The brakes really shine here, with powerful and easy to use combined braking and standard ABS, and the usual magic combination of disc and pad materials that Honda has featured for more than 15 years now. We are talking powerful braking with only one finger on the lever in street use, going to two fingers on the track.

You can see how much space is available on the bike, enough for a 110kg rider to comfortably slide over in the corners (And chickens out when he even approaches serious angles!) (Photo: Bill Petro)

Ergos – More of the right changes
For my money, the most important improvements for 2010 are clearly cosmetic and ergonomic.

It starts with main elements like the all-new top fairing with integrated turn signals, and the 4-way adjustable windscreen (No tools required), clearly developed using computer simulation tools and wind tunnel testing.

The comfortable and nearly flat saddle from last year has been retained, and can be set to three heights, from 780 to 810mm. The saddle narrows effectively at the front, allowing the rider to hug the fuel tank and tuck legs out of the slipstream. The handlebar is swept back and slightly upward, enough to allow almost straight-up riding, with the feet comfortably placed on the footpegs in line with the hips. This is one area where the adjustable seat height comes in handy, as it helps unfold longer legs and ensure hours of comfortable riding and good blood circulation.

The new dashboard features a round analog rev counter front and center, with lights and digital displays around it to show speed, odometer with dual trip meters, clock, fuel level and various indicator lights. It also displays average speed on a trip basis as well as real time, and remaining klics when on reserve.

The new exhaust system features four primary pipes that all swerve in unison over to the right side and feed into the single exhaust can, for light weight as well as to throw us old sentimentals back to earlier days of air cooled fours from Honda.

You can see the aerodynamic work on the fairing, the adjustable windscreen, and the nice curves in the primary exhaust pipes. (Photo: Bill Petro)