Kawasaki could be planning to axe conventional handlebars and replace them with a fixed bar, according to a patent design they have filed for an electric motorcycle.
Instead of a moveable handlebar for counter steering inputs, the rider holds on to fixed bars with a throttle and simply leans.
The patent application says electronic sensors and accelerometers will detect what the rider wants to do and will steer the bike accordingly.
This is definitely not a design for lazy riders!
We’re also not sure how it would work at low speed when the rider doesn’t lean.
The patent drawings also show front and rear steering with the wheels supported by mono shock suspension and electric motors in the hubs.
Planning for the future
Like Honda, Kawasaki has been busy filing patent applications for all sorts of strange inventions.
None or all many eventually come to market.
It seems they are just planning for the future and trying to protect their intellectual property, no matter how zany the idea.
Some of the other recent planning ideas for which Kawasaki has filed patent applications include:
Kawasaki hybrid patent