Adaptive Cruise for motorcycles

There seems to be a bit of a down turn in new or substantially updated motorcycle releases for 2025. So I decided to look at the latest technology that have been added to motorcycles.  

One of the latest tech features being added to motorcycles is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). Many of us already have cars or trucks which already have this relatively new feature with some systems working much better than others. For those who don’t adaptive Cruise control  is where the car/motorcycle uses a radar like device to adjust the speed to the vehicle in front of you of that you are following. It seems a  simple task on paper but to implement it is not so easy. 

A quick analysis of the situations that the adaptive cruise control must be able to handle: It must be able to maintain speed at a safe distance, slow or stop the motorcycle without rider intervention. Must be able to handle emergency braking or acceleration or deceleration without intervention. It must be able to do that in all sorts of conditions, dry, wet, hot cold, slippery, dirt and low traction roads and so forth. It also needs to be able to handle corners and deal with the bikes lean angle. There is also the problem of changing gears and the general condition of the brakes tyres and suspension. 

A car or truck has plenty of space for the new computer, motors, sensors and radar that enable a car or truck to have adaptive cruise control but a motorcycle is quite small hence and open to weather conditions. So it is quite a challenge to win. However Yamaha and KTM to name two have introduced adaptive cruise control on some models although at a notable price increase. 

Yes adaptive cruise control is a must have if you want the latest in motorcycle tech. Cruise control alone is  useful accessory for longer distances to prevent the sore back and wrists. However adaptive cruise for those who don’t do the long distance cruise all the time it is pointless even more so if you don’t have a self balancing system or a automatic transmission. 

Conclusion: Adaptive cruise control is nice gadget to have but not as useful as an automatic transmission or a self balancing motorcycle.