Can anyone tell me what became of Honda Racing?

I haven't followed racing much for the past few years but have begun agian recently and I'm astounded by the lack of competition by HRC. It wasn't that long ago that it was common to have at least one, if not two or all three bikes on podium be Hondas. ANyone got an explaination?

 

Depends on what series you are looking at. Superbike has been pretty dominated by Suzuki and Yamaha of late.

MotoGP is Yamaha, Honda and two of the top three riders are on the Repsol Honda's.

Jose

 

They don't call 'em 'Interceptor' in MotoGP; but those are V-4's.

 

I am being lazy and going from memory, but aren't the MotoGP Honda's running V-5's?

Jose

 

Not since the RC212 (first of the 800's). The RC211 was a five, the 212 and 213 (new 1000cc) are both V-4's.

 

Are you talking about here in the US of A? I haven't followed it closely for years. But, I often wondered if HRC in the US would still be thriving if Merlyn Plumlee were still alive...

 

The appetite for big racing budgets seemed to dry up back in 2008 with a full bail out in 2009. Of course they don't actually say that in black and white.

Honda Withdraws from AMA Superbike Racing - Motorcycle USA


It seems that Yamaha aren't having a great time on the world stage!

Yamaha Out of World Superbike | Cycle News

Personally, I would like to see moto gp bite the dust and world superbike become the ultimate form of relevant two wheel competition. I mean, where can you get your hands on a moto gp bike? Who would want one anyway?

 

And since when can you get an EXACT copy of a WSBK machine? And if so you must make a hellva lot more money than anyone on this board.

With regards to MotoGP, yeah the series is not what it used to be but the idea that get rid of the eries because you can't own the machines is ludicrus! You can't buy a Formula F1 car for the street but I would be hell pressed to get rid of that race series becasue I can't own the car.

MotoGP should always be exotic. The top riders on the top experimantal machines. The only thing I would like to see is maybe a change to a rung what you brung (i.e. the only engine rule is 1000 CC engines) they could be v4, v-twins, in line fours, 2 strokes four strokes, etc. But for the love of God make the damn bikes one offs.

I wish you lived closer Jethro so you could take a purpose built race bike on the track...you would take all your words back.

BZ

 

No way. MotoGP is like the DARPA of motorcycles. It's where the technological envelope gets pushed. It's fairly safe to say that in another few years, all sport bikes will probably have full traction control, and that's a beautiful thing. It means riders will be going faster and dying less. And personally, from a nerd perspective, they're just friggin' cool. Pneumatic valve engines that rev way over 20k RPMs? Neat...

 

If they got rid of MotoGP, we'd get NO 2 wheeled racing on the idiot box here... :frown:

You're looking at $150k + for a WSBK bike, far removed from the street bikes they supposedly represent... Similar to our Bathurst/V8 Supercars here in OZ, started out as a manufacturers race, each manufacturer had to produce a minimum number of cars for sale to the general public... Around 1980 some media commentator started a stupid scare campaign about powerful cars equalling death - to a point he was right, with nigh on 400Hp (Phase III XY GTHO), shit brakes and dubious handling, they weren't for the faint hearted... It's now $500,000/car series built on racing chassis with little but body shape in common with their road going derivatives and the following has never been stronger...

 

MotoGP still might have some life left in it yet, and Honda might be just the ones jump starting the revival. Honda is going to release a production RCV and is already testing the bike. This will take MotoGP back to the days of the 500's when, customers could buy production racers from a factory and have outright ownership, not leased satellite machines like the current customer bikes. This is a positive direction for the future.

HRC is not gone, they just ditched the AMA Series due to disputes over technical rules. Most domestic series are private teams working with factory support....i.e. Graves Yamaha, Yoshimura Suzuki in AMA and Padgett's, WFR, and Samsung Honda in BSB....etc.

HRC is also very active in Moto2 and Moto3, especially in Moto2 where they are the sole engine supplier.

They need to bring back the days of open tobacco sponsorships and let the teams actually display the livery on the macines, not like Ducati Marlboro. Regardless of the world economy, people still have to have a nic hit, and yes people overseas actually still smoke..... If they changed the rules and allowed this, I think things would turn around in a hurry.

It would be great to see the return of Rothmans and Seven Stars to Honda bodywork, and no I don't smoke.

 

I wish I lived closer too Bubba. A chance to ride a properly set up track machine would be a treat, especially after my self prepped VFRs and Ducati efforts. Ah hell, I had loads of fun. I don't know if riding a faster bike would change how I feel but stranger things have happened.

I realize that the WSB machines are also exotics not unlike the Moto GP machines but they are at least production based and for me, it makes them more real. I know I can't have one and honestly I don't think I would want one if the opportunity knocked anyway. I can't ride a bike like that to even half its potential. Of course the same holds true for the VFR sitting in my garage. A nice poster of one for the garage would likely be more useful than the bike itself. I'm not sure if I can afford a poster actually as I need to buy windows, siding, insulation and drywall first.

You are right of course. If we eliminated every race series where they had machines that we normal every day folks couldn't get, there would be almost no racing at all. Maybe a few blokes in back alleys racing belt sanders and lawn tractors but that would be about it. That would make for some great TV eh! LOL.

This was a classic case of my fingers typing faster than my brain could think. I still don't like MOTO-GP but now for reasons that I can't explain.

 

Hey, I can't stand drag racing or turn-left-till-your-numb stock car racing, but they seem to have their place.

MotoGP FTW!!!!!!!!!!

I have a buddy who races AMA on basically a stock bike. Although he was SORELY outpowered by more prepped bikes at Daytona this year, he has a great time.

Jose




Jose

 

Racing sells bikes. MOTO-GP bike are racebikes period and have little to do with street technology. Are there spinoffs? Yes. Maybe someday whilst on a putt to Kmart or Wallys, we will be able to text at somewhere below the ton to the SO or moms and change the suspension and mapping on our PC's in case some harleydood starts jumping all badass or some old dude in a Winnebago wants to go for pink slips..

I sure wish I was smart enough to figure oot what Honda Inc. was thinking. Guess I'll have to be satified with more regurgitation and carrot massaging from the peanut gallery.

The concept of manufacturing and sales of racebikes is nothing new. Dontcha wish for those thrilling days of yesteryear when you could buy a Manx Norton, a Harley KR or a rigid Gold Star. Many others including the Honda GP 125 or that high revving 500cc Duc thumper.

 

Um... I think the only one of the 1000cc class sportbikes that does not have traction control today is the Honda CBR-RR. It's still the best of the reasonably-priced Japanese bikes. Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki have TC, as do BMW, Aprilia, and Ducati.

 

Someday someone will invent a motorcycle engine that doesn't have any valves.

 

Um... :boink:

Piston-port two strokes, or perhaps a Wankel?

:rofl:

 

Who you calling a wankel?

 

In my brain-meat I was thinking 600cc sport bikes (probably 'cause that's what I'd like to buy someday). Point stands, I think MotoGP pushed the development of traction control, as it became necessary to manage the amount of horsepower the bikes were producing.

 

They did, but Honda hated those machines ;-).

BZ