Friday, August 05, 2011

Smart Keys: Not So Smart for Motorcycles?

Wall Street Journal 30 April 2011 by Jonathan Welsh
"Imagine beginning a ride only to find that you cannot steer.That’s what could happen with certain Ducati motorcycles because of a potential problem with their electronic steering locks, which are part of their anti-theft systems."

The bikes affected are the latest models that come with an electronic ‘smart key” that allows the rider when carrying the key (i.e. in their pocket) to get on the bike, start it and ride away without having to actually handle the key. However, during testing it was found that “under very specific conditions” the electronic steering lock could fail to disengage automatically during the process of turning on the bike’s ignition on and starting the engine. If this happens a rider could potentially start the bike and begin riding while the steering is still locked – an obvious hazard!.

Ducati are recalling the bikes.

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