Honda NSR 500

Honda NSR 500 (1985)

V4 engine (1997)

The Honda NSR 500 was a racing motorcycle from the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Honda , which was used in the motorcycle world championship from 1984 to 2002 . With ten rider world championship titles , the motorcycle is one of the most successful in the class up to 500 cc.

History and technology

The motorcycle world championship in the class up to 500 cc has been dominated by racing motorcycles with two-stroke engines since 1975 . In 1979 Honda got back into the competition after winning the constructors' championship for the last time in 1966 . In 1983 Honda won the world championship title again with the Honda NS 500 ; however, the development of the V3 engine appeared to be limited in terms of performance.

The newly developed water-cooled V4 motor with 499 cc capacity (bank angle of 90 degrees), and exhaust control made 1984 140 hp (103 kW ) at 11,500 / min. In the 1984 model, the tank was - as an innovation - under the engine, the exhaust system above the engine. In 1987 the engine was revised and the bank angle changed to 112 °, the output was now given as 149 hp (109.6 kW) at 13,000 rpm. The firing order was changed for the 1990 season and output increased to 165 hp (121 kW) at 12,000 rpm. In the 1991 season , the output rose to 170 hp (125 kW), the 1998 version achieved 180 hp (132 kW) and the last stage had 200 hp (147 kW) at 13,500 rpm.

The chassis of the Honda NSR 500 consisted of an aluminum bridge frame , Showa - telescopic fork (later known as Upside-down version), swing arm with monoshock with progressive lever deflection. The 2001 model had a wheelbase of 1400 mm, an empty weight of 131 kg and the tank capacity was 32 liters. The racing motorcycle had 16.5-inch tires on the front and rear.

Records and titles

Mick Doohan was five times world champion in a Honda NSR 500 from 1994 to 1998. Between the first victory in 1984 ( Freddie Spencer ) and seventh place in the MotoGP class in 2002 by Daijirō Katō , Honda managed all 15 races with the model in the 1997 season win.