Honda Fireblade

Besides its outrageous power and handling, it’s the manageability that makes the Fireblade special says OverDrive (March ’09) taking a closer look…

Honda did such an outstanding revamping its flagship CBR1000RR Fireblade last year that it went straight back to the top of the superbike class. Enthuses OverDrive (March ’09), ‘it’s not just the sheer outrageous power and handling that makes this bike special. It’s the Fireblade’s manageability; it’s so easy to ride, it’ll let you use as much of the bike’s performance as you dare. The only limit is how much courage you have..’

As we all know by now, there’s an established pattern with production sports bikes from Japan. They tend to get a revamp once every two years and any change in between is restricted to a new paint scheme. So everyone expected things to be quiet on the Fireblade this year. But not so. Although the bike itself stays almost identical apart from the obligatory new paint schemes (including loud and racy Repsol colours) and oval rear indicators, it gets a very interesting optional extra that’s well worth a test in its own right – an electronically-controlled combined-ABS braking system.

This is no ordinary system. It’s the first brake-by-wire system ever fitted to a production motorcycle and comes hot on the heels of ride-by-wire throttle systems that have become all the rage in recent years.

So here’s the science bit: sensors are positioned on the wheels to measure wheel speed and send information back to the on-board computer, the ECU. In other words, this is the bike’s electronic brain. This tells the ‘brake-by-wire’ system when to intervene, how to distribute the braking force between front and rear and how to regulate braking pressure when the tyres lose grip.

There are two valve units on the Fireblade, one for the front caliper (positioned deep inside theengine bay, behind the cylinders) and one for the rear caliper, under the seat. Running into each of these is the brake hose from the lever and coming out the other side is the brake hose going into the brake caliper.

Based on the wheel speed, he ECU tells each valve unit how much pressure to pump into the front and rear calipers. The front and rear calipers themselves are the same as on the non-ABS model: powerful and progressive four-piston, radically mounted units at the front biting twin 320mm discs and 220mm disc with twin-piston caliper at the rear.

So no matter how hard you stamp on the rear pedal, the electronic brain of the combined ABS system knows better and slams on the anchors at the front without any rider input while dragging the rear a little so the bike stays composed.

Although conventional combined-ABS systems have been fitted to road bikes as safety enhancers for years now, superbikes are built to be ridden so hard on a racetrack that braking forces lift the rear wheel. This means any amount of rear brake pressure will lock the wheel, making conventional ABS systems obsolete and the reason even top racers use the front brake only to slow down hard for a corner.

This is precisely what makes this system so good. The system is designed to take over in an emergency situation and do the work for you, all in a split second. So while it provides the rider with all the safety enhancements for the road – i.e. preventing the wheels from locking up even in the worst possible weather and surface condition – no matter how much you slam on the front or rear brakes 0 it’s also designed to improve the motorcycle’s overall performance on a racetrack.

The ECU also operates the ABS system, so as the wheels begin to lock up under braking, it eases an appropriate amount of pressure to let the tyres regain traction.

So what does this mean in real riding terms asks OverDrive (March ’09)? The state-of –the-art system keeps the bike stable and composed into corners, letting one brake later than one has ever dared and carry more corner speed. In short it performs with a sophisticated smoothness that defies belief and leaves the rider feeling in complete control.

This system costs a cool Rs. 71,000 extra on top of the Rs. 6.56 lakh price of the Freblade! But get it and you’ll have a motorcycle with a state-of –the-art braking system that not only provides added safety on the roads, but also enhances braking performance on a racetrack – and that’s the big difference between a conventional combined-ABS systems and this electronically controlled version.

The system is also available on Honda’s 2009 CBR6000RR.