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.

vol03

1985 Honda NSR500 [NV0B]

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

Why They Changed the Second-generation NSR500 Dramatically

Switch Back to Normal Layout for Better Results

READ MORE

1985 NSR500 Technical Specifications

Innovative Aluminum Frame With Two Ribs Inside

The Champion Machine Completed in Four Months

READ MORE

1985 NSR500 in Racing

Spencer Unrivaled, Winning 7 Out of 11 Races

The Feat of Winning Both the GP500 and GP250 Titles

READ MORE

［ Back number ］

Past episodes can be viewed here.

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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