PATENTS: Yamaha’s new RADAR warning system

The Japanese factory has filed a patent for a hazard warning system which displays information in the rear view mirrors and on the windscreen.

Radar technology is becoming much more widespread in motorcycling, with BMW, Ducati and KTM all releasing bikes capable of identifying and reacting to potential hazards – and now Yamaha’s looking to get in on the act. But it’s taking things a step further with two new electronic systems which are capable of informing riders what’s going on around them. The radar identifies the hazard and then the internal system projects an easily-identifiable hazard icon onto either the mirrors or the screen. Clever stuff.

There’s been no official confirmation about when this technology could actually make it onto a production bike, but with the patent drawings showing the system fitted to a R1 and TMAX respectively, there’s a good chance it could arrive with the next model update.