2009 Honda CBR600RR C-ABS First Ride

The winds of the East have blown the American way and I've been converted by the righteous belly of Buddah. Well, not totally, but last Friday sure opened my eyes to a safety feature that I'm sure more and more sportbikes will soon be equipped with. What am I talking about? While I can't believe I'm even saying this, I'm talking about ABS (Anti-Lock Brake Systems) on a motorcycle ' and for the first time in my life I actually have something nice to say about the set up.

Leave it to Honda to be the first kids on the block with the all-new C-ABS linked braking system, one which doesn't hamper aggressive riding nearly as much as the other systems on the market, including some previous versions found on Honda's own motorcycles.

I was, without a doubt, one of the world's leaders of the anti-ABS movement. In fact, in some ways I still am. I don't like them on any car I've ever owned or driven, and I still don't. But even more so, I despised them on all motorcycles with a passion. Why? Well, even though I may sound pompous for saying this, I'm part of the one-percent of people able to exploit a sportbike's braking performance beyond that of an ABS system, thus I considered them as a hindrance to the beloved fun-factor and a deterrent for fast lap times.

See photos of the 2009 CBR600RR C-ABS

In the dry I like to back it in and mess around with the occasional stoppie from time to time, which this system totally eliminates. And frankly, in the dry I can brake with more accuracy and quicker than an ABS system (a fact my score sheets from several tests can attest to). Honda also published the same tests for the European market (they wouldn't "officially" show us in the lawyer-ridden U.S.) and their professional rider was able to elapse that of the ABS system, but only just slightly. Plus, the ability to slide a motorcycle on corner-entry can be used to pre-steer or square-up a given corner. This all comes with years of practice and racing, something which ABS isn't quite ready for just yet.

Maybe growing up on dirt bikes and time spent battling the hordes on AMA road racing circuits have me locked in my ways, but I've always preferred to be in total control of the brakes. In a way, ABS leaves me feeling vulnerable, as if I'm only a passenger once the situation arises in which the system takes over. And in all reality, this is true. Once ABS is engaged the vehicle is going to stop only as quickly as the ABS system will allow it. There's nothing you can do to get it stopped any faster. The key to this equation rests solely on how good the ABS system works as a whole. And, believe it or not, what I sampled at Honda HQ changed my mind enough that I am now a believer.

Honda's C-ABS linked braking system is what changed my mind. It is now an option on both the CBR600RR and CBR1000RR for '09 in limited numbers in the States. In Europe they expect it to be a bigger seller and may soon even be mandated by laws overseas. We sampled it on a 600RR at Honda's top-secret HPCC proving grounds in the middle of the Mojave Desert in Southern California and I think Honda ordered some intervention from the man above, because it rained the entire time, something that happens about once every three years in those parts. But it provided an ideal environment in which to test the new system.

Read the Complete 2009 CBR600RR C-ABS First Ride Article at Motorcycle USA!