The ‘C’ (for Combined) makes sure that when a huge amount of force is applied on the front brake the rear brake is also set to work. The system does what you would ideally do yourself, shortly tapping the rear brake, but in a fraction of the time your brain would need. That lightning fast actuation is what makes the bike so stable, while the rear is doing all the added braking it can manage. Nice, but not really relevant to testing an anti lock brake system.
So off I go to the soaking wet area. Under normal circumstances, you would apply the front brake gently in combination with as much rear brake as possible without locking the rear wheel. Above all, trying to avoid locking and losing the front. All this knowledge I leave behind me when I run up to the strip, praying that the bloody thing will do what it’s supposed to as I hammer down on the front brake. But the inevitable (tarmac) slap in the face doesn’t happen and the bike just slows down.
Do the same with a normal ABS bike and you’d be treated to a whole lot of rattling, vibrating and a substantially longer braking distance. Without ABS you would be on the floor, watching your bike skidding in front of you. But you don’t get either with the C-ABS. It feels as if you’ve been injected with a syringe of Rossi skill, because you’ve just completed the perfect brake manoeuvre. With maximum confidence I head for the mini desert. If the result on the other brake areas is impressive, on the sand it’s no less than divine. It really is that good.
Sportsbikes are not designed to ride in a straight line, so I head off to the track. As a little warm up, Jonathan Rea gives me a guided five lap tour. With a set of preheated Bridgestone BT-003 racing tyres around the three spoke rims, the initial pace already makes me break a sweat. For this first session, I’m trusted with a CBR600RR with its C-ABS disengaged by the Honda engineers (it’s not something you can do yourself since Honda doesn’t see the point).
Why don’t they just let us ride the non ABS version? Let’s just say the 9 extra kilograms over the standard bike has something to do with it. On top of that, the system had to be reprogrammed to suit the higher rear race tyre that was fitted for the track test. Also not a customer possibility, for now at least. By spring this extra will be available, again stressing that Honda are serious about entering it in the world of motorsports.
Session two and the C-ABS is engaged. I’m ready, so are the scrubbed in Bridgestones and the track temperature has mounted to a comfortable 30°. An ideal racing environment, but not really where you need ABS to come to the rescue. I can’t recall the last time that I locked the front, and now I’m supposed to force this to happen? Fortunately, again the system shows its surprisingly efficient side. The Losail track has a couple of corners that need heavy braking and downshifting, normally resulting in some light fishtailing of the rear. But forget about fishtailing or backing it in, it simply doesn’t happen. The bike remains stable, the geometry doesn’t change as dramatically, hence the bike steers more precisely and neutrally when trailing the brakes into the corner.
Leaving the electronics aside, the new monobloc brakes are very good and initial bite is sweet. It takes me until the third session before I dare to surrender myself totally to the electronics and brake later and harder than I normally would. It’s hard to tell if the ABS actually comes to the rescue, but just knowing that it will if necessary gives me a huge confident boost. I’m a fast group track day rider, but no racer. Safe to say though, that for mere mortals like me, the system is not only working between the alloy beams of the frame, but also between the ears.
Luckily, the extra weight is mostly packed around the C of G, making it hardly noticeable, especially with no standard bike in the same continent to compare it to. The extra power between 6,000 and 10,000rpm compensates for the extra weight, so the new CBR is not slower than the old one. On a fast track as this, you only use these kinds of low revs exiting the two slow corners, but you can feel that the Honda is (still) very strong and linear through the rev range. Above 13,500rpm most of the fireworks have exploded, but revving it above 14 grand helps to get you right in the strongest area for the next gear.
The new CBR is, just like the current model, a very easy bike to ride. The changes are anything but major, but the ABS aside, the monobloc calipers are the most important improvement. Whoever opts for the about £800 more expensive C-ABS version will get a 9kg heavier CBR that is equipped with an absolutely stunning safety device. Whether we should be happy about this new development is another question.With each new piece of technology added, the PlayStation feeling of riding a bike is getting frighteningly close…
