Honda
NR 500 Grand Prix -
1979
Technical summits
Honda's announcement that it was returning to 500cc grand
prix racing in 1979, after an absence of 12 years, caused less of a sensation
than the news that their GP contender was a four-stroke, at a time when
two-strokes seemed to rule GP races.
A Fake Eight-Banger
Moreover, it quickly became apparent that this engine was
really an eight- cylinder whose pistons had been "welded" in pairs to
meet the rule prohibiting more than four cylinders in the 500cc class. In fact,
the pistons and bores had a cross section like a rectangle with semicircular
ends. This ploy allowed the engine to run at over 20,000 rpm, producing a power
output equivalent to that of a two-stroke.
Monocoque Frame
And that wasn't the only original feature of the machine:
its 16-inch wheels were something new at the time, as was its front fork with
external springs and its lateral radiators - which even as late as 1992 had not
been adopted by other makers. Nothing like its streamlined light-alloy
monocoque exoskeletal frame has been seen since. Despite all Honda's efforts,
the career of the NR was a fiasco, which led the company to create the NS, a
two-stroke three- cylinder that Spencer rode to the world title in 1983.
Nicknamed "Never Ready," the NR continued as a test vehicle long
after its racing days were over.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: water-cooled 500cc four-stroke 100 degree V4; oblong
pistons with twin conrods
Power output: 100 hp @ 20,000 rpm
Valves: 8 valves per cylinder
Fuel system: quadruple double-choke carburetors
Transmission: chain final drive
Suspension: (front) telescopic fork with external springs;
(rear) lever arm
Brakes: (front) disc ; (rear) disc
Wheels: built-up spokes; (front) 16 in: (rear) 16 in
Weight: 330 lb
Maximum speed: 175 mph
Takazumi Katayama
rides the Honda NR in its first race, the 1979 GP of France.
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