Self-stopping radar technology debuted with KTM looks set to appear on more motorcycles coming soon

Head of Two-Wheeler and Powersports at Bosch, Geoff Liersch has confirmed to MCN that we will see more high-end motorcycles arriving in the near future, equipped with their second-generation Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (known as ARAS).

The six-stage technology will debut in 2025 aboard the KTM 1390 Super Adventure S Evo, which comes equipped with a semi-automatic AMT gearbox. 

Fitted with a Bosch radar at both ends, it can bring a bike to a stop behind a vehicle, apply additional brake pressure to prevent accidents, warn other road users they are getting too close, and even pull away from a stop following the car in front.

“There’s definitely more bikes coming, but because the bikes are not yet released, I can’t say what they’re on,” Liersch admitted. “There’s of course one or two extra functions, which are not released on the KTM that will also come in the future. It’s not that far away.”

Semi-automatic gearboxes are now being explored across the established motorcycle manufacturers, with Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM, MV Agusta, and BMW all currently producing bikes that offer the ability to change gear without a clutch lever.

Outside of the high-end, the Bosch boss further stated that he would like to see the technology move down to the mid-size segment too. 

“We’re already starting to work on some projects in the mid-class segments, so this will happen, and it’s clear for me that the safety impact is significant, but you still get a lot of comfort functions on these things as well. 

“Even, for me, I would love to see this on the high-end scooter segments because they are generally used at pretty high speeds in decent traffic, so that will definitely bring use cases in this segment as well.”

Additional cost for producing the full system comes from the hydraulic unit needed for active braking outside of the rider’s own inputs. Here, better pumps are required, and could add a limitation to some more wallet-friendly motorcycle categories.