The 6 Cylinder racebike that revved to 20k rpm in the 1960s
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2023
- Honda dominated the 1960s grand prix race scene by making high revving, multi-cylinder motorcycles. The RC166 was the pinnacle of it all
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Subjectively, the RC166 makes the best noise go ever come out of an internal combustion engine. The first time I ever heard it, I was absolutely shocked. It sounds like several bikes at once, revving in a perfect harmony. And it doesn't sound angry or vicious, but focused and purposeful. I love that sound so much.
I read years ago that Honda had a 5 cylinder 125cc race bike that redlined at 23,000 rpm at that time.
I love Hondas CBX1000, still to this day my dream bike.
I have one with 6 into 6 changes the sound but really enjoy my Benelli Sei better to ride
mc22 is pretty good too
The MV350/6 sounds also pretty good.
I was a spectator at the 1966 TT and the day of the 250 race we were up on the mountain section. We could hear the Honda coming for what seemed ages before Hailwood arrived. Never ever forgot that moment or that sound.
Saw that fabulous Honda Six in race action with the man himself, riding it as it was designed to be ridden.S.M.B. Hailwood. A sight and sound never matched since.
Bought TWO new Hondas back in the day. Twin cylinder and four cylinder.
Had the honour of working on this 6cyl 250 as raced to the outright lap record of Canada's Mosport by Mike Hailwood when it was returned to Honda Canada from it's time as an exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre. What a fantastic piece of engineering. I believe it is now in the Honda museum in Japan.
So cool that you worked on that bike. I saw it at Mosport in the late 1970’s when it was brought out of retirement for a demonstration lap or two. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. The sound was incredible and you could hear it through the entire lap. I always thought of the mechanics working on it as closer to watch repair than large engine work.
Hi Len !
Thanks for your comment, if you were at Mosport that day you may remember that it was in an "accident" I think on the drop into corner 2 as a result of a Harley "Cafe Racer" that was somehow allowed on the track for those parade laps and dropped the Harley right in front of the Honda. It was ridden that day by the now late Tom Faulds National Service Manager Honda Canada, (and my boss ! ). That was also the first time I heard it running, I was pushing from behind to bump start in the Pits and when it fired and revved 4 feet from my eardrums...WoW ! (No wonder Im almost deaf now lol ).
Hi, could you tell me if this bike was running the round slide or flat slide carbs and were they the 5 jet design like the 125cc and 50cc ?
For decades, there was an RC166 on display at the Ontario Science Center in Toronto, and it even still had some bugs on it from its last race at Mosport Park.
The bike was eventually professionally restored and then shipped back to Honda Japan.
the story of Soichiro Honda and the races of the 60s are the stuff of legend. I've got a few vintage Hondas and they all just drip with that sophistication that can only be learned on the track. I've got a 65 Cb160, a 68 Cb450, and an 81 CBX... the CBX is the one that people want to point to when they think race bike, but I feel the 450 is the most 'race bike' of all. dual overhead cam 450, made 45 horsepower. first production DOHC, first production bike that can make 100/hp per liter out of the box. it's a little screamer too, will rev to just under 10K. I've unintentionally wheelied it at stoplights a few times. it's a hot hot bike.
It sure was, and still is! I have three CB450 based classic racers, alas gathering dust here in Malaysia!
I miss my 66 black bomber that bike was really a thing of beauty I didn't know what I had at the time either I got it out of a barn in western Nebraska for $50 and a 30 rack of pbr when I was about 16 and fixed it up back to like new I loved it but one day some slick dude came by and asked if id sell so I asked what hed give he told me $2000 and I thought I was rich haha it wasnt until later I found out how much the bike was actually worth oh well if I find another one I wont let go so easily haha
For its age the 450 wasnt horrible but gotta admit the power wasnt where it shoulda been, a few years later it was so typical Honda feel that it wasnt even fun. The SOCH CB550 was a different story, the engine could be pushed without losing its breath, i really liked it. About smaller high rev Hondas, they never mastered it. First time i tried a CBR400 i was exited but less than a kilometer later i was devastated, it had no handling nor engine to speak of. That was the day i realised Yamaha FZR400R was the only great little 4stroke four ever made and bought one a few days later, what a bike, it has no competitors.
@@pflaffik The CB450 had 100PS per liter, an amazing output for that time! It had great handling, contrary what many people said (mainly based on hearsay), and it had great tuning potential. In 1970 my CB450 with standard pistons and camshafts put out 58 PS @ 10,000 rpm - my CB450 based classic racers have 70 PS @ 10,000 rpm. In Japan I owned a CBR400 - I was exhilarated by both its handling and power! I don't understand at all your negative experiences!
Bout 10-12 years ago I had a cl450 and was absolutely amazed riding it vs a similar ago Harley. Light years ahead in fit and finish, power, poise, everything was better
money? my motorcycle is the only thing I'm happy to have in life. I have no other purpose to live, than to ride.
That is a pitiful nihilistic life.
Enjoy it, ignore the hater
It is definitely a highlight in my life.
That sounds pretty understandable judging by the amount of crap that surrounds us in our daily life. Some people find happiness doing fishing, hiking, solo camping, paragliding or whatever. In my case my happiest time is when I grab my motorbike and commute back home, just pure therapy.
You exist to go vroom neat
That bike was one of the all-time loudest bikes I've ever had the pleasure of hearing run. It is the father of the Honda CBX, which Honda built just because they could. I still have my 1979 CBX that I bought new in 1983 from a local Honda dealer, it will go to my grave with me. I also own a GL1800 Gold Wing flat-6 powered bike, excellent machine in itself!
Badass video!
The concept is more smaller cylinders, and it works great for some applications, (where higher rpm can be applied). I build little 2-stroke engines for a living, and one of the best ones is a 29.5cc engine that revs to 21,000rpm safely. A well modified 29.5cc makes up to about 7hp on pump gas.
The math is easy: If those top ends/pipes were made into a 6 cylinder engine, (177cc), it would make about 42 hp (peak somewhere between 15,000 and 16,000rpm), and rev to 21,000rpm.
You can build one yourself if you make the cases and put a crank together, (and the engine could weigh about 30-40lbs since the single engine is about 5lbs.). Everything else is available in retail today for a 6 cylinder 2-stroke build, reed valve or piston port, for a person with some talent to build. Doug in Michigan
Bart! I love your videos. So well done. Lots of effort. Keep them coming!
G'day Bart, wow what a fantastic history story about Honda's Racing efforts, today has motorcycle racing the same influence on bike sales as it did in the past, Royal Enfields are kicking goals in the world market without a racing heritage of late, thanks for the video, cheers mate, Neil 🤠.
"4 cams" yes cat dad Bart on the ball
I love this channel! The content is always interesting and it’s great to stream at work. Excellent job👊
Typically, excellent presentation from this channel, once again. Honda's commitment to the evolution of their products throughout the fifties and sixties certainly paid dividends for a long time to come, and not just from motorcycles, either.
Love these videos on the history of motorcycles. Gotta remember the og’s always!
Honda was mostly my bike of choice, CB250, VFR800, Fireblade and Pan European. I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Hailwood several times when he stayed at the hotel I worked in near Snetterton. He had retired from bike racing and was trying (unsuccessfully) to race cars in the Formula 5000 series.
Love watching your videos
Great history telling
'bart" your videos are truly Excellent!
Great history telling, terrific video. For a while back in the 60s, Honda were the very best engine manufacturer on the planet; the probably true legend of Honda building the original Lamborghini V12 is an emphatic confirmation of their engine design and building prowess.
I was lucky enough to hear these things racing as a kid. My dad and his brothers raced small capacity bikes as amateurs and the races ran at the same circuits as the big races and oh the sound and smell of them. I have been to some classic races where one was being shown and I cant help but tear up at their sound.
What about the smell of those Castrol 2 stroke oils??? Pure heaven
@@giggiddyAnd the crackle of a good stroker into the spark arresters, and Castrol R4 in a heated engine, now your talking. I sometimes put a teaspoon of R4 i nto my lawn moner just for the smell.
@@mercedesvan-doors34 LOL. I do the same thing for the castor smell!!!!!! I like you already!!! Cheers
Man. I'd love to see this channel cover Buell Motorcycles. Super cool bikes and a brand with a real roller coaster history.
Luv ur videos man ❤
Twenty-five years ago, I saw (and HEARD) a RC-166 six-cylinder flat out on the Daytona high banking at the AHRMA races. I also saw a RC-116 compete in the 50cc road races in the N E GA mountains, sponsored by Two Wheels Only motorcycle resort. No idea if they still run AHRMA's "vintage bike week" at Daytona (covid screwed most everything that was truly fun), but I have great memories and photos of the races, the pits, and the repair shop on campus of the community college next door to the Daytona track.
9:34 Oh my, that sounds amazing
Ill in hospital and seriously grumpy, my late technophobe father asked if the ring tone of his old Nokia mobile phone could be changed so it sounded different from every other phone in the ward. I pointed out he could have any sound he wanted, anything at all.
He thought for a moment and said 'Mike Hailwood coming down the Creg Ny Baa on the 250 Honda 6 in the 1969 TT. I was there with your mum and she was pregnant with you.'
Took me all weekend but I found the recording and made it his ringtone, you could even hear the revs rise as the back wheel came off the ground half way down the Creg.
Never seen a smile like it. He used to look forward to the phone ringing after that.
Brilliant video 👍
rode a cbx 1000 (hondas 6 cylinder roadbike) a few days ago, i fell in love
I saw Mike Hailwood do a demonstration lap at the Dutch TT after he had retired ,most awesome sound ever!
I remember those years well.... the RC166 sounded spine tingling at full chat.... in 1966 I was 24... 🙂
When in theNavy in 1966 - 1970 I saw the RC166 in Singapore for one of their GP races. It blew us away.
This is what is missing these days.... heroes and incredibly advanced one-offs that promoted racing into the Stratosphere!
It is a shame you failed to mention the "Golden age" of motorcycle Road Racing in the early 1980s up to and a little beyond the 1990s when the likes of Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Michael Doohan, Kevin Schwanz, and slightly before when King Kenny Roberts were all trying and succeeding in what was called "Taming the Beast" in the 500cc Two Stroke racing world. Freddy Spencer was the only man ever to win both the 250cc and 500cc two stroke world championship in the same year on a Rothmans Honda in 1985. And he will be the only man EVER to accomplish this feet since the FIM rules changed directly after his accomplishment to not allow anyone to ever do that again. Those years were very exciting for both racers and fans. Those motorcycles were the pinnacle of modern road racing at the time and as explained by the racers very hard work to actually race such untamed beasts. More power than they knew what to do with.
I so agree with you - they brought in 1000cc 4-strokes (or was it 800? - I can't remember) to be able to compete with the 500 2-strokes, then banned the 2-strokes, and so now in MotoGP you have these ridiculous monsters that can only be ridden with the help of a computer or 3 on-board, with every driver aid you can imagine - and I find that completely pointless. Bring back the 2-strokes and make MM and the rest ride them - then we'd really find out! Wooooofff !!!
But the subject of this video is the Honda in-line six cylinder bikes which date from the 1960's
I was lucky enough to see a couple of these (plus it's engine on a stand) at the Honda museum in Motegi. It's absolutely a must visit if you like racing
I would consider it a must see if you like any kind of human advancement in what we left of free enterprise back then.
Is true free enterprise in that museum also?
great video 👍
150 mph on those tires is scary!
I was just thinking the same thing.
Why? They are so small, if one blows out, you probably won't notice it. :)
@@EarthSurferUSA Are you serious?
Taking a step back from these formidable racing machines, to look at more mundane stuff, one cannot but admire the lowly Honda Cub. I owned one 80s example when I was cutting my teeth. A little engine that revved to 8k rpm, running on anything that resembled gasoline, with a few ounces of oil. At the same time it was making almost 100hp/l with legendary reliability.
I am not sure who designed it, but I am confident a tiny bit of the DNA of the racing bikes made its way there.
1:25 that is a great speech, hats off
Wow those vintage race bikes are just beautiful the sound of that little engine revving is just glorious 👍
I have a 1991 Honda Nighthawk and a 1985 Honda V 65 Magna in my collection. Both bikes are trouble free and the engineering that went into the bikes is amazing, especially the engines. The only problem is I don't ride them as much as I would like. I do my best to make sure that all my bikes get ridden equally. Motorcycles need to be used on a regular basis or the "lack of use worm" creeps into the bikes. 400 to 500 miles a year seems to keep my bikes well oiled and in top condition. For me, that amounts to about a 45 or 50 mile ride once a month and starting the bikes up to operating temp (every 2 weeks) over the winter months. This gives me the opportunity to spot anything that might get out of sorts. I used to ride year round but no more. They go into winter storage for 3 months of the year, there's too much sand and corrosive chemicals on the road. By the way, These are the only Japanese bikes I own but I am on the lookout for a CBX, a bike that was misunderstood when it first came out, IMO.
I have an MB5 and it's so badass!!
I miss riding it
It’s funny cause I actually rewatched the video on the rc116 about 20 minutes before you uploaded this one 😂
I remember these bikes on the race circuit. The literature at the time focused on the very light weight valves, less than 1/8 oz., that had little inertia and supported the 20+K rpm. In those days it was so easy to float the valves and ruin an engine, hence the popularity of the two stroke. I was racing a Yamaha 250 two stroke modified to about 40 hp as an amateur not a professional but had the opportunity to talk with the Honda team in the pits. Great folks who would show you everything they could.
The RC166 was not designed to rev to anywhere near 20,000 rpm there are plenty of good technical articles on the bike that debunks this popular myth that has sprung up in recent years, the rev counter on the bike finishes at 18,000 rpm there is a well known picture of Mike Hailwood holding out a blackboard to team mate Ralph Bryan’s urging him to wind the bike up to 18000 in an effort to keep ahead of Yamaha’s Phil Read on the phenomenally fast RD05A.
@@johnr6292 Your are correct, just an octogenarian's memory fading.
it's good. so many information
great video.
There is a video in the ethers,two mechanics walk onto to a stage and assemble a 250cc,6 cylinder,6 carb engine. Once fully assembled they start it up on the stage,people jump out of their seats. Quite impressive to see.
Me and my bro had more fun in the 60s with our little step through Honda 50. The picture of that RC 142 is awesome! What a gem!
1967, Monza Italy. 250 cc grid: four Yamaha 4 cylinder 2 strokes; six Honda 6 cylinder 4 strokes. The sound of a pack like that? Never to be heard again, and never forgotten by me. You could hear them circulating all the way around the track. No mufflers/silencers. Racing music to love. The formula One's a week or two later at Monza sounded like Model A fords compared to the screaming 250 cc motorcycle pack.
I don't wake up to an alarm clock anymore, but would that not make a great sound for an alarm clock to wake up to every morning?
Sure, sure, the coffee TV ads showed waking up to the aroma of a pot of fresh peculated, as a great way to wake up.
But if the racing alarm clock gave off a puff of "Castol-R" Castor bean oil smoke to tickle the old olfaction , I would probably save money by quiting drinking coffee. :)
!967 Monza: two Yamaha 4 cylinders, ridden by Phil Read and Bill Ivy (who ended first and second), not six but two Honda six cylinders, under Hailwood and Bryans, Hailwood's six retired (engine seizure), Bryans came in third.
What they've been able to do with Marc is nothing short of spectacular. It's a shame that he's been bombarded with injuries!!!
I saw Mike Halewood on the 6-cylinder at Mallory Park where he lapped all the other riders; unforgettable.
I got to see and hear one of these being demonstrated at Cadwell Park about 15 years ago. Loud little bugger, louder than a Moto GP bike. It sounded mighty.
And there it is, being ridden up Cadwells Mountain @ 7:07
My favorite Honda racebike of all time. Its truly bonkers that they engineered this in the early sixties. On paper with pencils and no computers at all.
You wanna' talk about drafting boards, pencil & paper, go look at a WW2 fighter plane. Especially a Corsair with its wings folded.
Of course they had computers!
Retro bikes are getting a lot of attention nowadays a journey back in time still works
I see great Honda content, I like.
4:12 - this statement is true in MotoGP and WSBK again today.
They’re reliable, and if they don’t crash out- they’re basically guaranteed to finish the race. Yet- they still somehow lack the speed to get any notable points.
I’m interested to see what they do pull ahead.
You make a good point about Honda missing a trick not looking back. Their compatriots Fuji have carved a great niche making great cameras that look and feel like old cameras, which could translate well to making 80s looking sports bikes in the vein of the NR400 say, but with a modern 400cc. Put the focus on fun over outright speed by right-sizing it and splash it with fun liveries, like they used to.
As an outsider who enjoys looking at motorbikes, very few of them appeal to me now, whereas the 80s and 90s are chock full of fascinating, striking looking machines and they feel so much more accessible to Joe Public than the latest bewinged, 200hp litre bikes.
The availability for affordable race motors for the average public, cars or motorcycles is a luxury that wasn’t around 60 years ago. One of the benefits we get from race tech is power and efficient fuel consumption. Not to mention reliability and a time stamp on how long the motors will produce. I always envision a reliable motor installed in a light weight, covered touring trike or a two wheeler with out riggers one can sit in comfortably in all seasons. One could design it to break down and put on a pallet to tour the world, using multi fuels.
My brother has a CBX in-line 6, 1000cc and I have a VFR700 v4 two of the best sounding four strokes I can think of.
Seen honda have such history building reliable high revving 50cc. I can now confidently remove the rev limiter and advanced the shxt out of the ignition timing on my Honda NS50F.
Hailwood on the 6 was almost unbeatble, and the noise was like music.
Tom a vp of Honda Canada brought this bike to the Windsor motorcycle club January meeting 1980s he had raced it as a young man he said after a few practice laps the engineers told him it could go to 22000 if needed. It was a very small gem.
Oh God, I want one!
ICE engines are wonderful machines, they almost feels alive. These are great examples of what makes them so interesting.
I love my MB5 !
Honda, com a filosofia do Sr. Honda, hoje continua ganhadora, tanto nas duas rodas, como na F1, e se am dúvida a melhor marca do mundo.
I have a Honda CBX 1050cc. Coolest motorcycle ever made!
7:01 i wonder if that’s the inspiration for the pipes on the opposing gang bikes in first road fight in Akira?
Just curious if a hub motor electric bike would work with an added engine?
I think to remember, as now 75, that Mike Hailwood rode a bike on the limits of the possible, with metal speeds close to destruction and with a torque witch was only useable within a very narrow limit!
Check out the size of the drum brakes on the front of those race bikes. They look beautiful. I'd like to get my hands on one.
2 stroke bart.....
thats all what matters in life❤
Think Bart sounds more of a Dad of Cat fan to me Bless him and the "INLINE" four think when not inline but trans...no not one them it/things but ....verse ...
The quickest Honda I ever rode, and I've ridden many, was a VFR 750F in 1986. It belonged to my cousin who was a factory trained Honda mechanic and I hit 240 kph for the first time. Not much slower than my 750 MV Augusta F4 which can reach 250. Maybe Honda would have been better off to develop the V4 into a MotoGP bike than the transverse 4, they are certainly bottom of the pack right now.
20k bloodline in line dohc flipping lovely
🏁HONDA 🏁
9:30 that sounds like a modern V6 Twin Turbo F1 Formula car 🔥
This engine had no two bearings that were the same size. The crankshaft was flexible when removed from the engine. The reason for this was that each part in the engine was sized for a specific load. All this was done with drafting tables and slide rules.
I had a 1979 Honda CBX with an after market 6-into-1 exhaust system and it sounded just like that 6-cylinder race bike. Maybe a little better because the CBX was 6-into-1 while the race bike was 6 separate pipes.
I've often thought about getting a 6-1 exhaust for mine, but I just love those 3 flared exhaust pipes on either side. makes for a mean machine. plus re-jetting and re-synchronizing 6 CV carbs DOES NOT sound like a weekend task I want to get around to.
@@aidanacebo9529 I sold mine about 15 years ago. Before I sold it I re-installed the factory exhaust system to boost its value. The stock exhaust system does not sound nearly as good as the after-market 6-into-1 system. The 6-into-1 system makes it sound like a Formula 1 car.
Same here, Bought a new 1979 CBX and put on a D&D 6 into 1 with a removable baffle. Best sounding bike EVER!
@aidanacebo9529 I had 6 into 6 on my Z13. A couple of mates had 6 into 1's cbx and z13.
Personal tastes of course, but the 6 into 6 definitely seemed to get the popular attention
Not so much, for me. Whatever exhaust a CBX has, it always sounds to me like it's just ready to really howl.... And then it runs out of steam, and it's time to shift. I think a lot of that is due to it's oversize intake (especially) and exhaust ports. JMO of course, but I do have quite a bit of experience with cylinder head development.
Honda sweeps East, West and Premiere SX this year! It's been a long time, baby.
They returned to racing in 1967 with a bored out rc166, the rc174 six cylinder Despite being just under 300cc it won the 350cc class by winning 7 out of 8 championship races that year.
The BEST MOTORBIKE EVER BUILT
There is no better sound on the planet than the 166!
I desperately wanted to hear that bike. Bet it was sweet
Good stuff as usual
When you are bored, how about a video about Freddie Spenser and Honda?
You are talking to a bot channel. It will not consider your request, and if it answers, it won't be anything much of intelligence.
Personally, I don't like personal interactions with machines, and the world is going that way I guess.
I would like to know some specs on the Lille 6
There one not far from here....Honda is still looking for it! ;)
9:14 goosebumps
Great video!! Honda, besides the 600s in the 90s (ish) NEVER built a bike that could win on a consumer level!!! Always some kind of bs...not at all like Kaw and Suzuki... ( yes I own 2 crfs 450, 2 honda quads and a goldwing....)
I watched and heard bike the Mike slaughter everyone at Brands Hatch on his 297cc 6 magnificent
and Honda is the #1 Bike producer (and Engine producer) in the world. Their bikes are the best in the business, beautifully built and very reliable. Thing is, motorcycles are fading in popularity in the West, expensive to insure, 6 month riding season, depending where you live, whereas small runabouts are the thing in the East. Ducati may be winning GP, but they'd give their eye teeth for Honda sales. There was a rumour in the 90's that Honda would stop making bikes. Sales in N. America are .5% of their total world output, so I doubt they care much. Goldwing is gone and their lineup seriously curtailed. Their cars?. well that's another story. I've had Hondas since I was 17 for good reason. They last and I give a rats about GP.
You'll be surprised to find alot of this in Dr. Porsche's formulas that were shared through the Axis.
Of what? Nearly all of porsches ideas he ripped from the Czechs (no real surprise as he was czech) and of course postwar the bike tech race was with the east Germans. So not sure where or what porsche comes into it?
Any of the new MX bikes going to be out there
I m very wonder to honda rc 166 , about design n how it built , but i m very wonder to how honda made the materials in this engine , sir do you know , a little information about the materials of this motorbike?
Hundreds of years of man's accumulated knowledge in math, science, metallurgy and other materials, engineering and manufacturing. It all added up to mankind doing wonderful things,------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------and none of it is taught/inspired anymore in Western Culture schools.
They were using the same materials as developed in Western Culture (and before). Japan to this day, is probably still the best manufactures in the world. There strong points (2 of them), were solid engineering and solid manufacturing. They did not copy like communism does, but Japan did hire Americans and Europeans to help develop their MX bikes from the very beginning of the sport in the USA. Somebody had to be first, and it was not Japan. But they sure proved to be great competition.
Had many bikes, quads, wave runners and snowmobiles, they all seam to have a weak spot, fixing that makes a ride!
Saw the Honds at bramds hatch in 66 also Mosport canada in 67. Loudest ever
I have a sparkplug from canada 67. Offers?
Check Allen Mill's hand crafted one. From part to part!
Except that apart from having six cylinders it passes only very scant similarity to a genuine Honda GP bike (that's not to take away from it being am amazing creation).
MZ’s were built in East Germany not West Germany at this time
you should do episode on allen millyard
Indeed, what he creates is incredible!!
Allen Millard does his own videos which explains pretty much everything about how he has made his amazing bikes.
Soichiro Honda was a true innovator and visionary and brought so many innovations to the race track.
Lessons learned from the race track have been implemented into Honda production vehicles.
Hondas are my favourite whether it comes to cars or bikes
Ironic that in ww2 even the desperate Japanese military industry couldn't take Honda's parts the quality was so atrocious. But he tried, and learnt
The S2000 had a redline of 9000 RPM... Some of that early race bike technology is self evident in that engine design as well.
Fantastic Bike. Always thought the 2 stroke was the perfect anti-thesis to fight back against Honda's dominance and funding. It evened the playing field somewhat, as many companies and teams didn't have the funds and engineering that honda could provide to make their own bespoke "mini" multi cylinder 4 stroke engines.
The 2 stroke was a much simpler design and thought to be "unsuitable". Resonance, ports, and valves would have the 2 stroke dominate until the early 2000's. Although noted 4 stroke engines were allowed close to double the displacement.
Honda , who always favored 4 strokes, would respectably try to fight back with the oval piston design before focusing back on 2 strokes.
You lost me at "bespoke."
Remember that Walter kaadens efforts were just as fast as Honda's in the same period. MZ had an even smaller budget than Honda's small budget. I could also add that although larger displacement, Remember the 7R 4 stroke single with its 4 spd box could still best the 250/6, hence the necessity to bump it out to 297
I recall a story that when the 6 cylinder was first introduced they kept the engine covered and only had 4 of the 6 pipes installed. Everyone knew about the new Honda engine but a few minutes before the first session mechanics rushed up and installed the last two pipes, devastating the onlookers.
Can anyone confirm that story or is it just fictional?
True enough when it first appeared at Monza in 1964 the mechanics wheeled the RC166 everywhere with a tarpaulin thrown over it, when it was revealed as a six cylinder bike it stunned the paddock, however Jim Redman’s rival for the 250cc world championship that year Yamaha’s Phil Read instructed his Yamaha mechanics to wire two extra expansion chambers to his bike that exited either side of the seat he then casually pushed the bike past the Honda garage much to the consternation of the Honda mechanics.
@@johnr6292 I hadn't heard the Read/Yamaha addendum to that story. Thanks!
9:14 me on my bored-out 50cc super cub
If you say so
Crazy to think that for the time Honda was making a 250 with the same power as some small cars
it really sounds quite similar to todays v6 f1 cars