Honda VTR 1000 SP-1: On tour with the racing replica 160,000 km

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Honda VTR 1000 SP-1 – Fast races and long journeys: Out and about with the racing replica

160,000 km on the Honda VTR 1000 SP-1

English people think differently: Chris Owen loves fast racing laps as well as long trips with luggage and pillion passenger. He burdens both claims of a racing replica. What do all those involved have to endure?

D.He needs a GPS, ABS, TCS, aluminum case, heated grips, heated seat and electronically adjustable chassis comfort for the big tour. The other just needs a motorcycle. Maybe a special one, like the 68 year old Englishman Chris Owen, who does everything with a former super sports car, a rare Honda VTR 1000 SP-1.

Honda VTR 1000 SP-1 – Fast races and long journeys: Out and about with the racing replica

160,000 km on the Honda VTR 1000 SP-1

VTR 1000 SP-1 is now on duty and after the last 3,000-kilometer tour in late autumn 2012, the speedometer is approaching 160,000. The engine has never been opened, although Chris leads a relentlessly eventful life with his bike. The Briton has always liked vehicles with personality. When he discovered the Nurburgring about 18 years ago, it happened with a Kawasaki ZXR 400. Because Chris was rather small, he loved this mini speedster. He also liked the need to rev up the engine outside of the race track. “It wasn’t just the ring itself, but also the high-speed journey through France, the Ardennes and the Eifel. A perfect introduction to the most ingenious racetrack in the world. "

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A strong team of three on racetracks and long tours: Honda VTR SP-1, Chris (on the handlebars) and Gesa, pillion passenger, navigator, rucksack carrier.

Chris attended courses and became addicted to the ring and his Honda, which he had bought new in 2000 and prepared for racing. Before he prepared it for the road, the Honda VTR 1000 SP-1 experienced its baptism of fire on the Isle of Man: it worked its way through the TT and the Manx Grand Prix.

A bit unorthodox as a break-in process, Chris admits. Later he used every opportunity that presented itself to leave London and use the 1000 to make the cult site in the Eifel unsafe. At some point he was on duty as a Ring Marshall and continued to drive quickly in his private life. But it happened on an autumn evening: Chris threw away his beloved Honda VTR 1000 SP-1 in Pflanzgarten and ended up in the hospital in Adenau. Hardly conscious again, to the horror of the doctors, he ordered replacement parts out of bed: handlebars, fittings, tank, Remus mufflers. Over the winter, Chris rebuilt the Honda. He organized his retirement, said “good bye” to London and moved to Gesa in Cologne.

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Chris’ much younger partner spontaneously felt at home on the back of the Honda. A pillion seat from “Alles-furn-Arsch”, an Eifel specialty company for motorcycle seats, gave the tall lady a princely view. She can comfortably look ahead over Chris’s helmet and see the curves just as quickly as he does. Gesa is carrying a rucksack, a pack sack is strapped behind her. A tank bag is piling up in front of Chris. The couple transports all their luggage for marathon tours. The Honda VTR 1000 SP-1 carries everything with dignity, completing fast laps on the Nordschleife or endless kilometers on the country road with stoic calm. For Chris and Gesa, stages on the Autobahn are only temporary solutions.

As often as possible, the two of the powerful V2 Honda spurs on. A European tour every year, many smaller trips in between. For better navigation, Chris carries a transparent bag with a map on his back, Gesa shouts her instructions to the front. That still works quite well in the electronic age.

Chris swears by a Scottoiler that extends the life of the chain. He values ​​the mechanical loyalty and endurance of his Honda VTR 1000 SP-1, cares for and challenges it. So far, she has always done what he wanted, ensures perfection and happiness. Chris’s advice for longer trips on a bike that is actually a racing replica is: "After a 200-kilometer break, refuel, drink coffee, continue." The Honda doesn’t seem to have any problems with this philosophy.

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Frozen speed

Despite care, traces of intense life: scratches, rust and cracks are part of it.

Honda VTR 1000 SP-1 was a homologation model for the Superbike World Championship 2000: two-cylinder V-engine, transversely installed, four valves per cylinder, fuel injection, water cooling, 999 cm3, 132 hp at 9500 rpm, 102 Nm at 8500 rpm, weight Ready to drive 221 kilograms, top speed 270 km / h.

Tires over the years:
Metzeler MEZ1; Pirelli Diablo / Corsa; Michelin Pilot Power; Michelin Pilot Road – currently 13,000 km per rear tire.

Channels:
AFAM with Renthal 16/41 teeth. About 30,000 km per chain.

Practical modifications:
MRA disk; Intercom (MIT 30); Power commander; R. & G crash protectors; Scottoiler; Harris footpegs; Rear footrests fixed; 3M edging strips; Puncture spray.

Falls:
Two in Production TT during training;
one in the Nurburgring plant garden in 2005; one in the Adenauer Forst 2008 (oil).

Driven racetracks:
Jurby – Isle of Man 2001; Silverstone GP circuit 2002; Spa 2002; Brands Hatch; Nurburgring GP race 2006; Nordschleife: Chris over 550 laps, with Gesa over 300 laps.

Longer turns:
French Alps 2006; Pyrenees 2007; Czech Republic, Poland 2009; Tuscany 2010; Italian Alps 2011; Austria and Switzerland 2012, more to follow.

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