Honda's Latest Tech: Because Bikes Deserve to Be Smarter Than Cars

Honda’s latest patent application takes a deep dive into the murky world of blind spots and how to warn riders about vehicles lurking where they can’t see. It proposes a clever system of warning lights scattered across the bike—in the dash, mirrors, and even on the mirror stems—that adapt based on your speed. Because apparently, as you go faster, your field of vision narrows. Who knew?

At low speeds, when you can see half the world, the system uses outer warning lights in the mirrors to point out those sneaky cars. But as you crank up the throttle and your focus sharpens like a laser, the lights shift inward, eventually appearing on the dash. It’s like the bike knows you’re too busy holding on for dear life to check your mirrors.

Radar? Camera? Lidar? Why Not All Three?

While the patent focuses on the blind-spot wizardry, it casually drops the bombshell that Honda is throwing the kitchen sink at this thing: radar, cameras, lidar—you name it. Together, these sensors give the bike a 360-degree view of the world. That’s right—your motorcycle might soon see more than you do.

This tech opens up the possibility for some serious rider-assist features: adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-assist functions, and maybe even semi-autonomous control. Sure, lidar is still a bit pricey right now, but give it a few years and it’ll probably be standard on everything, right down to scooters. For now, the Gold Wing—a bike that already feels like it could drive itself—is the likely testbed for these futuristic goodies.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Here’s the genius part: each sensor type complements the others. Cameras are great for spotting colors and details, like road signs or brake lights, but they’re useless in the dark. Radar laughs at darkness and fog but can’t provide a sharp image. Lidar offers super-detailed 3D mapping but struggles with long distances or bad weather. By combining all three, the bike’s brain gets a clear, accurate picture of what’s happening around it, minimizing false alarms.

Imagine this trio working together: the camera spots the red glow of a brake light, the radar confirms there’s an object slowing down ahead, and the lidar maps out exactly where it is in 3D. It’s like your bike gets its own high-tech version of Spider-Sense.

Honda: Doing It Their Way

Unlike its rivals, Honda prefers to play the long game, developing its own systems instead of just grabbing tech off the shelf from suppliers like Bosch. Sure, it’s more expensive and takes longer, but it means Honda gets to do things their way—and occasionally offer features no one else can match.

This isn’t Honda’s first dance with radar, either. They’ve been working on it for years, with whispers of their plans dating back to 2020, when Ducati and BMW were busy slapping Bosch systems onto their bikes. But Honda’s new patent shows they’re not stopping at radar—they’re building an all-seeing, all-knowing system that’s ready to redefine rider safety.

What’s Next?

The Gold Wing is almost certainly going to be the first bike to flaunt this tech, but if history is any guide, it won’t be long before it trickles down to the rest of Honda’s lineup. So, whether you’re cruising on a Gold Wing or zipping through traffic on a commuter bike, get ready for a future where your ride is as smart as it is fast.

What do you think? Too much tech for two wheels, or exactly what motorcycling needs to stay ahead of the curve? Let us know!