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text＝KIYOKAZU IMAI
translation：SHINTARO URASHIMA
Why They Changed the Second-generation NSR500 Dramatically
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1985 NSR500 [NV0B] (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
Freddie Spencer + NV0B at the 1985 Swedish GP. The 23-year-old American grabbed his seventh win of the season in the 11th race of the 12-race series to clinch his second 500cc world championship. (Photo/Jiro Ishida)
When the project proposal, dated October 15, 1984, was approved, the development of the 1985 NSR500, coded as NV0B, officially began. It was a very late start as Honda's works racer competing in the premier class of the World Grand Prix road race.
Of course, there were unavoidable circumstances. Circa 1984, HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) was extremely busy. In road racing alone, they developed works machines and production racers for every category, such as GP500, GP250, GP125, TT-F1, TT-F3, and AMA Superbike. They shipped them to the races all over the world. The same was valid for motocross, trial and dirt track racing.
This all-round development may have been inevitable for Honda, a top motorcycle manufacturer. However, HRC was small then, and everyone in the development team around 1984 was particularly strained to a breaking point.
Look at some of the HRC road racers introduced in the 1985 season. The top left is the GP250 works racer RS250RW [NV1A], and the right is the GP250 production racer RS250R [ND5B]. The bottom left is the TT-F1 works racer RVF750 [NW1A], and the right is the TT-F3 works racer RVF400 [NW0A]. HRC designed all of them in 1984.
The personnel in charge of the GP500 road racer started considering the direction of the 1985 model around the summer of the previous year. The basic specifications of the NV0B, the second-generation NSR500, were solidified, and a proposal was compiled in October. The development time allotted for this machine was four months. During that time, they had to prepare various drawings, manufacture new parts, assemble them, and get them running.
