The beginning
At the beginning there was WiPEY. BIKERGUARD is actually a 2nd generation WiPEY. BIKERGUARD is a product of several years of research and development. The idea of having a mini wiper that fits on a motorcycle helmet visor was originally conceived by me – Andrej and my friend Peter. We both have an engineering background and we are also authors of some other cool patents.
So, back in 2016, we used to ride our bikes frequently, but we had really bad luck with the weather because we often got caught in the rain. The weather has become very unstable in the past 10 years and looks like it will only get worse. When we were making short trips, this wasn’t a big deal, but on longer trips, it became a real issue. We knew about finger wipers and some visor coatings, but we wanted a better solution. We thought, if cars have wipers, why not bikes? This would be really cool. That’s how the idea of a mini wiper was born.
At first there was bit of skepticism
Everybody said this was impossible to make, but we were determined and confident that we could do it. At first we were also skeptical if it would look cool enough on the helmet. After some initial designs, it turned out really cool, it was almost like a fashionable accessory. Fellow bikers, professional riders, and retailers were all surprised by its small size and liked it a lot. This gave us a huge boost.
Research and development
Initially, we searched for a suitable electric motor, which needed to be small, strong, durable, and accessible. We likely tried every potentially suitable small gear and servo motor, testing at least 40 – 50 different motors. We also reached out to some companies that produce small motors, but we soon realized that this was beyond our reach financially. In the end, we settled for the most suitable motor we could find, which proved to be good enough. Then, we developed the electronics and 3D printed all the plastic parts. This process took one year.
Wiper blade development
At the start, this seemed like mission impossible, but after one year of trial and error, we developed a suitable wiper blade. The main challenge was friction. The wiper blade needed to be tiny, flexible, and have very little friction. As I said, it seemed like mission impossible, but we did it.
KICKSTARTER
So, after two years of development, we launched our Kickstarter campaign in 2019 to raise funds for mass production. We needed funds for tooling. With no experience in marketing and no budget, the campaign wasn’t a huge success, but it was a start. Additionally, we were featured in hundreds of motorcycle magazines, both online and in print editions. This gave us confirmation that we were working on a very exciting project.
Knock-off wipers (low quality copies)
After our Kickstarter campaign, several low quality knock-offs have emerged. They don’t work. They are not even waterproof. Nevertheless, buyers are confused when they see similar products online.
Manufacturing, COVID, countless challenges…
The title says it all. We encountered numerous challenges, but by 2022, we completed the assembly of a few hundred WiPEY units to fulfill Kickstarter and Indiegogo pledges. However, then…
A new start: “by Boscarol group”
The year 2022 was very exciting for us. We connected with an investor who shared our enthusiasm for the project. The investor was none other than Mr. Ivo Boscarol and his daughter, Taja Boscarol which is why you’ll see “by Boscarol group” included in our new logo. Ivo Boscarol is one of the most successful and innovative enterpreneurs from Slovenia, who founded Pipistrel, a pioneering company in alternative propulsion. Pipistrel created the world’s first two-seat electric aircraft, the Taurus Electro, and they remain the only company with a certified electric motor for electric airplanes. PIPISTREL was also the WINNER of NASA Green flight CHALLENGE (link). Later, the company was sold to the Textron Aviation conglomerate.
With the fresh injection of capital, the WiPEY – now BIKERGUARD made a giant leap forward. In one year, we’ve developed a completely new product with significant improvements, including:
- State-of-the-art, true industrial-grade micro-BRUSHLESS servo motor from Japan. It is indestructible!
- High capacity rechargeable battery (disposable batteries are no longer supported)
- Charging via magnetic USB connector
- Completely redesigned
- LED indicator added
- Remote control support added
- Wiper blade was redesigned
- Company name changed from WiPEY to BIKERGUARD
- and more…
The biggest improvement was the motor, which is the heart of BIKERGUARD. The motor we are using is one of its kind.
Next steps
Now we have a completely new, premium product. It was tested, retested, and tested again. The BIKERGUARD underwent testing in real conditions and even under extreme conditions. For example, we sent a few samples to the Aprilia racing team in Italy (Slovenia’s neighboring country). The initial impressions were very positive, and we also considered some of their suggestions. The Hungarian police are currently in the process of evaluating the BIKERGUARD for potential use in their motorcycle fleet, so is Slovenian police and German police. BIKERGUARD also became a sponsor for various moto teams.
Currently, we are selling only in the USA market, but soon we will expand to markets worldwide.
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Thank you.
BIKERGUARD team.