Motorcycles Enter the ADAS Age

The latest models from BMW, Ducati and KTM feature Bosch's new ACC setup, but further advancements will require navigating critical rider-control strategies.

Motorcycles finally are entering the advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) age, dipping both wheels into autonomous waters with the production debut of adaptive cruise control (ACC). On passenger cars, ACC appeared more than two decades ago, double the time it took ABS to migrate from four wheels to two. Tier-1 supplier Bosch played a large initial role in bringing both those features to automobiles, and is again leading the OEM technology adoption for motorcycles.

The slower pace of ADAS feature migration to the moto set is understandable, given the lack of powered/integrated controls and passenger restraints, and the far more extensive role of the rider in vehicle dynamics. Thanks to these unique parameters, active and intervening ADAS roles will remain limited for motorcycles in the near term, until rider monitoring and control systems advance enough to increase rider safety without jeopardizing it.