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- HESD (Honda Electronic Steering Damper)
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A steering damper that constantly offers optimum damping force Ensure steering stability by reducing kickbacks at high speeds, while maintaining light-effort handling at low speeds… To satisfy these two contradicting requirements, the development engineers at Honda’s Asaka R&D analyzed in depth the motorcycle handling characteristics and the front end shake triggered by a kickback from the road. The target set at the end of the painstaking researches was the development of an unprecedented steering damper having the damping force variable depending on the running conditions. |
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Key points of development |
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During the HESD development, elaborate analyses were exercised
especially on the front end shake caused by kickback from the
road. Such front end shake is one of the vibration phenomena
(vehicle body behavior) during high speed running. Using the
large-displacement, super-sport-type model, actual running tests
were repeated to set targets for the minimum damping force for
light-effort handling and the maximum damping force to reduce
front end shake induced by kickback from the road. It has been
revealed that the damping characteristics have to be altered
depending on the speed and the acceleration to constantly maintain
an optimum damping force under various running conditions. Based on the above-mentioned findings and deriving from the rotary-type steering damper technology applied to the MotoGP machine RC211V, the world’s first, variable damping-type rotary steering damper “HESD”, that alters the flow resistance in the hydraulic damper by an electronic control system depending on the running conditions, has been developed to realize a steering damper having ideal damping characteristics. 
HESD |
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Applied to CBR1000RR |
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The front end shake when passing on an uneven road surface
is the cause of rider discomfort and fatigue. The super-sport
motorcycle CBR1000RR, which inherits the DNA of the MotoGP machine
RC211V, has been chosen as the first motorcycle to apply the
world’s first HESD. With the HESD employed, the CBR1000RR
offers to the rider both the sure-footed feeling in high-speed
running including the situation on a race track and the light-effort
handling at low speeds, thus satisfying rider demands.
CBR1000RR |
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