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Driving report MotoGP-Honda RC 211 V (2005)
Driving force
Beat by Yamaha in MotoGP? is the Honda racing department in crisis? No. MOTORRAD let the RC 211 V shoot itself into orbit in Jerez, Spain. She is the measure of all things.
An infernal roaring combustion engine, two heated slicks in 16.5-inch format, three flying laps. Pulse 160 ?? Lord, leave evening
will. It is not the first encounter of this kind and yet it is always the same. Dry mouth, damp hands, pressured breathing. But in front of the multitudes of maliciously grinning mechanics and worried engineers, you don’t bare yourself, you roll quickly out of the box, step through the gears without clutching the clutch? here it switches
Automat ??, plucks the station wagon and goes pro. Threaded into the piste, the first curbs in sight, the monster under control with respect, a film is running that has burned itself in over a thousand racing laps. Accelerate, brake, flip, and it sweeps
RC 211 V, Honda’s spectacular MotoGP works machine with V5 engine, approaching the second corner. A dozen photographers with cannon barrel-sized lenses lie in wait for the golden shot.
And then what always happens on a Honda happens: nothing at all. It works as if by magic R.C 211 V in an inclined position, whistles in a line around the corner, hits the imaginary line better than expected, without the slightest hint of tilt. If only because this Honda drives the electronically controlled steering damper like the CBR 1000 RR for a walk, which doesn’t mess up a line, but slows down the slightest bit of handlebar bumps. great.
The amateur approaches the curbs gently, in a long, deep slope and at half speed, where the factory drivers, Alex Barros and Nicky Hayden, demonstrate what drifting means with a track offset of about one meter. Out of the curve it goes one gear higher than expected, mainly because the muffled V5 sound from the four megaphones does not even come close to announcing the actual speed. With momentum and inclination
over the top of the back straight. With
Mind the gas tap, the front wheel a hand’s breadth over the asphalt, and just turn it off. Until the shift lightning thunderstorm sparks into the parade at 16,200 rpm. Compared to the 2003 season, the technicians added a full 700 revolutions at the maximum speed. The bottom line is a usable speed range of over 7000 rpm, in which the desired performance can be accessed at any time and apparently unlimited via the throttle.
The emergency stop at the end of the back straight fails completely. Who only Fireblade RR and the like over the year
moved, he lacks the trained eye,
in order to set the right braking point from a hellish acceleration that does not noticeably decrease even beyond 200 km / h. A hundred meters too early
anchored. There is now time to calmly plan the next 180-degree bend. Brake on and trust in God
the Michelin slicks put down until the earlobes touch, the Honda snaps in the shortest possible radius around the corner.
Wide arches due to the mighty 190 mm roller and the small 16.5-inch rims? Nothing. Inside, completely inside, without balancing and chiseling, the RC 211 V circles around the bend and
impressively demonstrates how motorcycles are built that show their strengths in catapult-like acceleration. With an almost unbelievable precision, the more than 250 hp Honda engine converts the gas commands into thrust. No deviousness, no antics, just pure power in finely dosed portions. Another reason why the painful highsider falls have become a real rarity. How come?
Despite the lost world title, Koichi Yoshii, responsible for the development of the MotoGP factory machines, does not give the impression of a contrite, devastated Japanese. On the contrary, the friendly HRC engineer explains in a friendly manner the background to the highly sophisticated engine technology and makes it clear that in the Honda philosophy, drivability and safety are also top priorities for racing machines. If only because the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) can squeeze power and torque out of the potent five-cylinder almost at will.
Koichi Yoshii and his team are more interested in the fact that the engine is included
The need to convert the elemental forces produced into the best racing results. To do this, they use all kinds of ingenious solutions. For example, the throttle valves for gas control are in the lower position through a sophisticated system consisting of an electric servo motor and differential gear (see MOTORRAD 21/2004)
Aisles are only 50 percent open, but always at the rated speed
still corresponds to an output of at least 180 hp. With the electronic control, the driver does not feel any side effects apart from the deliberately smoother power delivery, especially since the servo motor works in such a way that it can never open the throttle valve further than the driver, but only close it more strongly.
Because races are not won in the first few minutes, but in a ruthless 45-minute battle, the slip control on the rear wheel is one of the key development priorities over the next few years. The technicians try to adjust the performance in all gears to limit the tire spin and thus to keep tire performance and driver condition at the highest level. This is achieved by comparing the speed of the front and rear wheels. If too much slip is determined, the electronic engine control regulates the pre-ignition and injection quantity back in milliseconds, which leads to an immediate, but by no means abrupt, drop in engine performance.
The difficulty with this control process is that the tires each
Depending on the condition and temperature, the highest drive torque is transmitted with a slip of around five percent. If the slip continues to increase, the coefficient of friction between the tire and the road surface drops drastically, the motorcycle can slip sideways in corners, or the rear tire spins unrestrained when accelerating.
Because every pilot shares his driving style
garnished with a more or less spectacular drift that comes about through the slip are elaborate, indigenous-
Individual tuning options for the electronics are unavoidable. In order to meet the different requirements, the pilots can use a switch on the left handlebar stub to select a number of engine settings with different levels of power development, which the HRC engineers did not mention. For example, when the tire rubber is overused by tough battles for position, loses grip or the external conditions do not allow optimal grip, such as in light rain or low
Asphalt temperatures.
The highest demands that also result in high costs. Because the coordination tests cannot be carried out in the laboratory or on the test bench, but require immensely expensive driving tests on the racetrack, which a large part of the team, including tire manufacturers and chassis specialists, attend. In addition to a cost explosion, those familiar with the scene fear that the MotoGP show could suffer from the use of electronics. The enthusiasm is only great when the viewer is clearly merciless with weird drifts and wild wheelies.
Which is why Koichi Yoshii smiles when he hears the word “wheelie control”. He is not only thinking of the races-
machines, but logically also to the transfer of this technology to the series counterpart ?? the CBR 1000 RR Fireblade for example. Honda customers would not be exactly amused if the Fireblade were to stop the acrobatic sprint on a bike fully electronically. The aim of the RC 211 V is to use the actual acceleration capacity without the jockeys constantly having to prevent the MotoGP racer from rolling over by adjusting the throttle grip or pressing the rear brake.
This year, however, that was not enough to beat the team of Valentino Rossi and Yamaha YZR-M1. Honda plans innovations. Improved handling and steering behavior to initiate the acceleration phase even earlier. New chassis elements that give the driver clearer feedback are also at the top of the HRC specification: keyword more flexible frames and swing arm constructions.
Even if some Honda managers (see interview on page 137) look back gloomily, the MotoGP Honda is no worse off than Yamaha’s YZR-M1. But after two years with Honda, Valentino Rossi and his entourage trimmed it so that it became more and more similar to the RC 211 V and is even superior in some things such as handling. HRC lacks neither the skills, knowledge nor experience to build a MotoGP racer capable of winning. What is missing is the driver with the talents of Valentino Rossi.
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Driving report MotoGP-Honda RC 211 V
Driving force
Technical data – Honda RC 211 V
Engine: water-cooled 75.5-degree V5 four-stroke engine, four valves per cylinder, operated via rocker arms, gear-driven camshafts, displacement 989 cm3, power approx. 255 hp, maximum speed approx. 16,200 rpm, wet sump lubrication with heat exchanger, freely programmable engine management, electronically controlled Increase in engine speed when braking, maps freely selectable by the driver, five-in-four exhaust system, six-speed cassette gearbox, dry clutch with mechanical anti-hopping system.
Chassis: aluminum bridge frame, load-bearing motor, Showa upside-down fork, two-arm aluminum swing arm, suspension strut progressively actuated via deflection lever, vehicle height
adjustable. No adjustment for steering head angle and swing arm bearing position,
Magnesium wheels, front 3.50 x 16.50 or 3.75 x 16.25 inches, rear 6.50 x 16.50 inches.
Michelin slicks, front 12/60/420, rear 19/67/420.
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