Honda Announces New CVT for Small Engines

Honda Motorcycle announced that it has developed a new automatic transmission, the CV-Matic*, which can be used in combination with Cub-style engines. This new fully automatic transmission further enhances the practicality and convenience of the Cub-type models that have won fans worldwide, especially in developing countries.

The new system will be available with Cub-style scooters to be released in the ASEAN region starting in 2010.

The CV-Matic, features a new cooling system developed on the basis of Honda's small-motorcycle automatic transmission technology, which protects the drive belt from the high temperatures it is subjected to.

This enhances the durability of the drive belt and allows for the more compact design with a shorter distance between pulleys.

Thanks to this advance, the positioning of the engine does not need to be significantly altered, optimizing layout design freedom.CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission, which is a transmission which can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that only allow a few different distinct gear ratios to be selected. The flexibility of a CVT allows the driving shaft to maintain a constant angular velocity over a range of output velocities. This can provide better fuel economy than other transmissions by enabling the engine to run at its most efficient revolutions per minute (RPM) for a range of vehicle speeds.