Tech Views — Vol. 2 Advanced Brake Systems
Simpler Braking for Increased Riding Enjoyment
Simpler Braking for Increased Riding Enjoyment
Honda believes that an 'ideal' motorcycle brake system should be one that anybody can easily operate with complete confidence and peace-of-mind, no matter what road conditions are like at any particular moment. Even now, Honda continues to develop and refine its Advanced Brake Systems in order to get even closer to that ideal.
Starting with the Combined Brakes first installed on the 1983 Gold Wing, which joined together the operations of front and rear brakes when the rear brake pedal was pressed, Honda's brake systems have evolved to include Antilock Brake Systems (or ABS), designed to help maintain traction and prevent wheel lock when braking, and Combined-ABS systems, which join together the best of these two highly effective systems. All these Advanced Brake Systems have been installed on a broad range of motorcycle and scooter models.
We asked moto-journalist Ben Matsui to experience the easy operation these brake systems offer on a range of Honda bikes, and test their ability to bring out the performance potential of each machine, judging for himself whether these systems really do enhance a rider's peace-of-mind. He soon discovered that "reducing the complexity of braking leads to greatly increased riding enjoyment."
Combined Brake System - PCX
To tell the truth, these brakes are awesome!
This scooter's basic fundamentals of 'riding, turning, and stopping' make riding in the city a real pleasure.
Combined-ABS - Forza
A big scooter with C-ABS
You've really got to try this! This big scooter's Combined-ABS almost automatically mimics braking techniques that took me decades to refine.
Dual-Combined ABS - Gold Wing
A magic tool that makes this giant seem much smaller
Expert use of the rear brake pedal is the key to an elegant ride on the Gold Wing.
Advanced Brake Systems Q&A
What are Honda Advanced Brake Systems? Nothing less than the constantly evolving result of Honda's pursuit of an ideal - that anyone should be able to operate a motorcycle's brakes with complete confidence and peace-of-mind, no matter how poor road conditions may be.
User Reviews
Read the comments of users from around the world who ride Honda motorcycles equipped with Combined Brake Systems.
Tsutomu 'Ben' Matsui (b. 1963, Tokyo)
Since 1986, motorcycle journalist Tsutomu Matsui has contributed interviews, riding impressions and first-hand race reports to a host of magazines and specialty motorcycle publications. He has also ridden in the Paris-Dakar and Baja 1000 rallies.
Note:
Honda's Combined Brake Systems are designed for the sole purpose of providing support for braking operation. The fundamentals of braking on a motorcycle, in that the rider must simultaneously engage both the front and rear brakes by operating their corresponding levers or pedal, remain essentially unchanged.
Similarly, ABS is not a system designed to shorten braking distances. Like the Combined Brake System, ABS is designed only to provide support for a rider's braking operations. Therefore, as with the motorcycles not equipped with ABS, sufficient reduction in vehicle speed is required before turning, and riding control cannot be careless or reckless. When ABS is actuated, the system's operation is made known through 'kickback' pulses felt at the brake lever.
