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NR500 was a racing
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
developed by Honda HRC in 1979 to compete in
Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
. "NR" stands for "New Racing".http://world.honda.com Part 3
/ref>


Model history

The motivation behind the NR500 was company founder Soichiro Honda's desire to compete using
four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...
engine technology since the majority of motorcycles manufactured by Honda used four-stroke engines. When the
FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...
announced new regulations for the 1968
Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
season that limited the 500 cc engines to four cylinders, this gave an advantage to teams using
two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...
machinery. Honda decided to withdraw from motorcycle racing to concentrate on its automobile division.http://world.honda.com Part 2
/ref> In November 1977 Honda announced it would be returning to motorcycle Grand Prix racing using four-stroke technology. Even though two-stroke engines dominated motorcycle Grand Prix racing in the late 1970s, Honda felt compelled to race what they sold and thus competed using a high-technology, four-stroke race bike.
/ref> Since a conventional
four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...
, four-cylinder engine could not produce the same power as its
two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...
rivals, Honda increased its valve area to be competitive.http://world.honda.com Part 5
/ref> The rules at the time allowed up to four combustion chambers, so Honda designed a 32-valve V8 with four pairs of linked combustion chambers. This then evolved into an engine with four oval-shaped
cylinder A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infin ...
s. The oval cylinders allowed room for 32 valves and eight
spark plug A spark plug (sometimes, in British English, a sparking plug, and, colloquially, a plug) is a device for delivering electric current from an ignition system to the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine to ignite the compressed fuel/air ...
s, the same as that of an eight-cylinder engine while staying within the four-cylinder rules limit. Another innovation used on the NR500 was its
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
body which wrapped around the engine like a cocoon and helped reduce weight.http://world.honda.com Part 7
/ref> In an effort to reduce drag, lower the center of gravity, and to lower gyroscopic forces, the bike used 16-inch
Comstar wheels The Comstar wheel, sometimes referred to as Com-stars or stylised as ComStar, was a composite motorcycle wheel that Honda fitted to many of its motorcycles from 1977 to the mid 1980s. Its design allowed it the option of being fitted with tubele ...
instead of the mainstream 18-inch versions that were commonplace at the time. Honda overcame significant manufacturing problems to develop its oval cylinder technology and by late-
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
the bike made its debut at the
British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...
ridden by
Mick Grant Mick Grant (born 10 July 1944) is an English former professional motorcycle road racer and TT rider. A works-supported rider for Norton, Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki, he is a seven-time winner of the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race on various m ...
and
Takazumi Katayama Takazumi Katayama (片山敬済, born April 16, 1951) is a Japanese former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion. Motorcycle racing career Born in Kobe, Japan, he was the first Japanese rider to win a motorcycle road racing world ch ...
. Both bikes retired, Grant crashing on the first turn after the bike spilled oil onto his rear tire, sliding along with the bike showering sparks, requiring rapid application of powder
fire retardant A fire retardant is a substance that is used to slow down or stop the spread of fire or reduce its intensity. This is commonly accomplished by chemical reactions that reduce the flammability of fuels or delay their combustion. Fire retardants m ...
from the race marshal. Katayama retired on the seventh lap due to ignition problems when running second-last.''
Motor Cycle News ''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly Motorcycle, motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Verlagsgruppe, Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspape ...
'' 15 August 1979, p.4 ''British Grand Prix race report'' Accessed and added 12 February 2015
http://world.honda.com Part 8
/ref> Honda persevered for two more seasons, but never made the bike competitive.''Mick Walker's Japanese Grand Prix Racing Motorcycles'', by Mick Walker, Publisher Redline Books, 2002
The monocoque frame had to be abandoned because it made it too difficult for mechanics to work on the engine during races. The 16-inch wheels also had to be abandoned for 18-inch wheels.
/ref> American
Freddie Spencer Frederick Burdette Spencer (born December 20, 1961), sometimes known by the nickname Fast Freddie, is an American former world champion motorcycle racer. Spencer is regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle racers of the early 1980s. Motorcycle ...
was able to reach fifth place at the
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
British Grand Prix before the bike broke down. The NR500 never won a Grand Prix. A thirteenth place by Katayama at the
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
Austrian Grand Prix was its best showing. Honda abandoned the project and designed the
NS500 The Honda NS500 is a 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle of the early 1980s, powered by a two-stroke V3 engine. Created as a replacement for the innovative but unsuccessful four-stroke NR500, the bike went against Honda's preference for four-strok ...
two-stroke bike to compete in the
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
season.http://world.honda.com Part 11
/ref> Spencer would ride the NS500 to Honda's first 500 cc world championship in
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
. Ultimately, what doomed the NR500 project was that Honda had tried to develop too many technologies at one time. The NR500 did experience a few successes: Freddie Spencer rode the NR500 to a heat race victory at
Laguna Seca Laguna Seca may refer to: * Laguna Seca Formation, a geologic formation in California * Laguna Seca (Mexico), see Convention of London * Laguna Seca (Santa Clara County), a seasonal lake in California * Laguna Seca, Texas, United States * Rancho La ...
in 1981 and Kengo Kiyama won the Suzuka 200 kilometer race that same year.http://world.honda.com Part 10
/ref>


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honda Nr500
NR500 NR500 was a racing motorcycle developed by Honda HRC in 1979 to compete in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. "NR" stands for "New Racing". Model history The motivation behind the NR500 was company founder Soichiro Honda's desire to compete using ...
Grand Prix motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1979