We have abordating the technical choices of the HRC concerning the RC211V engine in the first part of the file. But even if this engine seems to have many advantages, it would be nothing without a suitable chassis, which allows it to transmit all its power!
A frame created from a white sheet
The weight of the V5 being distributed in a practically spherical shape, the engine-chassis integration could be optimized in order to ensure ideal mass distribution, and thus best improve the behavior of the machine.
Creating the RC211V chassis from scratch – rather than relying on an existing frame from 2-stroke prototypes, as Yamaha and Suzuki did – allowed for a slightly longer wheelbase. This gives additional stability when braking and accelerating, as well as a lower center of gravity for the same reason.
Superposition of the chassis of the NSR500 and the RC211V
Much of the fuel is located under the saddle, in the space vacated by the redesigned swingarm assembly, which anchors both ends of the shock to the swingarm rather than the frame. Thus, the motorcycle becomes lighter in fuel as the race progresses, the objective is to minimize the movement of the center of gravity, to have homogeneous behavior. The Pro-Link shock absorber allows a slight travel in slow corners and a limitation of roll when re-accelerating when exiting a corner. Useful when you have to tame the power of a 990cc engine, having much less electronic assistance than current MotoGP.
Pro-Link cushioning exposed
The frame and swingarm are also designed to have very high torsional rigidity – which improves the bike's cornering behavior and stability – but to be slightly less laterally rigid than their NSR500 equivalents. This is because Honda believes that a small amount of frame flex improves rider feel and helps the suspension at extreme lean angles.
The Pro-Link shock system is mounted on the swingarm, not the frame
One of the most striking aspects of the RCV is its small aerodynamic fairing, designed in part because Honda discovered that the advantage of a large fairing in straight-line speed came at the expense of cornering stability. Additionally, wind tunnel tests demonstrate that the RC211V fairing achieves a perfect balance between aerodynamic efficiency, cooling and machine control.
Already at the beginning of the 2000s, wind tunnel tests were carried out
Promising beginnings…
The new V5 was seen on track for the first time in April 2001, at Sugo, when Honda's last world champion with a 500cc 3-stroke, Valentino Rossi and his teammates tested it. The first version was very compact. A little too much, in fact, for Valentino Rossi, who was disappointed. The first images that journalists recovered immediately established the style that the bike would maintain throughout its career, although it initially lacked the under-seat curved exhaust for the rear cylinder bank.
Without the fairings, it is easier to see the location of the exhausts
A more official reveal of the bike took place at the Suzuka 8 Hour Race in August 2001, where Mick Doohan demonstrated on track.
Honda quickly worked and developed a second, larger version, and Valentino tested it alongside the NSR500 at Jerez. The problem encountered during these tests was that Japanese driver Daijiro Kato set a faster lap time on the NSR 2-stroke than on the RCV 4-stroke… At the end of the 2001 season, after winning the last 500cc championship – the first of his 3 titles in the premier category – Rossi had considered staying on the 7-stroke in 2.
In 2002, the field was indeed mixed: the 500cc two-strokes could compete with the 3cc 990-strokes. The fight was fairly even (unlike the CRT period), the spectacle present, but the 3-strokes did not win a race. The extra torque from the four-strokes allowed them to accelerate harder out of corners, then get in the way in corners, the driving style being radically different.
But compared to the energy spent on developing and building a new 4-stroke engine, Honda's scenario was to run their flagship racer on the RC211V. Gradually but surely, the V5 gained its respect, then its affection. The HRC estimated that, while the NSR500 was at 70% of its performance potential during its first laps, the RC211V was already between 80 to 90%!
Rossi on his Honda RC211V wins a GP ahead of Biaggi on his Yamaha M1
And the performance of this machine was indisputable, with its 210hp and its maximum speed of 14.000 rpm. In 2002, the year the RC211V debuted in the world championship, this bike won 14 of the 16 races it entered, including the first nine! Its only real rival was the Yamaha YZR-M1 – another 4-stroke – on which Max Biaggi won two races. Rossi finished 1st or 2nd in every race, except in the Czech Republic where he had tire problems. It was only when Barros received an RCV for the last 4 races of the season – two of which he won – that Valentino Rossi could be worried.
Once is not customary, you will find some photos below to wait before the rest of this article, which is accessible.
