BMW develops self-riding motorcycle that starts, stops and turns on its own

Ever wonder what a self-riding motorcycle would look like? We got a taste of that when we saw Yamaha showcase its MOTOBOT. But that was basically a robot riding a bike. BMW, however, put out a video of a R 1200 GS without a rider cruising down a track — starting, stopping and taking turns all on its own.

With technological advances taking place in the automotive world, including assisted driving and autonomous driving, it is still very rare to see it on motorcycles. Of course, it makes no sense to have it on a motorcycle because it will tarnish the experience and that is why the German automaker has no plans to put this into production.

Why build this then? BMW says their researchers worked on the prototype to better understand riding dynamics and rider behaviour. They say they have been working on the bike for more than two years and now, the want to start deploying more enhanced safety tech into their motorcycles.

The problem is, with cars, you can have a computer slam on the brakes in an emergency and the driver will likely be fine. But on a motorcycle, the rider could potentially be thrown off. Using the results from this research, BMW wants to build semi-autonomous motorcycles that can execute safety manoeuvres depending on the situation.

BMW says some of the safety tech developed through the programme may soon become available on future production motorcycles.

Here is the video of the bike riding itself: