Two-wheeled tech: The latest in motorcycle applications

Drawing heavily from automotive advances, the latest in connectivity, safety and convenience are infiltrating the moto world.

With summer looming in the northern hemisphere and the global COVID pandemic slowly abating, it's natural for enthusiast-engineers to shift focus towards two-wheeled pursuits, including the year's latest technologies. Trends that are altering the automotive landscape are making similar inroads on the motorcycle front, with the SUV-equivalent “adventure bike” morphing the sales landscape, and digital connectivity features supplanting horsepower in the eyes of many enthusiasts as must-have features.

With electrification making scarce OEM inroads [https://www.sae.org/news/2018/10/harley-davidson-electrics-up], and hydrogen [https://www.sae.org/news/2022/03/keeping-combustion-in-the-conversation] offering a scant lifeline for combustion fans, the largest trend in bikes is connectivity and its associated safety benefits. According to a 2021 survey available from Research & Markets, the motorcycle industry's connected-technology investment between 2021 and 2027 is expected to see a compound annual growth rate of 54.7% (from $55M to $757M). Embedded connectivity hardware is expected to constitute the majority of that investment, a trend already keenly visible in the market. We've curated some of latest technology applications, while many remain hopeful the sport retains its ability to help riders occasionally disconnect.