BMW LASER HEADLIGHT

BMW Motorrad is displaying two innovations at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas: a helmet with head-up display (seeBMW Head-Up Display Helmet here) and a laser headlight for motorcycles, both setting new standards of motorcycle safety, along with a technical outlook of how they may be employed in series models of the future

See and be seen has always been one of the central axioms of safe motorcycling, for which reason BMW Motorrad has dedicated itself to the continued development and optimization of motorcycle lighting units. Over the years, this has seen the introduction of adaptive headlights for riding in curves, LED daytime running light and dynamic brake lights in BMW motorcycles (see BMW Dynamic Brake Light video here). And like so often, the development was able to benefit from synergy effects with BMW automobiles.

In the case of the K 1600 GTL concept bike presented here, the BMW Motorrad laser light is derived from a design from the automobile division of the BMW Group. The innovative laser technology is already available in the new BMW 7 Series automobiles as well as in the BMW i8. BMW Motorrad has now adapted this technology – which is as established as it is forward-looking – for motorcycling applications. Not only do laser light headlamps generate a particularly bright and pure-white light, but they also deliver a high-beam range of up to 600 meters, which is double that of conventional headlights. The safety of nighttime riding has now increased significantly as a result, due not only to the increased range but also to the precise illumination of the road. Moreover, the laser technology has a very long service life, thanks to its compact, robust and maintenance-free construction.

BMW Motorrad is testing the use of this headlamp technology in series vehicles in the course of its preliminary development. At the moment, the technology is too cost-intensive for use in motorcycles. However, it is expected that the economies of scale resulting from their large-scale use in the automobile industry will result in a price structure with a clear downward trend. Its use in motorcycles could then be imaginable in the medium term.