Technology experts at Damon Motorcycles are driving improvements in rider safety and comfort

It’s the dream of every motorcyclist – a safer, smarter, adjustable bike that easily adapts to changing road conditions, whether commuting on city streets or enjoying a winding country road. At Damon Motorcycles, this bike of the future is already a reality.

Damon has patented a 360-degree AI-enhanced Advanced Warning System for Motorcycles called COPILOT™ and designed and built the world’s first shape-shifting electric motorcycle.

The safety system locks onto dozens of objects around the motorcycle and alerts the rider to oncoming threats using LEDs and vibration in the handlebars. The embedded crash detection sensors also collect rider, traffic, and vehicle data and send that information to the cloud. This means that Damon’s system learns from every rider and every situation.

The electronically adjustable ergonomics system unique to the Damon design is called SHIFT™ and is made up of four auto-adjustable points: seat, handlebars, foot pegs, and windscreen. Incredibly, the bike shifts from sport to touring to upright/city positions.

Damon Motorcycles – Halo Bike designed in SOLIDWORKS

Meeting design challenges using SOLIDWORKS

Damon’s strengths are rooted in technology but their mechanical engineering team gets the credit for building their proof-of-concept Halo bike.

They used a combination of 3D scanning, SOLIDWORKS desktop software, and 3D printing to create the unique and tricky components that would allow the bike to transform.

Product Design Manager Raymond Leung said a bike like the Halo had never been built before and it was challenging work.

“We had to build a safe, ridable prototype that would not only have a pleasing appearance but also features that transform. Parts need to morph safely and smoothly without interference.”

Raymond arranged for the basic features of a motorcycle to be laser scanned, then imported the scanned data into SOLIDWORKS. Reverse engineering gave him the base for creating the necessary appearance, as well as for designing mechanical parts.

Raymond said he trusts SOLIDWORKS to allow for multiple designers and engineers to work on a single file, and to handle large assemblies well. His team members often have to work in parallel and his models have more than 500 components. Those models come together to create the main assembly.

Advice on working with large assemblies is one of the ways Raymond has received help from TriMech. He has been using SOLIDWORKS for many years but occasionally relies on TriMech’s depth of expertise.

“TriMech gets back to me immediately with advice about how to solve any problem I run into. It’s convenient for me to visit them in person in downtown Vancouver to show them a problem and get timely help. They also have expertise in working with scanned data and in 3D printing so they bring a lot to our conversations.”

Next up, Raymond will be investigating SOLIDWORKS Simulation to enhance his ability to virtually test part performance, as well as solutions to improve data storage and supply chain management. Damon will also use SOLIDWORKS to design the next generation of the ergonomic system – one that conforms to the unique characteristics of an individual rider for maximum customization and comfort.

Changing the industry and rider experience

Head of Product Marketing Amber Spencer said the Damon team is proud of their progress to date.

“We’ve done so much in so little time, including taking the bike on tour. Our founder and CEO Jay Giraud presented a TechCrunch session and we’ve given media and motorcycle manufacturers a chance to try the bike. Everyone has been blown away. Seeing the reaction on people’s faces, when they ride the bike we created, has been very rewarding.”

Damon’s main purpose is to cause a shift in the industry. Motorcycles are often seen as unsafe, intimidating, and hard to ride.

“We want to see more people enjoying motorcycles,” Amber said. “With our background and tech expertise, we’re able to increase a rider’s safety and comfort exponentially. As we move forward into the future, we will continue to find ways to make the riding experience better.”

Damon’s future also includes securing further investment and business partners, and spreading the word about their innovations to individual riders. Amber said any motorcyclist who is interested can get on a list to test ride the bike and give essential feedback.

“We definitely want people to visit our website and learn more about us. And when you put your name on our beta list, you’ll have an opportunity to test ride and pre-order the Halo bike.”

For more information, please visit the Damon website.

Damon Motorcycles Team, Vancouver BC