An unplanned wheelie can catch you off guard, but, even when intentional, if it goes too far, it can result in some nasty bruises, road rash, or worse. With all of the stunt guys getting their wheels up, it seems everyone is a wheelie expert but you, even though the vast majority of riders, never get their wheel up except by accident. A little too much throttle on your new GSX-R and whoa, you’re looking at sky instead of street.
Romanelli Technologies has developed the ATS, or Anti Turnover System, to prevent the wheelie from going vertical and beyond with a 3 axis sensor installed on the bike. When the motorcycle’s front wheel rises beyond a safe limit, the ignition is interrupted, bringing the wheel back down.
There’s no information about what angle is deemed unsafe or whether it’s adjustable but it might be a nice to know there’s an electronic stop to prevent you from landing on your back with your bike on top of you.
This looks like it may have been around for a while but I haven’t seen it before, evidently, if it has been around, it never got any traction in the market, but I think it’s interesting.
Stunters, move along, there’s nothing for you to see here.
Thanks for the tip, Bob!
Link: Romanelli Technologies
Kenny says
Live, learn and regret that $1000 repair bill. If you want safety gadgets get a car.
cpu says
Looks like it just kills the engine? This probably wouldn’t stop a bike from looping if it had enough momentum? I would definitely considering purchasing something like this to make learning wheelies safer, like those adjustable wheelie bars I spotted online …
I’ll also need a “WHEELIE KING” sticker for my helmet.
CJ says
Cool…
If you want even more squids giving everyone a bad name. Last thing we need is a bunch of kids riding around thinking the only skill to ride a bike is to crack the throttle open.
Rfx says
Stunting would lose some of its cache since there’s a nanny present–and imagine being dependent upon this system. I can only imagine the carnage if there’s ever a failure of the system.
“wah wah–I looped it because my ATS burnt out.”–what an ATS baby
Thure says
How about someone mounting the sensor in the wrong direction. Imagine having the ignition cut out while leaned over. As smart and useful as this device is, abusive ambulance chasing lawyers would have a field day with a device like this installed. Then the next thing is somebody is gonna figure out this technology was available and sue a manufacturer because they did not install this, like the people that sued because their SUV did not have a rear camera installed when the technology was available and they ran over their toddler.
Chris says
I’d be somewhat concerned about how quickly it disengages, too. If you’re a skilled one-wheel rider and just want to ride at the edge of “oops”, what happens when you trigger this? Ignition cutout and the front end slams back down? Or does it disengage fast enough that you can save the front end from a violent encounter with the tarmac by feathering in some throttle? Dropping the front wheel from three or four feet in the air straight onto the ground has almost as much potential to cause a wreck as letting the bike stand up vertically does, and it seems like this pretty much guarantees a “hard landing”.
Could this sort of thing also be used (probably in conjunction with ABS) to automatically reduce front-brake pressure to avoid a severe stoppie? I’ve seen one crash as a result of an accidental stoppie, while neither of the accidental wheelies I’ve personally committed were anything significant (easily recoverable, but I didn’t have the front wheel over my head, either).
Then again, Kenny has a good point. Learn from your mistakes and don’t be an idiot. If you want “safe”, drive a car.
cl
todd says
or just ride the types of bikes that don’t require assistance.
-todd
CJ says
Thure,
I was thinking the same thing, or if the mount for the sensor came loose and it vibrated off causing the ignition to cut out with the bike just sitting.
When I was just starting to ride a more capable bike, the front end did come up on me by accident a few times. It felt to me like I was more likely to crash when setting the bike back down – or in some cases, letting it slam. That said, I think that those who are going to ride “accidental wheelie” prone bikes need to be able to handle the bike’s capability rather than rely/abuse a device such as this.
FREEMAN says
I understand why someone would design something like this, but if you can’t safely handle your ride then, well, you shouldn’t be riding it. And the court system should take note of this rather than letting the consumer sue the manufacturer for the customer’s ignorance, negligence, and stupidity. There is no engineering controls for that. Keep the rubber side down on the streets. If you want to be stunt rider, then practice and perform in the correct environment.
nawitus says
If you don’t know how to accelerate without looping, buy a 125cc bike or something. You don’t deserve a proper motorcycle.
monkeyfumi says
What you save in crashes, you can spend on head stem bearings
kwj says
If it came on pretty gently like a lot of rev limiters do (or even some traction control systems) it could be very gentle and controllable in it’s engagement. Some race teams have explored the possibility of using this type of thing (not sure if any currently use them). Same idea as traction control in my opinion. It lets you use all the acceleration possible from the bike without all the danger. I support anything that makes riding safer.
Hawk says
I can see these being used on rental bikes ….
I remember going into a local Exotic Car Rental place. They wanted $1000/day plus $1/km for a Ferrari …. which had a tattle-tale tach and they wanted you to sign an agreement for a $200 “fine” every time you exceeded 6000 RPM. I was utterly amazed that they rented any.
mauthbaux says
While I can see how a device like this would be derided by the purists (as evidenced by the commentary here), It’s not really all that different than some of the technological changes that have been adopted in cars. When traction control systems, airbags, automatic transmissions, cylinder deactivation, ABS and electronic steering were introduced, each of them was greeted with sneers and wild “what if” scenarios. As time has gone on, we’ve accepted each in turn, and lately it’s become nearly impossible to find a new vehicle for sale without ABS, airbags, or traction control.
Each of these technologies further estranges the driver from control of the machine, but in general we accept them anyway simply because the vehicle is “easier to drive” or “safer” that way. The bar of entry has been lowered, and the vehicle is now more accessible, and arguably more convenient for the average Joe.
The problem is that the average Joe on the road is now dumber than he was previously. There’s a lot more idiots who rely totally upon these electronic nannies to control the vehicle for them. If I remember correctly, more than one of the attempted thefts of the Ford GT (the GT40 descendant, not the mustang GT) was cut short simply because the thief was unable to control a manual transmission car with that much horsepower without all the electronic nannies to keep it reigned in. Sure, there’s people who can handle a vehicle like that, but your typical driver isn’t even close to that level of competence anymore.
Really, this device isn’t much different. As soon as there’s some sort of monetary or legislative incentive to include it on bikes, then the manufacturers will start shipping them stock. A little later and it may just be punishable to remove it. Really, I think it’s inevitable.
Let’s enjoy our unrestricted machines while we still can.
TL;DR: Most of us will hate devices like this, but we’ll grow to grudgingly accept it. When manufacturers start including them stock (inevitable), then the average rider will get stupider.
Matt says
If I were to design a system like this I’d use PID control so that the amount of ignition cut was proportional to the rate of angle increase and how close the bike was to tipping. You could tune the PID numbers to get a damping effect, based on personal preferences.
I don’t see the problem with having these sort of safety devices- they can really make a big difference for less experienced riders. You can do the same thing with ignition cut and PID control if you have a rear wheel speed sensor to get optimum longitudinal slip ratio for acceleration. I think Moto GP teams use lean angle as a fuel map modifier, sort of the same idea.
Matt says
I would also contend that more electronic controls doesn’t make the rider “stupider,” it allows them to focus on more things like their line, what the tires are doing, that car that might be pulling out into the road, etc. You can approach the limit with more confidence because you know you have a safety net.
Less distraction= happier rider
B Kenney says
Having a “phone jack” tells me that it must be set up for programing…either that or its a direct line to your lawyer…But a phone jack?…thats old school…This is the 2000s man
Ry_Trapp0 says
oh, look at that. how predictable, all of the world championship riders of ‘the knee slider’ scoffing at such a device that would deny them the ability to show off their skills.
i think it’s a great idea, and, depending on how effective, would be great for drag racing(or a standing start in a road race). i wonder how it would fair on a san francisco hill, but i’m not gonna point out the problems when i don’t even know the details of this device.
remember people, a stupid rider will always be a stupid rider, whether they use these devices or not. obviously someone that uses something like this and gets on another bike and immediatly goes full throttle is a moron, regardless of using this device. the typical “it’ll make stupid people stupid” arguement that is always thrown out on here is merely an excuse when you can’t come up with any other reason to not like a given product.
Azzy says
Might be nice to see the engine cut if it tips over… all the way. Ive had a bike fall and keep running, which isnt a good thing.
Oakland Johnny says
Oh well, so much for Darwinism.
I’ve already got a unit similar to this, it’s called: not riding beyond my skill level (or like a jerk, for that matter).
Kenny says
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2005/09/21/gms-bob-lutz-is-really-a-biker/
I’m pretty sure I’m not just speaking for myself when I say that the reason I ride a motorbike is not for it being convienient, accesible, friendly, or safe. In fact it’s none of these things. You have to squeeze into all your gear in the morning, unlock and warm up your bike (assuming it will start in the cold). Work your way through traffic (danger on all sides). You have to know what kinda shape your tires are in, understand how far you can push them, know how your machine will react to throttle input, lean angle, braking…etc and above all how far you can safely exploit these factors. A lot of cagers never have to worry about these factors.
The two reasons I own and ride a motorcycle are the challenge and thrill that comes from a good ride, knowing that you are so close to the edge you can almost touch it and if you misjudge one of the factors above there is a fair chance your girl will throw you off at the side of the road.
The other is owning a piece of machinery that is at the very cutting edge (or in my case was) of automotive technology.
I don’t want someone to come along pull out an electronic gizmo and tell me I need it to be safer, people have been riding around on “motorised bicycles” for almost 100 years on essentially the same basic design. I’m here and so are those “bicycles” so they didn’t get things too far wrong.
SteveD says
We’re also the ones who are looking at website like Kneeslider. Modern sportbikes have a lot more power. Some of the comments are to get a smaller bike. Well, that’s what most people used to have. Now, 125’s are becoming rarer since few manufacturers want to invest in them. Market pressures have made most of the new bikes far more powerful than they need to be. I see lots of comments about underpowered bikes on this forum; if more and more of ther newer bikes are overpowered, then many riders will have little choice about getting a bike that fits their personal skills.
Gazberzu says
mmm…. I wondering… If you can’t do wheelies properly, and you can’t avoid your bike to wheelie when you don’t want to… do you really know how to ride a motorcycle ?
Ian says
Didn’t at least one of the GP teams have something like this as a kind of F1-esque launch control?
I see it in the same light as traction control or ABS. We can pontificate for hours on how you shouldn’t be riding if you can’t control your bike without locking the brakes or spinning the rear, but fact is sometimes things happen that are out of the ordinary. I’ve been caught doing an emergency stoppie when someone stepped out in front of me. Luckily it was warm and dry and it wasn’t a washed out front end scenario. Nothing to do with my inability to control my bike, just one of those things.
There are thousands of people in the world who don’t ride bikes for the same reasons of “knowing that you are so close to the edge you can almost touch it” as Kenny puts it- its either economical transport or they don’t ride at all becasue of safety concerns. As SteveD says, there’s bugger all choice for interesting bikes that don’t have 100bhp these days.
If something like this makes the daily jaunt to work safer then bring it on (I’ll have mine with an off switch please).
nortley says
ABS, ok. Anti Flip? Technology should not abet stupidity.
the other Larry says
RE: tip-over cut-outs (Azzy) a couple of bikes do currently have them I believe, and I think Yamaha was the first with the 1978 XS-1100. Lucky for me I never needed it.
OMMAG says
Sheesh … it’s just a gimic.
But just to feed the fire how about this idea?
Take a solid state accelerometer and use it to trigger the ignition cut out.
Set the thing for 1/2 g and use it to keep people from “dangerous” acceleration.
FREEMAN says
@ OMMAG:
Remind me to never let you join any public safety commitee of any kind.
I think the point that those bashing this device are trying to make is that we shouldn’t be making it easier or more comfortable for the average person to perform stunts of this nature on a motorcycle. This device just prevents you from going past near vertical rather than, say, preventing the front wheel from lifting off the ground. The average person that decides to do a wheelie or whatever motorcycle stunt on the street should have to handle the consequences of their actions. As opposed to getting away with destroying someone else’s vehicle/property and or life and getting away with it because they find some means of blaming it on the manufacturer of this device. This device encourages/empowers the rider, whatever their skill level or experience may be, to stand their bike up.
Nicolas says
no spill, no thrill …
Max says
It is programmable for sure, and the phone jack is being used simply because that’s the interface of choice of the programming device that sits between this box and a computer.
Also, looking at the sensor hosing, with a single mounting hole, I reckon you can manually change the angle by simply rotating the housing from the default horizontal or vertical position. This also means the attachment is critical, the sensor housing can’t get loose from vibration on it’s own… Unless the device is smart enough to sense the housing is no longer in the “home” position…
Honestly, I think what is pictured on the site is just a prototype. It’s housed in a cheap, off the shelf plastic box with a P-Touch sticker on it.
Azzy says
RE: the other Larry – I usually only ever need them when a bike hits wet grass moving around the backyard… one of these days, I have to put in a driveway for the things 😉 At least grass doesn’t do much damage, just some dirt.