We are sure the new air conditioning will be a little more high tech than an air-cond unit strapped to the pillion seat.
Honda has filed patents for a new on-bike air conditioning system that might not be as crazy as it sounds. The gizmo is a stand-alone tank bag that doubles as a piece of luggage. Like a normal tank bag there’s a zip around the edge and the lid lifts to reveal storage space, but the clever bit is inside the lid itself.
There you’ll find a small blower unit, much like the heater fan in a car, that’s powered by a rechargeable battery. It sucks in air from mesh intakes at the sides of the bag, through an intake chamber and then out through movable vents on the top that aim the air up under the chin of your helmet.
A separate flap underneath the tank bag’s lid can be opened so you can put a refrigerant inside the air chamber – basically a cold pack or bag of ice – to chill the air before it’s blown out.
