Motorcycle Design
In general, motorcycle design has yielded steady safety improvements. The motorcycles of today are better in virtually every significant safety area than those of just two decades ago.
Current motorcycles have better brakes, greater stability, more responsive steering, more effective controls, improved ergonomics for better control and reduced fatigue, and improved reliability in all systems than those of even a decade ago.
The acceleration and top speed of the most powerful models (mostly sportbikes) have increased continually. The effect of these performance increases on safety is currently unknown.
Tires, which are particularly crucial components on a two-wheeled vehicle, have advanced significantly and have contributed much to vehicle performance, reliability, and safety. Modern tires are more durable, offer better traction for turning and stopping, and have contributed to significantly improving stability compared with their counterparts of the 1970s.
Although tubeless tires significantly reduce the likelihood of a blowout and resulting loss of control, tube-type tires are still fitted to many cruiser models in order to use wire-spoke wheels for appearance reasons. However, alter-native wire-spoke wheel designs exist that may be used with tubeless tires. Wire wheels may also be sealed for use with tubeless tires. The Hurt Report listed puncture flats as the primary motorcycle vehicle failure leading to crashes.
Some motorcycles have hand and foot controls that can be adjusted to accommodate various riders with larger or smaller than average hands and feet, thereby increasing the riders’ control of these motorcycles.
Brakes are often significantly more powerful and can have an antilock braking system and/or linked front and rear application.
Lack of rider protection is a characteristic of all motorcycles. Research into devices to reduce rider injuries in crashes is ongoing. Because of the lack of coupling between motorcycle and rider (which would create an additional hazard), motorcycle-mounted rider protection systems have significant limitations.
Leg protectors have been devised and studied in the United States and internationally, but the results have been mixed thus far. There is no widespread agreement that they provide additional protection, and they may pose safety drawbacks.
Motorcycle airbags have been under study for 30 years both as vehicle equipment and as a part of the rider’s apparel. At this time, the benefits and risks, such as undesired deployment, are still under investigation.
Studies of earlier types of machines have shown that fuel tanks that rise abruptly from the saddle immediately in front of the rider contribute to severe pelvic injuries in frontal impacts. Most current sportbike tanks have a similar style and are likely to present a similar injury mechanism.
Some cruiser and touring motorcycles place components, such as instruments and controls, atop the fuel tank. These designs may increase uro-genital injuries during crashes.
The evolution and specialization of street motorcycles to meet specific requirements of the market have created some design features that raise safety issues and suggest further research.