Honda RC211V
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| Honda RC211V | |
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| Manufacturer | Honda Racing Corporation |
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| Production | 2002-2006 |
| Predecessor | Honda NSR500 |
| Successor | Honda RC212V |
| Engine | 990 cc (60 cu in) four-stroke V5 |
| Related | Honda CBR600RR Honda CBR1000RR |
| Similar | Aprilia RS3 Cube Ducati Desmosedici GP6 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR Team Roberts KR211V Suzuki GSV-R Yamaha YZR-M1 |
The Honda RC211V was developed in 2001 by HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) to replace the Honda NSR500 because regulations for the World Championship motorcycle road racing 500 cc (31 cu in) class were changed drastically for the 2002 season. The regulations changed, two-stroke engines were as before limited to 500 cc (31 cu in) and 4 cylinders, but four-stroke engines were allowed to grow up to 990 cc (60 cu in) and from three to six cylinders. The name of the class was modified to MotoGP, and is limited to race prototypes only.
The model name designates the following:[1]
- RC = Honda's traditional racing prefix
- 211 = first works bike of the 21st century
- V = V engine
Contents |
[edit] 2002
In 2002, the debut year of the RC211V, Honda and Valentino Rossi dominated by winning the constructor's championship by more than 100 points over their nearest rival. It underwent small modifications over the season, but it did not as yet have traction control so much as a handlebar-mounted power management system with 3 settings for different needs during a race.[2]
- Factory riders: Valentino Rossi, Tohru Ukawa
- Satellite riders (in the latter part of the season): Alex Barros, Daijiro Kato
[edit] 2003
Among other changes in 2003, power was increased from about 200 to 240 bhp. Traction control was also added.[3]
- Factory riders: Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Daijiro Kato, Sete Gibernau (after Kato's death)
- Satellite riders: Max Biaggi, Tohru Ukawa, Makoto Tamada, Ryuichi Kiyonari
[edit] 2004
For 2004, a new, inverted rear suspension link was added, and a new exhaust was introduced at the Sachsenring round.[4] The RC211V riders were unable to keep Rossi from winning his fourth premier-class championship, and no clear candidate appeared to take over Rossi's role of lead development rider for Honda.
- Factory riders: Alex Barros, Nicky Hayden, Sete Gibernau
- Satellite riders: Max Biaggi, Colin Edwards, Makoto Tamada
[edit] 2005
2005 would be the first time in 4 years Honda lost the constructor's championship in the premier class. The RC211V chassis underwent frequent revision and rewelding, with reversions to the 2003 design[5]. After the race at Brno, Honda tested a new bike which both Hayden and Biaggi said was an improvement, and was thereafter known as the "Brno bike".[6]
- Factory riders: Max Biaggi, Nicky Hayden, Sete Gibernau
- Satellite riders: Alex Barros, Makoto Tamada, Marco Melandri, Troy Bayliss
[edit] 2006
In 2006, the RC211V came in 3 flavors: the "Brno bike" to be ridden by Hayden, a 2006 bike with a special chassis for Pedrosa, and a 2006 bike to be ridden by Melandri, Elías, Stoner and Tamada; Melandri and Stoner eventually got the special Pedrosa chassis[7]. Hayden's RC211V was modified to put the crankshaft higher, the clutch and gearbox lower, and to lengthen the swing arm; the goal was to centralize mass and improve stability. After the Jerez round, Hayden was the fastest Honda rider in testing[8]. At the British GP, HRC gave Hayden a new chassis, but Hayden complained that he didn't have enough time to test it. Hayden had started the year with the same clutch as Pedrosa, but 4 rounds later it was shelved in favor of a clutch Hayden had used in previous years; at the Brno round, he had a problem with the clutch that contributed to a 9th-place finish. Honda and Hayden had difficulty finding a clutch that would allow a good launch at the start but also work well throughout the race. Hayden eventually won the rider championship and Honda reclaimed the constructor's championship.[9]
- Factory riders: Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa
- Satellite riders: Makoto Tamada, Marco Melandri, Toni Elías, Casey Stoner
The RC211V was retired when rules dictated a switch to 800 cc (49 cu in) capacity; Honda's bike for 2007 is the RC212V.
[edit] Specifications
Specifications as per manufacturer:[10]
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 2,050 mm (80.7 in) | |||
| Width | 600 mm (23.6 in) | 645 mm (25.4 in) | ||
| Height | 1,130 mm (44.5 in) | |||
| Wheelbase | 1,440 mm (56.7 in) | |||
| Road Clearance | 130 mm (5.1 in) | |||
| Weight | around 145 kg (320 lb) | around 148 kg (326 lb) | ||
| Engine Type | Liquid-cooled, Four-stroke, DOHC 4 Valve, V-5 | |||
| Displacement | 990 cc (60 cu in) | |||
| Max Power | 200 PS (197 hp) | 240 PS (237 hp) | ||
| Frame Type | Twin-tube | |||
| Front Wheel | 17 in (43 cm) | 16.5 in (42 cm)[11][12] | ||
| Rear Wheel | 16.5 in (42 cm) | |||
| Front Suspension | Telescopic | |||
| Rear Suspension | Unit Pro-link | New Unit Pro-link | ||
| Fuel Capacity | 24 L (6.3 US gal) | 22 L (5.8 US gal) | ||
[edit] Notes
- ^ We Ride Honda's RC211V GP bike! (HTML) (English). Motorcyclist. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ Scott, M. "Different Strokes," page 26. Motocourse 2002-2003. Richmond, Hazleton Publishing Ltd., 2002.
- ^ Spalding, N. "Better By Design," page 24. Motocourse 2003-2004. Richmond, Hazleton Publishing Ltd., 2003.
- ^ Honda Worldwide | WGP 2004 German Grand Prix, Sachsenring World.honda.com, 2004-07-18.
- ^ Ryder, J.: MotoGP Season Review 2005. Page 37. Sparkford, Haynes Publishing, 2005.
- ^ Honda Racing Corporation Brno Test Speedtv.com, 2005-09-02.
- ^ Ryder, J.: MotoGP Season Review 2006. Page 35. Sparkford, Haynes Publishing, 2006.
- ^ Hayden Leads Jerez Test Cyclenews.com, 2006-03-28.
- ^ Spalding, N.: "The Ghost Bike". MotoGP Season Review 2006. Pages 26-29. Sparkford, Haynes Publishing, 2006.
- ^ Honda RC211V specifications (HTML) (English). Honda Racing. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ King Nicky wins another World title for Michelin (HTML) (English). Michelin (2006-10-30). Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ Michelin: It's all about the front now. (HTML) (English) 2. Crash.net (2007-02-27). Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
[edit] External links
- Honda Worldwide | MotoGP - official Honda MotoGP site
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series | Manufacturer | 2000s | |||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| MotoGP 500 cc 990 cc 800 cc |
Aprilia | RSW 500 | RS3 Cube | ||||||||
| Ducati | Desmosedici GP3/GP4/GP5/GP6 | GP7/GP8 | |||||||||
| Honda | NSR500 | RC211V | RC212V | ||||||||
| Ilmor | X3 | ||||||||||
| Kawasaki | ZX-RR | ZX-RR | |||||||||
| Suzuki | RGV500 | GSV-R | GSV-R | ||||||||
| Team Roberts | Proton KR3 | Proton V5 | KR211V | KR212V | |||||||
| Yamaha | YZR500 | YZR-M1 | YZR-M1 | ||||||||
| 250 cc | Aprilia | RSW 250 GP | |||||||||
| Honda | RS250RW | ||||||||||
| KTM | 250 FRR | ||||||||||
