SuperBike Magazine September 2020

More documents

Recommendations

Info

42 <strong>SuperBike</strong> CLASSIC RACER TESTS VALENTINO ROSSI’S 2002 HONDA RC211V What’s better than a ride on Honda’s 2002-spec 500GP two-stroke? A ride on the 990cc V5 fourstroke that was replacing it... Photos: Yves Jamotte & Andrew Northcott
43 “AND THE MOST AMAZING THING ABOUT THE RC211V WAS HOW CONTROLLABLE IT FELT, DESPITE THE FEROCIOUS ACCELERATION.” The RC211V powered onto Valencia’s startfinish straight on my first lap with a violence that is still stamped indelibly on my mind more than ten years later. Which says plenty about Honda’s mighty V5 four-stroke, given that barely an hour earlier I’d been riding Alex Barros’s NSR500 — the last of the vicious, 190bhp-plus V4 two-strokes that had dominated grand prix racing for the previous decade. Within a few moments and a couple of treads through its quick-shift enabled gearbox, the RC211V was scorching past the blurred figures on the pit-lane wall while I peered into the distance, already frantically trying to find a braking marker at the end of what was suddenly a very short straight. Even the NSR seemed almost sluggish by comparison with the 990cc V5 on which Valentino Rossi had just won MotoGP’s first title in 2002. And the most amazing thing about the RC211V was how controllable it felt, despite the ferocious acceleration from its blend of 220bhp and just 145kg of weight. Having heard Rossi talk about the speed and rideability of the RC-V, I’d expected it to be more rider-friendly than the NSR, but I hadn’t expected the differences to be so obvious. Whereas the two-stroke had felt and sounded like the anti-social beast that it was, the V5 was polite, well-mannered — and so fast it drained my blood into my boots. That speed had been obvious throughout the RC-V’s debut season, arguably the most impressive by any bike in the history of racing’s premier class. Honda’s dominance was a fitting reward for the imagination and commitment that the firm had shown in developing a V5 for the big change to 990cc four-strokes. In that first MotoGP season the RC211V won 14 of the 16 races, including the first nine, its only real rival being the Yamaha YZR-M1 on which Max Biaggi won twice. High impact As I threw a leg over the RC-V’s seat on this end-of-season HRC test, my view was of low screen and clip-ons, roughcast top yoke, a small panel with round, black-faced tacho reading to 17,000rpm, and a digital display showing lap time and engine temperature. I accelerated out onto the almost empty Valencia track, conscious of the crisp, ear-splitting five-cylinder bark from the twin silencers as the engine revved towards its 14,200rpm limit through the gears. The handling was immediately impressive, but it was the force of that amazing engine that made most impact. Whether it was grunting out of slow turns with an effortless yet utterly linear surge, or howling down that start-finish straight towards the 200mph-plus top speed (Rossi hit 190mph even here), the V5 was never anything less than breathtaking. The Honda also had a phenomenally rock-solid feel through the turns, feeling so neutral and well balanced that it almost seemed to be laughing at my efforts to make it work hard. Is it just us, or does moped-pipe-specialist Polini seem a little out of place here?
Page 1 and 2: SEP 2020 YOUR INTERNATIONALLY ACCLA
Page 4: WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE Imag
Page 7 and 8: #GO ADVENTURE Please make no attemp
Page 10 and 11: 8 SuperBike PETRONAS REPLICA YAMAHA
Page 12: 10 SuperBike MARC MARQUEZ: WE FOLLO
Page 15 and 16: TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES OPENS NEW DEALE
Page 17 and 18: CBR1000RR-R SP EVERYTHING BUT THE F
Page 19 and 20: Analysis and data as Viñales dodge
Page 21 and 22: 19 IRC TYRE WARMERS Keep those tyre
Page 24 and 25: 22 SuperBike Reader LETTERS IN ASSO
Page 26 and 27: 24 SuperBike By Simon Patterson Ima
Page 28: 26 SuperBike KTM’s first ever Mot
Page 31 and 32: www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com www.h
Page 33 and 34: 31 BMW Motorrad expands its product
Page 35 and 36: BMW R 900 R Penny Sterley - the hea
Page 37 and 38: CENTURION HONDA CBR1000RR, 2013 Per
Page 39 and 40: 37 It’s been out for a while alre
Page 42 and 43: 40 SuperBike the quick shift up and
Page 46 and 47: 44 SuperBike “AT ROSSI’S SPEED
Page 48: Brad Binder Red Bull Factory Racing
Page 51 and 52: WWW.SAGPFAN-HUB.CO.ZA Valentino Ros
Page 53 and 54: SOUTH AFRICAN RIDERS COMPETING ABRO
Page 55 and 56: 53
Page 57 and 58: BMW Motorrad Pre-owned Motorcycles.
Page 59 and 60: 57 BRAND NEW SHOP! WIDE RANGE OF AC
Page 61 and 62: Cycle Technology ccT/A Accessorisin
Page 63 and 64: North Cape, where to road ends in E
Page 65 and 66: White Sea Swimming Club at Belomork
Page 67 and 68: BMW Motorrad Pre-owned Motorcycles.
Page 69 and 70: 67 Race bikes need to be replaced e
Page 71 and 72: 69 More gripping racing yarns from
Page 73 and 74: 71 Freddie Spencer 1985 Belgium Gra
Page 75 and 76: Family Day 22 November 2020 RED STA
Page 77 and 78: KTM 890 DUKE R AT THE HEART OF THE
Page 79 and 80: 77
Page 81 and 82: 79 Keith Botha of Race-Day TV Fame
Page 83: A short note from Neil Harran: Hi E
Page 86 and 87: 84 SuperBike TECH3 WINS WITH OLIVEI
Page 88 and 89: 86 SuperBike in just their second c
Page 90 and 91: 88 SuperBike Hervé Poncharal thank
Page 92 and 93: CUSTOM SPRAY PAINTING AND ACCIDENT
Page 94:
13 JAN - 31 MAR COL’CaCCHIO Multi
Page 97 and 98:
95 296 V85 TT- R209 000 V85 TT EVOC
Page 99:
2 0 0 0 2 INSIDE LOOK MOTOGP 2020 T
show all

SuperBike Magazine September 2020

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?