This year marks the 50th anniversary of the automotive airbag and, after a faltering start, the same technology is finally starting to find a home on two wheels as well – with Piaggio expected to introduce airbag-equipped scooters in the near future in a move that could spark similar moves from its rivals.
There is one bike out there already with an airbag option. Honda has ploughed a lonely furrow with the tech, offering the Goldwing with an airbag since the 2006 model year, but despite 17 years of production across two distinct model generations the Honda airbag hasn’t spread to other models or been copied by rival brands. That now looks set to change, with Autoliv, one of the world’s largest airbag suppliers, joining forces with Piaggio and presenting evidence that airbags – despite some limitations – can be life-savers on two wheels as well as four.
The stuttering adoption of airbags on bikes shouldn’t come as a surprise: despite their ubiquity in today’s cars, it took decades for the technology to
