Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Honda, On Two Wheels
Honda motorcycles to get Variable Cylinder Management and more
Honda has been producing V6 engines with Variable Cylinder Management for their line of automobiles and minivans for the past few years. Consumers can see a fuel savings of around ten percent when the engine is allowed to switch between six, four or even just three of its cylinders. According to Honda President and CEO Takeo Fukui, the company has plans to begin introducing its Variable Cylinder Management technology to its line of motorcycles beginning in 2010. Another possible fuel and emissions-savings technology will appear on every one of its bikes at the end of that same year in the form of Programmed Fuel Injection. No Honda motorcycles will be equipped with old-school carburetors any longer. Honda has been producing motorcycles with its VTEC system for some time now.
Expect to see safety innovations such as electronically-controlled combined ABS, which will use computers to link the front and rear brakes, along with airbags on some models.
[Source: Faster and Faster]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James 4:30PM (5/28/2008)
This great news for the bike world.
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Doug 5:07PM (5/28/2008)
I suppose it's just me, but I find that picture disturbing.
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Nick 6:04PM (5/28/2008)
Airbags on a motorcycle? Wouldn't it be better to put the airbags on your jacket/pants/helmet/boots, since its a fairly good chance that your body will hit something other than the front of your bike.
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Kevin Nugent 6:53PM (5/28/2008)
poster #2 lol yeah i also find it weird , but that is good news to know that honda is boosting tehir mpg numbers even more. It would be blessing if they could make a hybird honda odssey with the same horsepower while achieving 10 mpg in combined cycled with no more than a 3000 dollar premium . People think that the puris is selling fast . Honda mini vans will have a 3 month waiting list at your dealer if that idea was to be ever implemented
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Rick 6:55PM (5/28/2008)
The airbag is cool, but don't most motorcyclists get hurt after they fall OFF the bike?
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davewin 7:11PM (5/28/2008)
Take a six cylinder motorcycle, make it really heavy, like twice as heavy a sportbike, and then make it more efficient than it was. The irony....
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stevefazek 7:20PM (5/28/2008)
They do sell airbag jackets for motorcycles. Which is good for high siding the bike "thats when it throws you off like a rodeo horse" Low siding isnt so bad but people still crash into cars and what not.
Right now people either smash into the car of get the steering yoke smashed into their face/chest so a airbag will help.
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rob 10:53PM (5/28/2008)
"Take a six cylinder motorcycle, make it really heavy, like twice as heavy a sportbike, and then make it more efficient than it was. The irony...."
Ever tried riding a supersport 500 miles in a day? Several days in a row? Different tools for different jobs... The Goldwings need all the fuel economy help they can get -- this is good news.
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Luke 1:51AM (5/29/2008)
Take a motorcycle, add two more wheels, 3 more seats, a roof, doors, and glass all around. Call it a car. Then I'll buy one.
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GenWaylaid 1:56AM (5/29/2008)
I like the big comfy pillow for those loooong highway rides.
I doubt I'd benefit much from cylinder deactivation since I only ride single-cylinder bikes. (Not that I haven't experienced said deactivation a couple times.)
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Chris 6:57AM (5/29/2008)
As to that air bag, Honda was the first and may still be the only motorcycle company offering one. It is available on the top end Gold Wing. It has already been real world tested. The real threat to a rider in a head on collision is hitting the other car or similar "fixed" object.
Gold Wings and many other four and six cylinder bikes are not very efficient. Most Wings are below 40mpg and many sport bikes are also in the 30s. My Civic Ex coupe gets better mileage overall compared to my K1200R Sport.
So some fancy engine management may just be what the doctor ordered
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Jim Villano 8:47AM (5/29/2008)
"Expect to see safety innovations such as electronically-controlled combined ABS, which will use computers to link the front and rear brakes,"
I know some folks on this blog think that only the Japanese can innovate, but motorcycle ABS has been around for a while and even Harley Davidson is delivering bikes with ABS today. Air bags on bikes were a subject for discussion back in the 1980's (1982 SAE Convention in Detroit). They are of little help in the two most common motorcycle accidents: out of control bike strikes a stationary object and car driver turns left in front of an oncoming motorcycle (I'm 6' tall, weigh 215 and ride a 500 lb motorcycle with headlight and spotlights on all the time...but she still didn't see me!) You can't see much when you're text messaging on your cell phone while driving lady!
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goehring 12:30PM (5/29/2008)
Put airbags all over your body.
It worked for the Mars landers.
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vwboyaf1 10:11PM (5/29/2008)
This is why honda bikes are so expensive. I don't see the point in making a bike that is already efficient just a little more efficient and then adding thousands to the price. I'll stick to my Ninja 650r that gets 55-60 mpg anyway. If you want to cruise and save gas, just get the silverwing. Thats what it is there for.
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