Honda Riding Trainer
This innovation is part and parcel of the strategy at Honda, a fervent supporter of 'total control' since the beginning of the 1990s: safety first, environmental preservation and then the pleasure of biking. After extending CBS and ABS to nearly all its range, signing the European Road Safety Charter in 2004, and developing the motorbike airbag that will be available as of September on the GL 1800 Gold Wing, the Japanese manufacturer is launching worldwide its new riding simulator for use as a training tool at motorbike schools, dealerships and schools, but also at home by individuals wishing to perfect their riding.
© Honda
Developed like a flight simulator
One of the advances of the Honda Riding Trainer is its simplicity and lesser cost compared with previous two-wheeler simulator systems that are expensive, space-consuming, and feature a highly sophisticated tilting system and 3D vision, more or less reserving them for Bike Shows.
The Honda Riding Trainer takes the form of a computer fitted into a tubular structure that features handlebars, a saddle, and gear and foot brake controls for use in bike mode. This highly compact simulator is a snip at £2000. It will feature in the Honda catalogue from June and, like all the brand's other two-wheelers, therefore enjoys the same aftersales service for spares and maintenance and the same guarantee.
The Riding Trainer however hides advanced technology directly drawn from aeronautics where Honda has acquired a certain experience after designing the HondaJet aircraft.
© Honda
Realistic
No need to be a video games enthusiast to feel at ease on the Riding Trainer. The controls are perfectly precise, whether in motorbike mode with gear changing, or in scooter mode with an automatic clutch and a left lever that becomes a brake.
The steering control and braking (be careful not to skid), accelerations (very realistic audio system), and reaction to sudden manoeuvres are managed perfectly by the system.
It merely takes a few seconds for a seasoned biker to familiarise himself with the machine; a bit longer is logically needed for a novice, but these can start learning the controls on traffic-free roads and progressively launch into more congested situations. Several riding situations (town, road, mountain, night...) can be selected as well as the type of vehicle: low, medium or high cubic capacity scooter or motorbike.
Immediate punishment
In this virtual environment, the biker can ride as he likes: no police officer will flag him down if he flouts a road sign or breaks the speed limit. The only punishment here is suffering an accident for having poorly anticipated a critical situation. And, as in real life, there are many critical situations in the various simulation options offered by the Riding Trainer.
That pedestrian darting across the road from in front of a double parked bus; a car that pulls out suddenly from where it was parked; a load that has been dropped on a bend on a motorway at night; thick fog or blinding sunshine in the mountains. It's all here, interspersed nevertheless by times when you can enjoy the sound of the four-cylinder in-line engine or the scooter's automatic transmission. But don't let your vigilance relax. No easy ride, the Riding Trainer!
Experimenting with danger in full safety
The Riding Trainer can be justified simply by the fact it is designed so that the novice adolescent or adult biker can, in virtual situations, safely discover the critical situations he will surely encounter on roads, and will be able to recognise them and cope with them in a real-life situation. It does not of course take the place of real-life training in the use of a two-wheeler but contributes to improving this training. This approach should be praised, encouraged and supported. The technology employed is up to the task at hand: reducing road deaths.
Na minha opinião pessoal, todas as escolas de condução deveriam possuir um simulador deste tipo.
