1984 NSR500 in Racing
text＝KIYOKAZU IMAI
translation：SHINTARO URASHIMA
The Speed and Weaknesses of the First Generation NSR
Four Wins in the First Year, the Result of a Struggle
1984 NSR500 [NV0A] + Freddie Spencer at the fourth round, Austrian GP (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
Freddie Spencer + NV0A and Kenny Roberts + Yamaha YZR700 battled for the lead at the 1984 Daytona 200-mile race. Spencer put up a good fight against Roberts, who was riding a machine with a displacement of about 200cc larger than Spencer's, and its maximum output was about 30ps higher. The performance that NV0A showed promised success in subsequent WGP races. (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
Freddie Spencer, Randy Mamola, Ron Haslam, and Takazumi Katayama. These four riders participated in the 1984 World Championship under a works contract with Honda. However, only Spencer was given the NSR500, a racer with a newly developed V4 engine. The other three rode an NS500, a conventional model with a 3-cylinder engine. In other words, the machine with the fuel tank under the engine was a Spencer-only weapon.
This first-generation NSR500, whose development code was NV0A, made its racing debut at the Daytona 200 in March. It is the most significant event in American motorcycle racing, but under the regulations, it was held as an F1 class race in which even pure road racers could participate. HRC regarded this race as a prelude to the World Championship and had been using it since 1983 to test the capabilities of the latest model GP500 works racer.
At Daytona in 1984, the NV0A's first race, various problems occurred due to its upside-down layout. There were widespread problems related to the exhaust chamber that wrapped around the top of the engine, including cracks appearing where the pipe was bent significantly. That is why it cracked every time Spencer rode it. As a result, HRC staff had to travel to a welding shop in town every day to perform emergency repairs.
Even in the 200-mile final race, a crack occurred two-thirds of the way through. From then on, Spencer had to run while holding down the dummy tank covering the chamber with his arm, which began to make strange noises and vibrations. Moreover, the heat from the four chambers had a significant negative impact on the rider.
Still, the performance shown by the NV0A was considered excellent. First, Spencer took pole position in qualifying. The 499.2cc machine outperformed the 695cc Yamaha's Daytona exclusive YZR700 ridden by Kenny Roberts. The NV0A ran well, thanks to great riding from Spencer. He also placed second in the final race.
The NV0A was fast, and it could get through this race at Daytona, where the race time was about two hours, more than twice the time of the World Championship, without any engine trouble, and was reliable.
