Honda NSR500
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Manufacturer | Honda Racing Corporation |
---|---|
Production | 1984–2002 |
Predecessor | Honda NS500 |
Successor | Honda RC211V |
Engine | 499 cc (30.5 cu in) two-stroke 112° V4[1] |
Bore / stroke | 54 mm × 54.5 mm (2.13 in × 2.15 in) |
Power | over 185 hp (138 kW) |
Wheelbase | 1,400 mm (55 in) |
Weight | 131 kg (289 lb) (dry) |
Fuel capacity | 32 L (7.0 imp gal; 8.5 US gal) |
Related | Honda NSR500V |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Honda_NSR500_engine_front_Honda_Collection_Hall.jpg/220px-Honda_NSR500_engine_front_Honda_Collection_Hall.jpg)
The Honda NSR500 is a
1984–1987
Designed to succeed Honda's first two-stroke Grand Prix racer, the NS500 triple, NSR500 debuted in 1984 for the Grand Prix motorcycle racing's 500 cc class. Building on lessons learned from its three-cylinder predecessor, the new 90° V4 used a single crankshaft, making it lighter and more compact than its dual-crankshaft adversaries. Though tormented by unorthodox chassis technology in its first season, the NSR500 evolved to clinch Honda's second 500 cc GP title in 1985. Opening the V-angle to 112 degrees in 1987 made room for a quartet of 36 mm Keihin carburetors between the cylinders where they could be fed more cool air. The new arrangement also let the engine exhale more efficiently through its four artfully intertwined expansion chambers. By year's end, Honda won a third 500 World Championship with Australian rider Wayne Gardner.
1988–1989
Entirely redesigned for
More improvements gave the 1989 NSR500 upwards of 165 horsepower (123 kW) at 12,000 rpm — essentially doubling the output of the 1966
1990–1998
Though the 499 cc V-4 could produce more than 200 horsepower (150 kW), chassis development, sophisticated engine management and an Australian named
1999–2002
Constant development and ever-increasing sophistication sharpened the NSR500's edge, earning Honda two more 500 World Championships, with Àlex Crivillé in 1999 and again with Valentino Rossi in 2001.
For the
Championships won
Riders World Championships won with the NSR500:
- 1985: Freddie Spencer
- 1987: Wayne Gardner
- 1989: Eddie Lawson
- 1994: Mick Doohan
- 1995: Mick Doohan
- 1996: Mick Doohan
- 1997: Mick Doohan
- 1998: Mick Doohan
- 1999: Àlex Crivillé
- 2001: Valentino Rossi
See also
References
- ^ a b "The Honda NSR500 Engine Evolution". 22 April 2021.
- ^ Lieback, Ron (13 February 2010). "Honda NSR500 | GP Racing History". Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "The "UNRIDEABLES", a time of two-stroke terror!". 12 May 2020.
- ^ "SR Archive: Riding Mick Doohan's Honda NSR500". Cycle World. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Honda NSR500 | GP Racing History". 13 February 2010.
- ^ "Honda Global | NSR500". Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
External links
- NSR500 Heritage official Honda page for heritage info on the NSR500
- Honda NSR500 at the Honda Collection Hall Japan
- History of the NSR500 from Superbike Planet