Development of the Electronically-Controlled Combined Brake System

Motorcycles in general are equipped with independent brake systems provided separately for the front and rear wheels. Because motorcycles characteristically exhibit large front-rear load fluctuations while running, they require a level of rider skill to operate the front-rear independent brake system in order to accomplish an appropriate front-rear brake distribution.

However, motorcyclists have various levels of rider skills, from beginner to experienced rider. The combined brake system has been developed as an effective means for complementing these rider skills.

This paper describes the characteristics of the electronically-controlled combined brake system that realizes a finer skill support than the conventional mechanically combined brake system. This is accomplished through the electronic control of the linking mechanism, wherein the rider's brake operation information and running condition information are incorporated as calculation parameters.