Motor-cycle realises developers’ dreams

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 38

Motor-cycle realises developers’ dreams

By JOHN COSGROVE Succeeding with a totally new motor-cycle on a shrinking and very discerning world market takes . planning and a large dose of luck. The world’s biggest manufacturer, Honda, has taken the gamble in the past and effectively changed the face of motor-cycling. In the early 1970 s it came up with the first mass-produced fourcylinder machine, in the form of the C 8750. It took the world by storm and established Honda as a leading producer of high-performance motor-cycles. Later Honda faced the world market with the unique GLIOOO Goldwing and opened up motorcycle touring to the masses. Two years ago Honda took another stab at the fast-growing superbike-cum-race replica market, launching what at the time was considered as close as the average road-bike rider could come to owning a racing motor-cycle, the superfast VFR7SO RC-30. Only a small number

(2000) were built, and these were immediately grabbed by every production racer throughout the world who could get his hands on one. At the cheap price of $15,000, the RC-30 quickly became the machine to have in racing circles. The birth of the World Superbike Championship showed Honda had gauged the world market well. Only time would tell as to Its success on the race track. In production trim or built up with factory over-the-counter racing parts, the RC-30 was set to become a dominant force in local and {lnternational races. History shows that the first year was fall of surprises. Early in the season machines were demolishing their engines all over the place. Honda Japan worked frantically to solve the problems riders and teams persevered, and, in time, the fruits of success started to come forth. The brash and highly talented American, Fred Merkel, fought off the

challenges of Yamaha and Ducati to take the inaugural World Superbike Championship for Honda on his RC-30, Brian Morrison cleaned up the English road-rac-ing series and the Englishman, Carl Fogarty, dethroned the longtime champion, Joey Dunlop, in the TT Formula One competition. Honda’s gamble had paid off; the RC-30 was here to stay. This year brought a new challenge to Honda in the form of the Yamaha OW-01, basically a racing motorcycle with lights on. However, the , established RC-30 owners stuck with their mounts. All the engine faults were now history, and the cheap price of the RC-30 favoured those willing to race without a lot of backing. The OW--01 emptied the wallets of those wishing to take the plunge on a new machine costing $30,000plus. Honda looked on with interest when the first round of the 1989 World Superbike Championship started at Donington, in

England. The field was full of RC-30s, Suzukis and older Yamahas as the OW-01 made its debut in dream style, taking first and second places. But things were looking grim when the backing organisation pulled out of the superbike deal. The world controlling body for motor-cycling, F.1.M., had stepped in to rescue the opening round, but the rest of the series looked to be in jeopardy. The organisers of the second round on the Hungaroring circuit held their breath and proceeded. Once again the flying Merkel on his Honda RC-30 flew away from the field to win both races easily, although the second and third places were filled with Yamahas. Honda was once again on top and the RC-30 well on its way to another title. News also arrived that the large Japanese advertising agency, Densu, was stepping into organise backing for the rest of the season and for the next two years.

Further afield the talents of the Kiwi rider, Robert Holden, did not go unnoticed. Holden is now competing on an RC-30 in a champion-of-champions series in Europe. He is riding an RC-30 for the second time after having mixed fortunes during last year’s Suzuka eight-hour race in Japan. Honda’s dream of producing a budget racer for the masses had still to be realised. Sure it had won the W.S.C., but on a factory-assisted machine. What about the true privateers, and how would the RC-30 go in endurance races, especially the all-important Le Mans 24-hours in France. This year, Honda Racing Corporation was not taking any chances. Before the race, it grouped together all the privateers racing RC-30s and distributed technical data and assistance to help them compete. This unprecedented factory assistance paid off. Five of the top 10 finishers were mounted on privately entered RC30s, and the factory

Honda won. The Honda VFR7SOR RC-30 is proving itself to be the machine that the planners and developers at Honda had dreamt of. Incidentally, Holden attempted to qualify for the Le Mans Race on a Tetsu Ikuzawa-devel-oped single overhead cranshaft 644 cu cm single built in spare time by 11 employees of Honda’s research and development department. Unfortunately, he machine was three seconds off the pace and failed to qualify, but Holden managed to get a start in the race when the expatriate Australian, Paul Lewis, crashed the team FZ7SO and broke his hand, leaving the way open for Holden to ride with the Briton, Mat Oxley, and the Swede, Michael Lundwall. The team gained fourth place before the Swede crashed twice to effectively finish its race. The event was won by the Briton, Roger Burnett. All five Yamaha OW-Ols entered retired with mechanical problems.