Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126047
an , A look at thr by Honda, H - pro '.to.type (pro '.to- tip}, n. (F., fro NL., Gr. prototypon, derive of protos first + typos type, model.) 1: An original or model after w hi c h anything IS copied; patterned; archetype. The standard question has always been the same. "How come the factories race those $30,000 works bikes inst ead of the same bikes they sell?" It's a simple enough question, b ut the answer is usually long and involved, and sometimes eve n th en it can 't be answered. Basically though, Webster giv e s us the best definition of a prototype as an original model after which anything is copied. see production in a form similar to the prototype. Many t imes production mot ocro ss bikes will be similar to their prototypes, b ut often as no t they won't. The main reason why some don't is tha t the work s bikes are too exotic t o be b uilt and so ld at a reasonable p rice . Even if so me of t he exotic works b ikes did get into production , no t too many people would be willing to give the m the five day a week maintainance they require. Before a motorcycle manufacturer can put a racing bike into production, they h a ve to test the p roposed design. There's no better way t o t est th at new design th an on a ra ce track , and if it pr ov es su cces sfu l , th en h opefully it will Three manufacturers h ave made major ch anges t o their fa ctory bikes for the 1976 racing seaso n . Two of th e bikes ar e ex o t ic rac ers. but o ne remain s a clo se example o f th e co m pany 's presen t producti on m ach ine. Rear wheel tr avel is also set at nine and one-half inches with moved -up verti cal shocks. Honda works bikes sport leading axle fork s. Travel up front is nine and one half inches. Honda's latest RC is a " mid-term" update. It scales in at under 200 Ibs. A new frame is the next change on Honda 's list of revisions. Honda RC 250 Honda's new RC 25 0 works bikes is ac t ually an intermediate design which will undergo add it io na l changes to it s chassis and re ar suspens io n later th is ye ar . Presently, the same frame as last I ear is being u sed to try out va rious new co m po ne nts. Completely new bikes are e xpected sometime in April. Actual engine displacement is 247 cc and the bore and stroke is 70 x 64mm, the same as a Honda's production Elsinore. Last year the RCs had case induction reed valves , but th is year the reed valves are located back up in the more conven tional position on the back of the cylinder. Now, even in the 250cc c l a ss manufacturers arc no longer invo lved in a contest for u lt im at e power. Honda has found that reed induction i n the cy lin der gives a broader, more usable powerband th an the pipey , hig h RPM power that is pro d uced with case induction reed valves . With mo re usable power availab le , atten tio n co ntin ues ~ to center in the suspensio n depa rtm en t whe re the RC Hondas get new, longer travel forks and Husky's new leading axle magnesium forks will probably show up on . production model s. • I 46 shocks. The front forks are a co m pl etely new design for Honda with offset front axle . The new forks are suspend~ by _external steel co il springs, hi d den by the big rubber fork boots, an d spring tension can be adjusted by an external cam ring. No air is used with the