Honda RC211V

Developed in 2001 by HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) to replace the Honda NSR500 because regulations for the World Championship motorcycle road racing 500 cc (30.5 cu in) class were changed drastically for the 2002 season. Two-stroke engines were as before limited to 500 cc (30.5 cu in) and 4 cylinders, but four-stroke engines were allowed to grow up to 990 cc (60 cu in) and from three to six cylinders. The name of the class was modified to MotoGP, and is limited to race prototypes only.
The model name designates the following:

• RC = Honda's traditional racing prefix for 4-stroke bikes
• 211 = first works bike of the 21st century
• V = V engine

2002

In 2002, the debut year of the RC211V, Honda and Valentino Rossi dominated by winning the constructor's championship by more than 100 points over their nearest rival. The bike underwent small modifications over the season, but it did not as yet have traction control so much as a handlebar-mounted power management system with 3 settings for different needs during a race.

Factory riders: Valentino Rossi, Tohru Ukawa

Satellite riders (in the latter part of the season): Alex Barros, Daijiro Kato

2003

Among other changes in 2003, power was increased from about 200 to 240 bhp. Traction control was also added.

Factory riders: Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Daijiro Kato, Sete Gibernau

Satellite riders: Max Biaggi, Tohru Ukawa, Makoto Tamada, Ryuichi Kiyonari

2004

For 2004, a new, inverted rear suspension link was added, and a new exhaust was introduced at the Sachsenring round.The RC211V riders were unable to keep Rossi (now on a Yamaha YZR-M1) from winning his fourth premier-class championship, and no clear candidate appeared to take over Rossi's role of lead development rider for Honda.

Factory riders: Alex Barros, Nicky Hayden, Sete Gibernau

Satellite riders: Max Biaggi, Colin Edwards, Makoto Tamada

2005

2005 would be the first time in 4 years Honda lost the constructor's championship in the premier class. The RC211V chassis underwent frequent revision and rewelding, with reversions to the 2003 design. After the race at Brno, Honda tested a new bike which both Hayden and Biaggi said was an improvement, and was thereafter known as the "Brno bike".

Factory riders: Max Biaggi, Nicky Hayden, Sete Gibernau

Satellite riders: Alex Barros, Makoto Tamada, Marco Melandri, Troy Bayliss

2006

In 2006, the RC211V came in three flavors: the "Brno bike" to be ridden by Hayden, a 2006 bike with a special chassis for Pedrosa, and a 2006 bike to be ridden by Melandri, Elías, Stoner and Tamada; Melandri and Stoner eventually got the special Pedrosa chassis Hayden's RC211V was modified to put the crankshaft higher, the clutch and gearbox lower, and to lengthen the swing arm; the goal was to centralize mass and improve stability. After the Jerez round, Hayden was the fastest Honda rider in testing. At the British GP, HRC gave Hayden a new chassis, but Hayden complained that he didn't have enough time to test it. Hayden had started the year with the same clutch as Pedrosa, but four rounds later it was shelved in favor of a clutch Hayden had used in previous years; at the Brno round, he had a problem with the clutch that contributed to a 9th-place finish. Honda and Hayden had difficulty finding a clutch that would allow a good launch at the start but also work well throughout the race. Hayden eventually won the rider championship and Honda reclaimed the constructor's championship.

Factory riders: Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa

Satellite riders: Makoto Tamada, Marco Melandri, Toni Elías, Casey Stoner

The RC211V was retired when rules dictated a switch to 800 cc (49 cu in) capacity; Honda's bike for 2007 was the RC212V.

Successes

In 5 seasons of MotoGP racing the Honda RC211V won 48 races out of 82 (58.5%) contested. It also won 3 rider world championships (Rossi 2002, 2003 and Hayden 2006) and 4 constructor titles (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006).

Specifications

V-5 MotoGP engine

Specifications as per manufacturer:

	2003	2004	2005	2006
Length	2,050 mm (80.7 in)
Width	600 mm (23.6 in)		645 mm (25.4 in)
Height	1,130 mm (44.5 in)
Wheelbase	1,440 mm (56.7 in)
Road Clearance	130 mm (5.1 in)
Weight	around 145 kg (320 lb)	around 148 kg (326 lb)
Engine Type	water-cooled, four-stroke, DOHC 4 Valve, V-5
Displacement	990 cc (60 cu in)
Max Power	200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp)	240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp)
Frame Type	Twin-tube
Front Wheel	17 in (43 cm)	16.5 in (42 cm)
Rear Wheel	16.5 in (42 cm)
Front Suspension	Telescopic
Rear Suspension	Unit Pro-link	New Unit Pro-link
Fuel Capacity	24 L (5.3 imp gal; 6.3 US gal)		22 L (4.8 imp gal; 5.8 US gal)