BMW shows laser headlights on a bike

When headlight technology moved from halogen to xenon gas, those who have experienced the difference in night-time illumination of the road ahead now insist on buying a car only if it has xenon headlights… until LED headlights appeared, which are now appearing more and more on cars, which are even brighter… but BMW has already gone a quantum leap ahead in headlight design, with laser headlights.  BMW put the BMW Laserlight option (at R 15 600) onto its new BMW 7 Series, which is already available in South Africa, and is also available in the BMW i8.

BMW laser headlights on bikes

The laser headlight module doubles the intensity compared to the already-bright Bi-LED, as the light emitted from the blue high-performance laser diodes is concentrated to white light with very high intensity on a small phosphor plate. The safety result?  A high-beam range of a not-before achieved 600 metres!

Over the years, BMW motorbikes have seen the introduction of adaptive (turning) headlights for riding through a curve in the road, LED daytime running lights, and dynamic brake light (the brake light flashes quickly and more brightly when the BMW bike rider brakes suddenly, such as in an emergency, warning following vehicles).

In the BMW K 1600 GTL – the company’s flagship touring bike, with 1600cc super-smooth 6-cylinder engine – the BMW Motorrad (motorbike) laser light is shown as a concept, incorporated as a feasibility test.  At the moment the technology is still not cost-effective to be used in motorcycles, though with economies of scale pricing could be on a downward trend.

The fitment of laser headlights will massively extend the night-time view of a motorbike, thereby greatly reducing safety risks at night.

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