BMW’s Motorcycle of Tomorrow, super-safe with self-balancing system.

It’s been a full century since BMW got into the transportation business, and it’s using its year-long celebration of itself to prove it’s got another 100 left in the tank—or battery pack, or cold fusion reactor, or whatever. After showing wild concepts imagining the future for its Rolls Royce, BMW, and Mini brands, it debuted the Motorrad Vision Next100 yesterday in Los Angeles.

In a future where cars drive themselves, BMW sees two-wheeled transport as a bastion of emotion. “Riding a motorcycle is the ultimate sensual and analog experience in a more and more digital world,” says Edgar Heinrich, BMW Motorrad’s head of design. “The wind in your hair, the centrifugal forces, the indescribable feeling in pit of your stomach.” His retro-futuristic concept is a swoop of black carbon fiber. It will never wipe out, but it still demands a human rider. Because without someone to enthrall, it’s useless.

BMW's latest concept motorbike claims to make accidents "a thing of the past".

The zero-emissions BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100 incorporates a self-balancing system that BMW claims will protect the rider from any accidents and liberate them from the need to wear a helmet.As a concept vehicle, it represents the company's prediction for the future of motorcycle design."We imagine all the downsides of riding a motorcycle to be gone, the vehicle will be so safe that you cannot fall over, and accidents will be a thing of the past." said Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice president at BMW Group Design.

The ultra-safe system works in a number of ways. A self-balancing system keeps the bike upright, by automatically adjusting banking angles, while a set of "smart glasses" scan for hazards ahead and alert the driver in advance.

To steer the bike, the rider moves the handlebars. Instead of turning just the front wheel, this moves the entire frame, while the stabilisation system ensures that it doesn't topple over.

The design of the bike is largely based on the BMW R32, which was designed in 1932. The R32's triangular frame has been reinterpreted, with bearings and joints hidden to make the frame appear as a singular volume.

The surface of the frame is covered in matt black textile, while body elements such as the seat, upper frame cover and wings are made of carbon fibre.

The BMW logo is illuminated in blue and white colours while the bike is being driven, and red strips under the seat form the rear light and indicators.

Suspension is provided by the tyres, whose variable tread adjusts to suit different ground conditions.

Displays, cables and buttons are kept to a minimum, with the exception of a red switch on the right-hand side of the handlebar.

The BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100 is built from a single “flexframe,” a carbon fiber shell that extends from the front to the rear wheel. The designers call its shape a dynamic sweep, and it does away with old fashioned things like bearings and joints. Turning the handlebars moves the whole frame to change direction, and it can relax and stiffen to change steering effort. “It will allow us to introduce new steering movements that are very far removed from today’s geometries,” says Heinrich.

The classic BMW boxer engine shape remains, although this bike will have a zero emissions drivetrain, which currently comes with zero further details like horsepower, top speed, or acceleration. And actually, that boxer shape is subject to change. Compact when the bike is stationary, it will extend outwards to enhance aerodynamics and help protect the rider from the elements as she piles on speed.

BMW Motorrad is keeping some other classic design elements. The black triangular shape of the frame is a reference to the R32, BMW’s first ever motorcycle in 1923 (it got its start building airplane engines). The white stripe is a throwback too. The company’s logo remains, but glows blue at night.

“The vision vehicle will act with foresight and is able to protect the rider at any time,” says Heinrich. Driver assistance features will continually monitor the environment, the route, the speed, the angle of lean, and myriad other factors, intervening to ensure the rider can’t crash. Gyroscopes keep the bike upright when stationary, so you can’t even fall when stopped. BMW’s roughly an eternity from actually telling riders to ditch traditional safety gear, but things like traction control, hill start assist, and antilock brakes are already making it harder to kill yourself on two wheels.

Instead of a traditional instrument cluster, the bike communicates key data like speed and navigation through a head-up display. That’s why you need the goggles. Most of the time, they display minimal information, just a triangle and two horizontal lines showing banking angle and ideal cornering lines. There’s no reason to interrupt your emotional journey.

If you do need more info, just glance down to call up a menu of options, then point a finger to make your selection. Glance down further still, and a map pops into view, glowing in blue, positioned where the riders of yore once clipped paper maps onto their tank bags.

Unlike other conceptual motorcycles that ferry the rider around with zero input, here the human remains in charge. BMW says driver assistance will enhance the experience for novices, keeping them safe and building their confidence. Experienced riders can push their limits and pick up new skills. “It will allow all riders to get an experience independent of their skills, and lift the ride to a whole new level,” says Heinrich.