Five motorcycle gadgets that aren’t big yet but should be

1. Noise cancelling crash helmet

It’s one of those developments that makes you wonder why no one has thought of it before.

US firm Sena has created what it says is the world’s first ‘noise-control’ helmet, filtering out wind noise which can damage your hearing but leaving other sounds like traffic and sirens still audible.

The system ‘analyses sound information from an array of four networked microphones and adjusts in real time to phase out harmful helmet noise’, offering the same control as noise-cancelling headphones according to the firm.

A Bluetooth intercom lets you also communicate with up to eight other riders.

The noise-control helmet is ‘coming soon’ according to Sena’s website.

2. Visors that go dark at the push of a button

Carrying two visors, stopping to change them, not being able to find one when you need it, or putting up with one of those integrated ones that gets steamed up – it could all be history thanks to this.

It’s a visor insert which use ‘proprietary dyes in a liquid crystal host’ to instantly change tint when voltage is applied.

So as you ride from sunshine into a dark tunnel, you can press a button to make it go clear. When you're thrust back into sunshine at the other end, press it again and it goes dark.

It can be ordered for international delivery from US firm AMI Powersports, and costs $129.99 (£105).

3. Prescription visors

Back in 2010, a website for opticians reported that a London eyewear firm had developed a prescription insert for motorcycle visors, meaning no need for glasses.

We can’t find a way to order it now, and a phone number and website address of the firm appear defunct.

But if you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of riders who struggle with the inconvenience of glasses getting steamed up or bent out of shape inside your helmet, perhaps it would make life easier.

What do you think? Is there a good reason why it hasn’t taken off?

4. Heads-up display

Essentially another helmet idea but this one you can definitely buy.

Called BIKEHUD, this system uses a small display unit inside the helmet, positioned in the rider's peripheral vision.

It lets the rider see a range of data including speed and engine speed without taking his eyes off the road or refocussing from objects hundreds of metres ahead.

It costs around £400 and is made by British firm Bikesystems.

Read our full story on it.

5. Self-balancing bikes

Think about it. What if, in the future, self-driving cars become prevalent and have a lower accident rate than humans, leading to pressure for all vehicles to be autonomous? Where will motorcycles fit in?

Interestingly Honda’s video of its recently revealed self-balancing bike showed it following an engineer out of a building on its own, at walking speed, raising the possible of an autonomous motorcycle.

So is that good? Or is it more a case of ‘No, no, kill it and burn it’?

Either way, surely you'd be intrigued enough to have a go?

Come on.