Before the 916 with its single sided swingarm and twin square tail lights,

before the limited edition homologation special SPS and R bikes

with their titanium connecting rods and deep oil sump,

before the Desmosedici V4 engine,

there was the 748cc, DOHC,

90 deg. V4,

1987 Honda RC30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO9YVYg4FyU&feature=related

cdc

Bump. 

I can't believe that there have been 22 views but no one has commented on the video or the bike.    

Tamburini wasn't the first with all these wonderful motorcycle ideas although he did put it all together into something more spectacular than the Honda.

cdc

Quote from: cdc on December 16, 2008, 08:07:16 PM
Bump. 

I can't believe that there have been 22 views but no one has commented on the video or the bike.    

Tamburini wasn't the first with all these wonderful motorcycle ideas although he did put it all together into something more spectacular than the Honda.

cdc

Bump again.  Somebody, please?   

cdc

Cool video cdc! I'd like to hear more engine noises than pianos and such. I would love to get a V4 some day. It would be cool if Ducati made a less exotic desmosedici as a comparably priced bike to the 1098/1198 as another option in their SBK line. I think they'd sell like crazy and I don't see Honda doing it before Ducati does.

As I understand it this of is the bike he took most his design principles from. He just put it into a more demensionally precise layout. He had the open-door-pocketbook opportunity from Ducati to develope the 916 line of bikes. A full article on this very same subject was in an issue this past summer of TWO magazine. A Brit mag that is choked full of little bits and behind the scenes info that are interesting to most riders. It's a rather cheeky mag sometimes but a fun read. In the same issue they had an article on a poll TWO designed to find out from the heady English media the 'sexiest' bike ever made. The 916 won.

Almost everything looks sexier in super slo-mo.

Nice find. 

I also saw an article in yet another issue of TWO on the direct influence the VFR had on the Desmo GP bikes design. The similarities are uncanny. It's like it was a better knockoff than the Japanese could pull off! HA! Who'd ever thought? Well, it's been said too that to make a better mouse trap...etc... imitation is the most sensere form of flattery and so on...

Thanks for noticing the post Ron.  As you probably already know, Honda makes the VFR which is inspired by the RC30 and RC45 (well not exactly but there are many similarities).  It is an 800cc V4 with their VTEC system. 

It would be interesting if instead of a sport tourer, the Honda V4 is put into a sportbike.  Don't know if they can afford to develop one that has enough HP and Torque to be competitive.

As to Ducati making a Desmosedici "light", I don't think it can afford to make one and steal from the L- twin SBK sales.  But they might.

cdc

Quote from: cdc on December 16, 2008, 09:15:33 PM
Thanks for noticing the post Ron.  As you probably already know, Honda makes the VFR which is inspired by the RC30 and RC45 (well not exactly but there are many similarities).  It is an 800cc V4 with their VTEC system. 

It would be interesting if instead of a sport tourer, the Honda V4 is put into a sportbike.  Don't know if they can afford to develop one that has enough HP and Torque to be competitive.

As to Ducati making a Desmosedici "light", I don't think it can afford to make one and steal from the L- twin SBK sales.  But they might.

cdc

Oh yes, I'm familiar with the VFR, are they still making them??  Back in the mid-90's, one of my buddies had one as his street bike, I think an '87 or so, but I'd have to see photos.  That was kind of a soft sportbike, but great for all around sport riding, comfort and styling.  Great handling bike, but wouldn't set any lap records.  I'd like to see that kind of engine put into a for-real competitive sport bike, but I suppose it won't happen if there's not a real race class for it to fit into (SBK, not GP).

Quote from: giannis on December 16, 2008, 09:22:46 PM

They Worth A lot of Money if you can find one....

I think there was one with a bid at $50K and a buy it now of $100K.  Others have sold for $35K.

Quote from: Ronr on December 16, 2008, 10:02:03 PM
Oh yes, I'm familiar with the VFR, are they still making them??  

The most current iteration is the VFR 800.  Barry (Asia1098) had one but he recently sold it .

Quote from: Ronr on December 16, 2008, 10:02:03 PM
  I'd like to see that kind of engine put into a for-real competitive sport bike, but I suppose it won't happen if there's not a real race class for it to fit into (SBK, not GP).

True that.

cdc

Quote from: Ronr on December 16, 2008, 10:02:03 PM
Oh yes, I'm familiar with the VFR, are they still making them??  Back in the mid-90's, one of my buddies had one as his street bike, I think an '87 or so, but I'd have to see photos.  That was kind of a soft sportbike, but great for all around sport riding, comfort and styling.  Great handling bike, but wouldn't set any lap records.  I'd like to see that kind of engine put into a for-real competitive sport bike, but I suppose it won't happen if there's not a real race class for it to fit into (SBK, not GP).

Honda Gave up on V4 because was cheaper to develop and make more power with inline fours Actually is the only company that won championships with

Singles
Six cylinder
4 cylinder  inline 4
4 cylinder V4
5 Cylinder V5
3 Cylinder V3 2stroke
V2 (VTR1000SP1/2)


Honda Has a V4 bike in MotoGP  (RCV212) and Aprilia Just build a V4 for WSBK..... So there is a class and they compete...

cdc, I'd seen this video before, but it never gets old.  Thanks for posting it!

Giannis, I think they meant a class that the existing vfr800 engine (or a modified version of it) could compete in.   Something that would justify dropping that engine in a sportbike frame and selling it to the public..

Quote from: AndreRA3 on December 17, 2008, 06:08:27 AM
Giannis, I think they meant a class that the existing vfr800 engine (or a modified version of it) could compete in.   Something that would justify dropping that engine in a sportbike frame and selling it to the public..

Yeah.  What he said! 
-------------------------------------------------
Hey Andre,

Have a good holiday season over there.

(I could have said Merry Christmas too!   )

cdc

Quote from: cdc on December 17, 2008, 11:14:48 AM
Hey Andre,

Have a good holiday season over there.

(I could have said Merry Christmas too!   )

cdc

Merry Christmas to you as well, Charles. 

Happily, I'll be spending this holiday season in the good ol' U.S. of Tejas.  It's gonna be a short stay, about a week and a half, and I'm completely flooded with work (the cruel people who run this university find it amusing to have finals AFTER the christmas break), so I"ll probably be confined to my folks house or to a starbucks, drinking coffee and soaking up as much philosophy as humanly possible. 


EDIT: I hit submit by accident...

But the holiday season here is great.  Everything is light-up, there's christmas markets in every town (just came back from the local one.  Local sausage, waffles, spiced wine, hot chocolate with amareto... Hmmm....), it's awesome!

I haven't had the time to photograph Leuven at night with the xmas lights, but here's Amsterdam last friday:



And here's the Philosophy Institute (where I study) during the short snowfall we got a little while back



How can you not like this?

But I digress,

back to the vfr...  [moto] [moto] [moto]

Quote from: AndreRA3 on December 17, 2008, 01:05:48 PM

And here's the Philosophy Institute (where I study) during the short snowfall we got a little while back



How can you not like this?

But I digress,

back to the vfr...  [moto] [moto] [moto]

Wow, I almost got to see that, but sadly, I only made it to the airport.

Hope you have a good trip back home then.

Oh, go ahead, digress all you want.  It's Christmas.   

cdc

cdc