My guess is that they've got impact triggers, same as regular airbags OR they have a key you plug into your bike that rips out when you come off of it...
I think we've talked about these before.
1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442
same principle as a jet-ski ignition shut-off is my guess - the break-away key switch that rex mentioned
we discussed it a bit here:
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but it's good to see a reputable company working on the technology. At least if they sell one, it's likely to be worthwhile. I would absolutely buy one assuming the price is reasonable and they can actually back up the reduced chance of injury with some data.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a van is a good guy with a van
if you look at the video, it deploys while the rider is still on the bike with both hands on it and before impact. i think its some more advanced tech than just a ripcord attached to the bike.
I'm not sure.
This one: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo9Vlt5tGwY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo9Vlt5tGwY</a><!-- m -->
Has slow-motion starting at 19 seconds, and it's still kind of hard to tell because of the angle.
Here's a video of a that same system (according to a Dainese press release) in action on a racetrack in Valencia:
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In this example, you can *clearly* see that he is off the bike completely before it starts to deploy. There may be a couple of factors in play as to when the airbag deploys.
edit: Oh HO! I am undone!
"The system is fully independent and connected neither physically or via radio
to the motorcycle;"
1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442
