Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125820
English cafe racers) to protect the rider
from frontal and side impacts, and
break away handlebars. I t is a little
different from your run-of-the-mill
Honda, but isn't something you
wouldn't want to be seen on. Long term
recommendations include airbags
mounted on bikes, and high speed films
demonstrated their effectiveness in
promoting crash survival.
Accident Avoidance
Don Bischoff of the DOT opened his
remarks on his Experimental Safety
Motorcycle Program with "] 'II try to
keep my remarks brief. The
Environmental Protection Agency has
informed me that they have placed a
restriction on talk about motorcycles in
this room between 6 AM and 8 PM."
The DOT total in tegrated system
ESM emphasizes accident avoidance,
and came into being with increasing
concern about motorcycle safety. The
DOT recognized the advantages of
motorcycles and their potential to
reduce urban congestion, fuel
consumption and air pollution, and
increase
available personal
transportation for low income groups in
urban areas. The justification for
improving motorcycle safety and
encouraging motorcycle use was clear,
and the DOT ESM program resulted.
Basically, the program consists of
two parts, the near term ESM, and the
far term ESM. The near term ESM is an
Experimental Safety Motorcycle
constucted of and including only safety
improvemen ts and components available
at present technology levels. It could be
built right now from components
available right now, in theory. The far
term ESM is a long range program
including componen ts not now
technologically available in perfected,
production cost quantities, such as
airbags. While a few airbags have been
tested on motorcycles, the cost and
imperfect triggering system at this time
don ot make them feasible for
production motorcycle use.
The near term ESM is divided into
subl(foups as follows:
A) Accid~nt Avoidance
1) anti-lock brakes
2) improved traction tires
3) improved headlamp system
4) conspicuity
(ability to be
recol