Honda RC 211 V

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Honda RC 211 V

Five is trump

The new GP1 Honda fell into the hands of old masters in Motegi. Freddie Spencer and Mick Doohan did a trial gallop on the RC 211 V ?? and certified the V5 machine as having world champion potential.

Valentino Rossi’s next test run on the four-stroke Honda RC 211 V was postponed until November in Jerez because the Italian should first secure the half-liter title before new challenges. The names of the drivers who did a few quick demonstration laps with the prototype for the GP1 World Championship in 2002 after the warm-up in Motegi on Sunday were no less sonorous: none other than ex-world champions Freddie Spencer and Mick Doohan took part in the red racers The 990 cm3 V5 engines accelerated and delighted the audience not only with a few wheelies, but also with considerable lean angles and skillful drifts when accelerating.
“Compared to the machine that I briefly drove at the eight-hour race in Suzuka at the beginning of August, this motorcycle is already worlds better,” said Doohan. »It’s more neutral and gives you more feeling for the front and rear wheel. The engine no longer kicks in gently and dough, but bites like a 500, but it has even more power and pulls out of all situations, “said Mick Doohan, who won five world titles and 54 wins on a Honda, enthusiastically. “Overall, the RCV is very user-friendly, almost too much. Because the Grand Prix sport should remain a challenge for the best drivers? not be like the Superbike class, where Hinz and Kunz go full throttle and win races. “
Doohan’s positive assessment of the V5 racer did not come close to the level of enthusiasm that Freddie Spencer displayed. “I haven’t been on a GP bike since 1993, and because I don’t know the track here in Motegi, I asked for a practice session,” smiled the American after the ten practice laps he had already done on Friday evening at dusk Doohan had graduated. “But I immediately felt very comfortable in the saddle. It was fantastic ?? a tremendous experience, ”said Freddie with shining eyes.
D.But the four-stroke RCV reminded him less of the four-stroke NR 500 with oval piston engine, with which Honda had tried unsuccessfully to challenge the two-stroke competition between 1978 and 1982, but of the motorcycle with which he captured six GP victories in 1983 and was celebrated as the youngest half-liter world champion of all time at the tender age of 21. He had achieved this coup with the three-cylinder two-stroke Honda NS 500. “A motorcycle,” Spencer looks back, “that I knew straight away that it would be good for victories.” The old master is similarly optimistic about Honda’s latest litter. »The RCV gives you a nice feeling of driving stability, paired with handiness when changing direction quickly. The machine is a gem ?? and I’m sticking to the opinion I expressed at the presentation of the engine in Barcelona: I wouldn’t be surprised if Honda won the world championship with it in its first year! «
Of course, the RC 211 V wasn’t so convincing right away either, as it was already in its third version in Motegi. Above all, the work reacted to the criticism of Valentino Rossi, who, after initial tests in Suzuka, had reported a lack of traction and a sitting position that had been moved too far forward. »From the outside you don’t see any big differences. But we shifted the rider’s seating position and the balance of the entire motorcycle, which had consequences for the shape of the fuel tank under the seat. The pivot point of the rear suspension has also changed in order to achieve more traction and better feedback for the driver, ”revealed project manager Heijiro Yoshimura. »The mechanical slip clutch for the rear wheel against the high braking effect of the four-stroke engine is now working splendidly. Freddie and Mick, as die-hard two-stroke pilots, wanted as little engine braking as possible? We can adjust that as we wish. «In this detail, Honda is currently ahead of Yamaha: Despite the slip clutch, Yamaha is struggling with penetrating rear wheel stamping on the M1 and is experimenting with a second hydraulic system for the rear suspension strut that presses the rear wheel onto the asphalt when braking hard should. “We don’t have such a system,” Yoshimura waved off.
In tests with the modified prototype in Suzuka, works driver Tohru Ukawa was only 0.3 seconds slower than his own qualifying time for the Grand Prix in April and an average of 0.2 seconds faster over 15 laps, which was the case with the Tests of the Yamaha M1 in Brno indicate a tire-friendly use of the four-stroke engine.
In the V5 itself, with three cylinders facing forward and two facing back, enormous reserves lie dormant. Even if Yoshimura is aware of the exact state of development ?? Maximum output currently around 225 hp, maximum engine speed around 15,500 rpm? as well as keeping silent about construction details. “In contrast to the chassis, we were able to limit ourselves to minor detailed modifications for the engine. For example, we have now finally determined the firing order. Unfortunately I cannot reveal what it is like! “

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