Is Active Aero Coming?
It appears that Honda is working on a new CBR1000RR Fireblade. That bike could also be the recipient of some fancy new aerodynamics equipment. Active aero, that is. According to Visordown, Honda has filed patent paperwork for a 1,000cc motorcycle with a four-cylinder engine. That bike is a sportbike and while it’s not confirmed that it’s the new Fireblade, it looks like it could be.
Also, in that patent paperwork, there were diagrams and information about the new active or moveable aero wings on either side of the bike. Basically, the motorcycle features two small moveable wings that help direct air properly. This kind of technology features on MotoGP bikes, but it isn’t used on road bikes. As with all MotoGP tech, though, it seems it’s making its way to road bikes, according to this patent at least.
While you might expect some fancy electronics system to control the wings, Honda’s solution to deploying them is a little less impressive than you might think. Sure, there’s a fancy computer system to tell the wings when to move, but the thing that actually moves them is a simple cable—kind of like an old clutch cable.
While it’s unclear from the patent information what bike this is and if this technology will indeed show up on a future road bike, it’s interesting to see. I’ll keep an eye out for any more information.