Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD)
The year was 2006. Honda showed the world the then brand new CBR1000RR Fireblade, which embodied the best technology Honda engineers had for racing bikes. The CBR1000RR Fireblade not only had more power than ever before, it also had the first electronic steering damper called the HESD.
Honda developed the first electronic steering damper for a production motorcycle intended for the road, and the system was able to adjust the degree of actuation of the hydraulic steering damper using electronic sensors that varied the actuation of the damper in milliseconds.
This solution was considered revolutionary at the time and Honda was so happy with it that they even used the HESD for their MotoGP racing bike, the RC211V with its five-cylinder engine.
But HRC, the racing division of Honda, later abandoned that solution in favor of a fully mechanical steering damper, and the HESD was reserved for Honda racing bikes like the Fireblade, which did very well in terms of customer feedback.
Fast forward to 2018 and today’s post-season testing in Valencia. Honda’s MotoGP factory team showed up on the track with a new 2019 RC213V that featured new aerodynamic winglets and, surprisingly, a new metal part that was partially under the front of the fuel tank and connecting to the upper yoke.
According to the Italian website GPOne, which published the detailed photo you see here, this new element is no less than the “old” HESD steering damper, but now HRC has perfected the system so it can now be used on their most advanced road bike can, the MotoGP prototype of Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo.
This upgraded HESD steering damper is sure to help Marquez and Lorenzo tame the ferocious Honda RC213V, a bike that MotoGP itself describes as “very nervous” which we can all see watching Marquez ride the prototype HRC along the way for the MotoGP title 2018.
Will Honda go for the RC213V 2019 electronic steering damper? Or are they just testing different solutions that they won’t be using in the next season?
Do think about it in the comments section below!