Motorcyclists tend to get most safety technology long after the automotive world. Heck, they probably want it long after car drivers do. ABS, traction control and airbags came to the bike world at least a decade after they reached cars. Seat belts still haven't made it across for some reason, despite how many lives they save. It's irresponsible, really.
But now you can option up most any bike with blind spot warnings thanks to an aftermarket kit by Taiwanese company Senzar. This little jigger attaches to your license plate holder, adding a radar that looks back some 30 ft (9 m) on both sides of the rider.
When it detects something, it lights up a little flashing indicator you attach to your mirror, and also helpfully vibrates your seat in a fashion that's "strong enough for you to feel through your riding gear."
In our view, the lights are fine, and possibly helpful. But the seat jiggle ... Put it this way, we don't want it to feel like we're sitting on a washing machine every time we go splitting between lanes on the highway. We have washing machines we can sit on if we want to feel like that.
The Senzar kit (and similar ones that fit to trailers, trucks and motorhomes) is due to launch soon on the Senzar website. Early birds will get it for half price – but it's half of a rather large price and will still cost you US$399.
Check it out in the video below.
Source: Senzar
All a biker needs to do is turn his or her head.