Crash Test Honda Gl1800 Airbag

[Ted Shred]

Interesting -


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4284015679235484452&q=motorcycle&hl=en

[jayjacobson]

Wow! Great video. You can clearly see how the air bag keeps the riders head away from the impacted vehicle.

[Steve_R]

You better watch closer. With airbag, the riders head is forced up and impacts the van above the window and without he goes through the window. Also, it appears that the rider is thrown way up in the air. I'm not sure I'm a Honda airbag person. YMMV

[DavidTaylor]

Actually, watch a little closer, especially the rider's neck. With no airbag he hits the window and the top of the frame, and his neck is quickly and sharply compressed/twisted (can you say broken neck, severed spine, possibly instant death?). With the airbag the top of the helmet hits the frame above the window, but the weight and inertia of the rest of his body is captured and expended/redirected against/above the airbag vs. up the spine and into the head & neck, avoiding the possible severe neck injuries. Given, he's probably got one helluva headache or concussion, but still better than being paralyzed or dead. Since the film doesn't run to show the final landing position of the rider it's hard to say what the final resulting injuries might have been, but I'm guessing the airbag wreck was the more survivable one in this particular test scenario just based on the head and neck injuries that could be sustained.

[Tat_n_Telle]

Are there any more openings for test riders at Honda? Man, you gotta be some kind of dummy to want that job.



Okay, my tongue is out of my cheek now.

[zippy_gg]

Are there any more openings for test riders at Honda? Man, you gotta be some kind of dummy to want that job.



Okay, my tongue is out of my cheek now.I sent my application last week and waiting for their phone call...!:D :think:

[jgburns]

... based upon crash particulars. That said, Wow! If a new LT comes out with one, I'm trading my 2000 model year in.

[Steve_R]

Different thoughts here. If the new LT comes out with one, I won't trade. I didn't like either scenario on the Honda. I believe if Dave Shealey had been on the Gold Wing with or without the airbag in his crash, he wouldn't be here today. JMHO.

[jayz9705]

Take a look at the feet and legs of each dummy. Stuff going on there, too.

[jgburns]

Different thoughts here. If the new LT comes out with one, I won't trade. I didn't like either scenario on the Honda. I believe if Dave Shealey had been on the Gold Wing with or without the airbag in his crash, he wouldn't be here today. JMHO.Hey Steve, Is there some data posted about Dave's crash that would shed some light on why the LT might have provided better protection? Not that I'm a Gold Wing fan, but maybe I'm missing something.

[Steve_R]

I'm sorry, it Don Arthur I was thinking about and not Dave Shealey. You can read Don's story about his wreck here (http://www.donarthur.net/). Click on the "The Accident" to read the story.

Jay, good point on the strange things going on with the feet and legs. Also, if the dummy's head had been looking straight ahead with the airbag, the top of the car would have been in the middle of the facial opening. So much for nose and eye sockets.

As long as BMW keeps the same front end on their bikes, I don't want an airbag. JMO and my 2 cents worth.

YMMV

[CharlieVT]

I went through the video pausing to try to get frame by frame snapshots; it seems to me there is much more compression at all levels of the spine in the non-airbag impact.
And Jay made a good observation, the left foot in the non-airbag impact is twisted to an extreme angle.
Yes, the head does seem to go into the window in the non-airbag impact, and the head seems to hit the frame above the window in the airbag impact, but there is less contortion of the entire dummy in the later.
As far as the landing (which we don't see) the altitude of both seems to be about the same so I don't think there would be much difference in landing injuries between the two.

It has been suggested that the suspension of the BMW reduces the bike's dive on impact, causing the rider to be thrown over, rather than into the car impacted. It seems to me that the airbag tends to achieve the same effect.

I think airbags on bikes and in rider wear are a thing of the future. They'll never be perfect but I think they will reduce injuries.

I can see the airbag functioning like an ejection seat, shooting the rider up and away from the impact, and then airbags in the rider's wear protecting the rider on landing.

[Ekim]

Instead of the airbag on the bike, you could do the airbag in your jacket:

http://www.airbagvest.com/index.html

I have seen these at a few bike shows, seems interesting, not sure how well they would work though?

[pozo_izquierdo]

Instead of the airbag on the bike, you could do the airbag in your jacket:

http://www.airbagvest.com/index.html

I have seen these at a few bike shows, seems interesting, not sure how well they would work though?

This would be one option, no doubt. But...wearing this kind of protective gear requires iniative from the rider himself. I dont know any Wing riders personally but the countless Wing (and HD) riders that I encountered during my last August CCR trip across the US made me wonder where is the spare parts shop for skulls? As there are so many people riding without even a helmet (or if the state law requires helmet then with one but only in T-shirt, shorts & slippers) I think that an airbag would be a good devise to try to save taxpayers and insurance companies money in hospital cost of those poor people.

IMHO the airbag vests will remain a curiosity of the few ATTGATT riders and the rest who obviously believe in the continuity of their good luck need the bikes equipped with the airbag for the day when their good luck runs out.

Similar thing as the seat belt. It is proven that seat belt saves lives but why have the car makers stopped making the automatic seat belts? Because we customers dont want them!

Regards

[hschisler]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tat_n_Telle
Are there any more openings for test riders at Honda? Man, you gotta be some kind of dummy to want that job.

Okay, my tongue is out of my cheek now.
I sent my application last week and waiting for their phone call...!:D :think:You're in good company: there are a few retired Honda airbag crash testers already on this site! :rotf:

[jayjacobson]

Are there any more openings for test riders at Honda? Man, you gotta be some kind of dummy to want that job.

Okay, my tongue is out of my cheek now.
OK, just go ahead and make fun of my day job! It took me years to get that job.

[jayjacobson]

You better watch closer. With airbag, the riders head is forced up and impacts the van above the window and without he goes through the window. Also, it appears that the rider is thrown way up in the air. I'm not sure I'm a Honda airbag person. YMMV
Yes Steve, you are right. After repeatedly reviewing the airbag video, the riders head does seem to impact the veh's door above the window.

Seeing what and how the rider's head impacts in the non-airbag footage, I'll stick with the bag.

[meese]

I read a recent safety article, in MCN I think, where they said that Honda has only sold about 20 Gold Wings with airbags. Seems they're not a popular option amongst buyers.

I like the general idea, especially in the common head-on crash scenario, but I'm not sure the technology is there quite yet. And in the video, there is little reference to damage to the lower extremities, which looks like it could be quite severe. Sure two broken legs are better than a broken neck, but once again, rider training and technologies such as ABS that promote crash avoidance are much better routes to pursue.

[pozo_izquierdo]

I read a recent safety article, in MCN I think, where they said that Honda has only sold about 20 Gold Wings with airbags. Seems they're not a popular option amongst buyers.

Ha, that figures...referring to my previous rant:

If people feel that they are competent enough riders to be able to ride crashless without helmet or with their swimsuit only, why to bother ticking the airbag from the options list?
Heck, I would have thought the airbag to be a standard accessory in Wings...

Regards