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/126420
Sketch. from Mota Joumel. No, 416. June 14. 1979 (Above. left) He,.'s whet the combustion ch8mber config&ntion ~ look like according to the Moto Journal S1IIff: Bght VlIIves and tine spark Plugs per cyInder (32 vaIvea and 12 plugs .. _wowl) crIImmed Into 125cc cylinders wiI..,...1ight piecen81t. CI.8ftJ Two Goa IIClioi. of the reinforced ComSUlr wheels: The three spoker Is on front. the fow-spoke-per-polnt model goes on back. (Below) The JnOIICJCOlIl181ower front fIwne seclioi. eccepts 1biI moIDrf ......-r....-n all.mbty. It's held ':Ogether by seven bolts. (Top right) Assembled willi • red. ...... -.nd blue paint scheme. It's beeutv,ln motion. , s _o.!!...5l 'J , , Battlestar exotica , P~eking past the Honda SOOcc GP machine's obscuring exterior Moto Journal, the Paris-based motorcycle magazine, offered an evaluation of what lies beneath the smooth - and obscun'ng e:eterior of the Honda 500cc Grand Pri:e road racer in a recent issue. With thanks to Patn'ck Behar, our translator, and to the staffat MotoJournal, we present a peek at the Honda's secrets. According to Mick Grant. who along with Takazumi Katayama will ride the new Honda, Honda has invested almost nine million 12 dollan in the 500cc Grand Prix road racer's development. Who elae could make such an immense commitment? Only two photos have been released thusfar. and they only !tint at what lies within. But by combining knowledge gleaned from the pictures, rumon and other Ir.nown information, it's possible to speculate on what Honda hath wrought. And it's a bunch! The wbeds measure 16 inches in diameter. aod with that information alone. the cnoeraU size of the bilr.e taIr.es on impressively compact proponions. Perhaps the same sIze as a Yamaha TZ250. Along with reduced size. for a 500cc machine. a monocoque "frame" made of carbon fiben instead of heavier steel helps keep the ~ght down in the 200220 lb. range, it is speculated. Carbon fiber construction. whHe very light. is aiIIo very expensive. But with $9.000.000 to play with. that's hardly a factor. The big catch is that any crash ~ll certainly mean retirement from the race since repair is out of the question; the entire "frame" would have to be replaced. unlilr.e a weldable steel unit. The lower portioo of the fairing is the main pan of the frame. Ita shape I accounts for its strength. and it's cut away for access to the engine and radiaton. But for maintenance that isn't possible with the machine completely assembled. it appean that only seven bolts will release the entire motor. transmission and rear suspension from the frame and front suspension, baring the entire motor for easy aCCl:lll. The motor itself.is a V -4 With two cranlr.shafts. It may be fuel injected rather than using standard carburetor induction. The cylinden are ovalshaped. In the 19501. the concept of using oval pistons had been explored. but technology has not caught uf with the engineen' dreams unti the development of this motorcycle. Two overhead cams drive eight valves per cylinder. three spark plugs fire into each- elongated combllltion chamber. Rumored redline is 20.000 to 22.000 rpm. The motor is tooled by two radiators. ODe mounted on each side 01 themocor. The swingann is centered on the countenhaft. and the rear suspension is very similar to the Kawasaki UniTrail. in design. Comatar-type wheels have more spokes than the production Comstan. 1'be front wbeela have three spokes on each of the five points; theiE are four at each point on the rear wbeel. Front forks have outside shock absorbers for ease in tuning-in tilt suspension at the track. The te;!escopic parts are for guidance only; all sprmr and hydraulic parts are in the separate shocIr. absorber units. Exhaust pipes are dual two-into· one units. one from the top twe cylinden and one from the bottom. The' Honda is slated to malr.e its fm:' public appearance at the British Grand Pnx on August 12. With coverage of that race will come an en, (we hope) to the speculation about tm Honda's exotic innards. Until then. this bit 01 expaaded Freueh fantasy will have to sul6ce. Patience.. . •