Last year, the English-speaking motorcycle internet was awash in a sea of "what on earth is CFMoto thinking?" Why, you might ask? Because that's when a patent application that the OEM had applied for back in 2022 was published, and that patent appeared to be one for a seatbelt and restraint system for use on future motorcycles.
To allay any misconception that it's a case where someone took a few patent drawings wildly out of context, here's the patent. While it's absolutely true that plenty of patent applications get filed and the devices within them never end up seeing the light of day on production vehicles, I can also assure you that yes, this is an idea for some type of restraint system. It is not, as some have suggested elsewhere, a misinterpretation of a drawing of a grab handle intended for a passenger to use. Those are absolutely a real thing, but they're not what's shown in the patent drawings here.
One thing you'll notice in the patent drawing of the seatbelt-like restraining device is that there appears to be a buckle. The same can't be said of the latest image circulating on the Internet, which purports to be a low-res image of the upcoming CFMoto 750SS with a rather sus looking little fabric strap that appears to be attached just below the backrest for the rider.
In the photo, the strap appears to be resting comfortably on the back of the rider's seat, just in front of the combined backrest/pillion seat, which is on the tail and raised slightly above where the rider sits on this model. The view is at an angle, so while it isn't a super high-res image, you can at least see that there is absolutely no buckle located on the part of this belt that's visible.
Could there be a buckle tucked away under the backrest/pillion seat unit? It's possible, but it seems unlikely. After all, that would defeat the purpose of strapping a rider in, wouldn't it? It's also probably worth noting that the strap shown in this image, if it is the complete length of the strap and hasn't partly been hidden behind or under the seat, doesn't really look big enough to accommodate the waist of your average adult rider.
While the patent drawings depicted a seatbelt and bar restraint-type device that CFMoto was apparently investigating for use on motorcycles, I'm not completely convinced that's what's shown in this specific photo. Instead, that photo could actually be a simple grab handle for the passenger to hold onto as the rider operates the bike. Both things might be true at once in this case.
The human mind wants to connect things. We love putting pieces of information together to make sense of the world, and I'm certainly no different. But is this really what we're seeing here? CFMoto's patent didn't specify inclusion of the device on any one genre of motorcycle, but a sportbike would probably make the least sense of all.
For one thing, you move around an awful lot (or you should, anyway) if you're riding a sportbike. It's simply part and parcel of the style of riding. You'd ideally move around a lot on a dirt bike or an ADV bike, too. Where this makes more sense, if it makes sense anywhere, would be on something like a cruiser or touring bike, where you're more likely to stay comfortably seated most of the time. See also the Honda Gold Wing's available airbag system, for example (and note also that Honda hasn't put an airbag system on any of its sportbikes at this point in time).
For another thing, I'm not sure if you've ever crashed on a bike. But if you ever have, pretty much the last thing you want as a rider is to be tethered to your bike.
Sliding, tumbling, and smashing into things sucks; ask me how I know. But still, you're better off doing it on your own than with 400 or more pounds of motorcycle chained to your waist. Hopefully you're wearing good, protective motorcycle gear (including a helmet) when or if you crash, so you can walk away with minimal injuries and a story to tell later. And then maybe have to go shop for new gear, because you're so relieved to be okay, more or less.
But tell me, what do you see looking at that CFMoto photo? Potential seatbelt, pillion grab strap, or something else? Leave your observation in the comments below.
