HONDA The Power of Dreams

Since its establishment in 1982,
HRC has focused on motorcycle racing
right through to 2021.
During that time, the company (HRC)
has produced countless racing bikes.
Among them, we will focus on machines
that are remembered as epoch-making in particular,
and showcase the passion of Honda men who were
devoted to their development and racing activities.

vol05

1980-1982 Honda NR500 [NR2/NR3/NR4]

GP500 Works Road Racer

Honda pursued an extraordinary goal with the NR500: to create a four-stroke machine capable of defeating two-stroke rivals of the same displacement. Four distinct versions of the bike competed actively. While their engines consistently employed the signature oval-shaped combustion chambers, pistons, and cylinders, the chassis's technical specifications evolved rapidly. Consequently, the machine's appearance varied significantly depending on the model. Vol. 05 examines the details of the second-generation NR500 (development code "NR2"); the "NR3," which secured a victory in the 1981 All Japan Championship; and the "NR4," which, despite being the final NR500 race bike, never actually competed in a final race.

text＝KIYOKAZU IMAI　
translation：SHINTARO URASHIMA

Clad in an Outsourced Chassis

Background and Technical Specifications of the 1980 "NR2" Model

Monocoque Design Abandoned; Maxton Frame Adopted

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Achieving 130 PS and 20,000 RPM

Technical Specifications and Racing History of the 1981 "NR3"

A Unique Victory Claimed at the Rainy Suzuka 200KM

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Spencer Revs to 22,000 RPM

1981 Laguna Seca & British GP: Demonstrating Potential

The "NR4": The Final Model That Never Raced

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［ Back number ］

Past episodes can be viewed here.

vol04

1979 Honda NR500 [NR1]

GP500 Works Road Racer

Many are familiar with this machine, calling it a true Honda-esque challenge. Honda chose a four-stroke engine instead of the then-standard two-stroke for GP500 racing. To surpass the two-stroke's power at the same displacement, each cylinder had eight intake and exhaust valves, an oval-shaped combustion chamber, and a piston and cylinder. The chassis also introduced innovations, especially the monocoque frame. This was the 1979 NR500 (code "NR1"), the NR series' debut, known for its oval pistons.

text＝KIYOKAZU IMAI　translation：SHINTARO URASHIMA

"It's Not Interesting to Be the Same as Everyone Else"
1979 NR500 Engine Technology
1979 NR500 Chassis Technology
1979 NR500 Race
vol03

Honda NSR500 [NV0B]

1985 GP500 Works Road Racer

The first-generation NSR500 [NV0A] was a unique racer featuring an upside-down body layout, such as a fuel tank under the engine. Although it was one of the fastest machines in the 1984 FIM Road Racing World Championship, it seemed immature in some areas. HRC then needed more capacity to improve the challenging upside-down layout. Therefore, they designed the second NSR500 [NV0B] model straightforwardly, giving Freddie Spencer the overwhelming strength to win the championship in 1985.

text＝KIYOKAZU IMAI　translation：SHINTARO URASHIMA

Back to the Conventional Layout
1985 NSR500 Technical Specifications
1985 NSR500 in Racing
vol02

1984 Honda NSR500
[NV0A]

GP500 Works Road Racer

After winning the premier class riders' title of the FIM Road Racing World Championship for the first time in 1983, Honda remodeled their racers for the following year. It was a completely different machine with a newly developed 2-stroke V-type 4-cylinder engine. Moreover, the 1984 version featured a unique layout with a fuel tank below the engine. That was the birth of the first generation NSR500 development code [NV0A].

text＝KIYOKAZU IMAI　
translation：SHINTARO URASHIMA

From NS to NSR
1984 NSR500 Technical Specifications
1984 NSR500 in Racing
vol01

Honda NS500

1982-83 GP500 Works Road Racer Honda NS500

The NS500, equipped with a unique V3 engine, was developed in a short period of time by integrating the knowledge gained from the NR500, a 4-stroke racer with oval pistons which had suffered a series of setbacks, and the 2-stroke technology cultivated in motocross. The NS500 brought Honda the first Grand Prix road racing premier class riders’ championship.

text＝KIYOKAZU IMAI　
translation：SHINTARO URASHIMA

Behind the Birth of the NS500
NS500: Technical Data and Race Review
Interview/Takeo Fukui
About RACERS

Established in 2009, with the editorial policy of rediscovering old racing machines, “RACERS” focuses on the technology that went into them and the people who raced them. This content, “RACERS -All About Honda Motorcycle Racing Machines-” is a digest from past issues of RACERS, including revised content based on information gained from subsequent interviews during the years after the publication.

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