Bicycle safety wasn’t an issue for me growing up. I lived in a quiet suburban subdivision on a cul-de-sac. Plus, my mom is an insurance agent and so she made sure that I always had the latest safety equipment. (E.g. shin pads, wrist pads, elbow pads, helmet, gloves, and a cup) It’s a damn good thing that Honda didn’t make this bicycle simulator back in the Eighties. She would have shipped the thing in from Japan, and I would have never been able to leave the house.
Safety is the purpose of this contraption. Honda expects to install about 500 of these simulators in Japanese schools, public offices, and other locations where they can be used to educate about bicycle safety.
The system itself is somewhat complex. There are a few different modes that simulates different conditions and the bike can even recognize when the rider dismounts and must walk the bike to complete the course. The post-ride mode allows the user to review the simulate from multiple vantage points and evaluate the ride.
Chances are that if you want to ride one of these things, you’re going to have to plan a trip overseas. It probably won’t find its way stateside anytime soon. Who rides a bike in the US anyway? (joking)