, they say, motorcyclists don't want it. "That's just nonsense," says the head of Insurance Australia Group's research centre, Robert McDonald, a motorcycle rider with 30 years' experience. "Why would motorcyclists not want technology that could save their lives and potentially save them money?" McDonald says new safety technology has not been properly explained to the motorcycle community and many riders are concerned such systems would take away the exhilaration of riding. "People don't ride motorcycles because they're safe. There is a known risk involved," McDonald says. "But we can take advantage of readily available technology to minimise the risk of death and injury. "No one has accused Porsche and Ferrari of building boring cars since they embraced traction control and anti-lock brakes. Motorcycle makers simply need to adapt the technology without sacrificing performance or enjoyment, just like car makers have." McDonald points to a study by German road safety authorities which showed most single-vehicle motorcycle crashes could have been prevented by anti-lock brakes or traction control because riders often overreacted in an emergency. As a result of these findings, the authorities are considering making anti-lock brakes compulsory on motorcycles sold there. Mick Matheson, the editor of Australian Motorcycle News, a motorcycle journalist for 19 years and motorcycle rider for 25 years, says safety technology is overdue. "If the technology was unobtrusive, didn't cost more and ended up saving money in insurance premiums, motorcycle riders would more readily accept it." Anti-lock brakes were fitted on motorcycles built by BMW 19 years ago, but less than 10 per cent of all motorcycles sold in Australia have the technology. Some models, including scooters, sold with anti-lock brakes as standard in Europe are shipped to Australia without this option. Experts say anti-lock brakes are a crucial improvement because they enable motorcycles to stop better in slippery conditions and prevent the wheels from locking. "You don't get a second chance when you lock a wheel on a motorcycle," says McDonald, who believes anti-lock brakes have the potential to be to motorcycles what the seatbelt was to the car. The editor of Two Wheels magazine, Jeremy Bowdler, who has been riding for 28 years and writing on the subject for 17 years, is another strong advocate of improved safety systems on motorcycles. He says anti-lock brakes in particular could also prevent many rear-end crashes. "Generally speaking, most modern cars can brake in a shorter distance than a motorcycle [because car tyres are wider]," he says. "Anti-lock brakes would at least give riders a better chance of stopping in time. When a motor- cyclist brakes in an emergency it's all too easy to grab too much brake and lock a front or rear wheel, or upset the bike so much they fall over." There are two anti-lock braking systems available for motorcycles: a linked system that applies pressure to front and rear brakes via an apportioning valve and a twin system, enabling the rider to distribute different pressure to front and rear wheels. The experts Drive spoke to agreed the twin system is better; it's also more commonly used by manufacturers. "You need to be able to modulate the front and rear brakes," McDonald says, "but wouldn't it be good to know that no matter how hard you pulled the brakes, they wouldn't lock up and cause the tyre to skid?" Matheson prefers riding a motorcycle equipped with anti-lock brakes. "It's the panic grab that gets most riders into trouble. Once a rider has gone beyond their ability, [anti-lock brakes] can help them." The next step in motorcycle safety is traction control but it's still under development even though it is widely available on cars. Honda introduced traction control on one of its bikes in 1995 but it was a rudimentary system that was eventually phased out. BMW revived the technology, developed its own traction control system and introduced it in Europe last year. It is expected to be available on some BMW motorcycles in Australia by the end of this year. Traction control prevents unintended wheelspin and would be especially useful on high-powered motorcycles, some of which can accelerate faster than a formula one car and reach 100kmh in less than three seconds. Part of the reason for the delay in traction control on motorcycles is because the system needs to be more sensitive than it is on cars. "Everything happens so quickly on a motorcycle and there are so many variables to take into account," Bowdler says. "There are varying levels of grip in the tyre as it leans over, the amount of contact the tyre has with the road changes and then there is the balance and the angle of the bike and the weight of the rider. "Any type of traction control has to work so much quicker than it does in a car and calculate so much more information." Matheson says motorcycle makers are working on better safety technology but it is yet to reach showrooms. "There are some sophisticated traction control systems being used in top level motorcycle racing, so hopefully it's not far away from filtering down to street bikes," he says. The safety of motorcycles has come under closer scrutiny because of their significant increase in popularity and the subsequent rise in deaths. Scooter sales have more than tripled in the past five years and motorcycle sales have more than doubled. Deaths have increased accordingly - by 26.5 per cent between 2003 and 2006. The uptake of motorcycles and scooters in Australia reflects the trend towards high-density inner-city living and the increases in traffic congestion, says the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. Many buyers are replacing small cars with scooters and low-powered commuter motorcycles. The ease of parking and low running costs are part of the appeal, however, the increased activity has led to a steady rise in insurance premiums. The FCAI is concerned that, if steps are not taken to make them safer, cheaper and easier to repair, motorcycles and scooters could lose their appeal to budget-conscious buyers. Motorcycles are customarily more expensive to insure than cars but premiums are on a sharp upward spiral. According to industry estimates, the cost of motorcycle insurance has risen by 30 per cent in the past five years. Depending on the age of the driver or rider, it costs about $500 a year to insure a $20,000 car but about $2000 a year to insure a $20,000 motorcycle. In addition to a motorcyclist's increased risk of crashing, the other main reason for this anomaly is because motorcycles are more easily damaged than cars. "It's not uncommon for a $20,000 motorcycle to sustain more than $15,000 worth of damage simply because it fell over in the garage. That effectively makes it a write-off," McDonald says. "A road crash may cause more physical damage but a scratch is a scratch and if the frame is damaged, it needs to be replaced." The cost of stripping and rebuilding a near-new motorcycle in some cases is as much as buying a brand-new bike. Some budget-priced scooters, too, are becoming prohibitively expensive to insure because of their pearlescent paintwork and intricate body mouldings. "Scooters are written off for ridiculously [minor] damage because they often have fully enveloping bodywork and they're most vulnerable to damage," McDonald says. More car drivers are backing into motorcycles and scooters than ever before and not all motorists are decent enough to leave their insurance details, leaving the motorcycle or scooter owner to fork out the claim fee. With all of the above in mind, late last year the FCAI contacted Insurance Australia Group, the parent company of Swann Insurance, the largest insurer of motorcycles in Australia, and asked it to investigate ways to make motorcycles safer and cheaper to repair. With the help of IAG's research centre, independent motorcycle designer Tim Cameron created a concept bike for the future. From his home in suburban Haberfield, Cameron contrived to do what the biggest motorcycle makers from Europe and Japan have not done: design a performance bike with a focus on safety and repairability. Cameron, with seven years' experience designing motorsycles, had a good incentive to explore every available technology. A motorcyclist for 25 years, he rides every day. Using the latest 3D modelling technology, the same software used by the world's biggest motorcycle manufacturers, he included all available safety equipment in his design, as well as some ideas not yet introduced on motorcycles. In addition to anti-lock brakes and traction control, Cameron's bike has a blind spot warning system on its side mirrors to prevent crashes or near misses (similar to that used by Audi, Volvo and Fiat) and a tyre pressure monitoring system to detect punctures or slow leaks. Several commonly damaged parts are designed in such a way to make them more easily replaced. And in an attempt to reduce an increasing cause for insurance claims, the bike of the future has an on-board warning beeper that sounds loudly and more frequently as a car reverses closer to it. The bike magazine editors are keen on his ideas. Bowdler says: "These suggestions are absolutely feasible, in fact a lot of them already exist, just not on one motorcycle." Matheson agrees: "A lot of this stuff is so obvious it's not funny. It makes you wonder why someone hasn't thought of it earlier." Both thought the parking sensor was a genius idea; both have a long lists of motorcycles damaged by careless parkers. They can also see the benefit of motorcycle makers paying more attention to repair costs. "Insurance premiums are a greater proportion of the cost of ownership of a motorcycle or scooter than they are for a car," Bowdler says. "If motorcycle manufacturers don't do something about it, the risk is that bikes and scooters may lose their appeal." Over the past decade, car makers have become more focused on insurance and repair costs because these limit the appeal of a car to private buyers and fleets alike. Motorcycle makers, on the other hand, have continued to focus on the performance and weight reduction of their bikes, often using exotic and expensive materials. With a few exceptions, they've had little regard to repair costs and potentially life-saving safety features. "If motorcycle manufacturers want their industry to continue to prosper they need to change their approach to motorcycle design," McDonald says. "There are a lot of forces out there that would rather motorcycles go away, so the industry needs to act of its own accord or risk strict legislation. "Rather than blame the customer for not wanting safety devices, they should be trying to get the most acceptable version of this technology into their motorcycles as quickly as possible. As long as car deaths and injuries continue to fall, motorcycle safety is going to receive more attention." All content is © 1996-2010 Netrider unless otherwise noted Privacy Statement | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Forums Terms & Conditions |
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