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/128373
Briefly... Continued fram page 9 clutch is also helping out. "We want to compete this year for the championship." Yoshii asserted. "Our target is Suzukis up there, it would make it much better for us. It makes for a better battle. I don't really know what the Ducatis are like - competitively - but I guess if they were okay they would be up the front. There are other good riders out there, but the machinery that they are riding is not up to scratch. The teams that are putting in the greatest efforts are the bikes that are going to be up the front." clear. Win the manufacturer and riders' championship - this is clear." The Honda ReV What's under the fairing of the Honda has undergone surgery as Honda tries to get back on the top of the pile after suffering defeat in the premier class in 2004 for only the second time in I I years. One key development right at the end of testing has been the switch back to the old upside-down, lower rear linkage and Racer Services, a division of Global Media Group (AL), has announced the company's representation of Grand National Flat Track racer Jared Mees. The two-year agreement will see the 2004 Ricky Graham Rookie of the Year rider marketed exclusively by the firm to increase corporate awareness and assist him in building his own brand while introducing corporate partners and investors to this young, dynamic and talented athlete, according to Racer Services. "We will be investing in jared for the long haul," said Philip Rispoli, managing partner at Racer Services. "Jared's talents on the track and his charismatic personality off the track provide our firm with the essential elements to bring him to the forefront of corporate markets. Our excitement to work with jared is only dwarfed by the thrills jared provides to his growing fan base on and off the crack." swingarm. Throttle Management System: Last year, Honda unveiled a computerized throttle management system that allowed it to provide more progressive throttle response in the first three gears. Honda has have now confirmed that this system can be used in all gear's giving significant benefits in rider con- trollability. Rather than set a specific relationship between each degree of throttle movement and the resulting butterfly movement, the system can now be programmed to provide a series of set linear responses to the rider's throttle demands. If a rider has a specific need, then that too can be programmed in. With a computer actively changing the rider's instructions, this can now be considered true ride-by-wire. Headstock: The factory RCVs for Max Biaggi, Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden now Valentino Rossi's new fork. feature an adjustable headstock. Honda has maintained a philosophy of nonadjustable headstocks and swingarm pivots for years. so to find their bikes with this feature as adjustable is very unusual. It is possible that as soon as the season starts, a headstock with the angle selected during testing will just be welded in. For the final tests in jerez, each of the HRC riders had two chassis to try one with a changed swingarm pivot - but the re-welded frame produced the fastest times. Exhaust: Honda has reverted to exhaust pipes similar to those used in the early part of 2004, but they are modified for a higher revving engine with a shorter primary pipe. It's the sort of modification you would carry out to work with a shorter-stroke motor revving another 1000 rpm - though the factory never reveals bore and stroke figures. Fuel Tank: HRC fuel tanks are usually car- Gibernau's frame and swingarm go back to the future. bon fiber, but now they are made of aluminum. which is a much easier material to modify. It is quite possible that the final decision on where the load of 22 liters is going to be situated has not yet been made. Rear Suspension: On the HRC bikes of Gibernau, Biaggi and Hayden, Honda has reverted back to the old upside-down rear linkage and swingarm that was used in 2002 and 2003. "The riders said it was a big problem under deceleration and entering the corner," Yoshii said. "Movement of the bike was a problem. and there was a vibration problem as well. We thought the vibration came when our riders decelerate; the torque difference caused this problem." Without actually naming Rossi and Yamaha, he said: "Somehow, other manufacturers bikes are so stable on corner entry. We need to have that stability. Corner entry and late braking was where we struggled against the others and why we couldn't go so fast. Also, last year's machine on some tracks was not so predictable, and we need to find that." Horsepower: Internal engine changes have raised the horsepower ceiling to an astonishing 260 hp, with a winter gain of around 6 to 7 hp. Electronics: Honda is clearly making progress in other computerized areas as well. The official HRC factory bikes now feature a special sensor on the clutch lever so that the riders' use of the lever can be logged exactly. There doesn't appear to be a modified clutch actuation system, but if they are data-logging clutch usage one may be arriving in the near future. Neil Spalding Gary Hilgenberg, 66, passed away unexpectedlyon March 18 at his home in Long Beach, California. Hilgenberg founded Speed & Sport in Ames, Iowa, in 1963, originally as a Triumph dealer, then took on Bultaco before becoming Suzuki motorcycle dealer number 27. He was a successful dirt track racer and race bike builder into the early '70s, racing as a junior at Daytona and winning the Sturgis half-mile and the 125cc Sportsman class at the 1968 Kansas InterAm motocross. Other racing endeavors include an SCCA DMVR region sports-car racing Rookie of the Year honor in 1970. After moving to Arizona, then California, Hilgenberg worked as crew chief for Team Hammer endurance road racing in 1985, doing major development work with the then-new Suzuki GSX-R I 100. In 1986, he worked with Wayne Rainey and Rich Schlachter at Team MacLean, Hilgenberg focused on vintage bike restoration work and computer networking for the past 20 years. He leaves behind his wife of 43 years - Judy - parents, two siblings, two children and their spouses, and two grandchildren. A memorial fund has been established at Meadow Vista Public Library, 16981 Placer Hills Rd, Ste, B-6, Meadow Vista, CA 9S722. A&A Racing will be on hand for round two of the Supermoto USA 2005 Series in Stockton, Califomia, and will have 17Continued on page '3 CYCLE NEWS • APRIL 13,2005 11