It's just as prestigious for those who make the machines they ride. Manufacturers spend millions creating custom, prototype motorcycles that bear little resemblance to what you see on the street. For years, it was a matter of best engine, best chassis and best suspension. Now, there's another, equally important factor at play: electronics.
A modern MotoGP bike is riddled with technology, and for the 2014 season, Honda has absolutely dominated the class. But it's taken a herculean effort, pulling in engineering resources from all corners of its corporate empire to create a two-wheeled rocket, launching rider Marc Marquez to victory again and again. Even ASIMO, the little white robot who is hardly known for his speed, would lend some support.
Earlier this year, I visited the factory Repsol Honda MotoGP team at Indianapolis, the most historic race track in the world, to get a better look at how it all comes together.
The technology
MotoGP machines are two-wheeled miracles, hand-crafted of exotic materials. Carbon-fiber bodywork and chassis, magnesium wheels and high-strung 1,000cc engines delivering upwards of 240 horsepower. Bikes must weigh just 350 pounds to pass inspection, giving them an outrageous power-to-weight ratio. The 0-to-60 sprint would happen in somewhere around two seconds, and the bikes pull eagerly past 215 mph.
To put that in perspective, consider the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. That car puts out a ridiculous 707 horsepower from its supercharged Hemi V-8 and weighs just under 4,500 pounds. Given that mass, to match the acceleration of a MotoGP bike the Challenger would need roughly 3,100 horsepower. And much bigger tires.
With that kind of power, the car would be a heck of a lot of fun, but almost completely undrivable. But then, for most mere mortals, MotoGP bikes are all but unridable. That's by design -- at least in part. These bikes are augmented with an extensive electronics package that help to tame them, filling in any gaps in human ability.
To put that in perspective, consider the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. That car puts out a ridiculous 707 horsepower from its supercharged Hemi V-8 and weighs just under 4,500 pounds. Given that mass, to match the acceleration of a MotoGP bike the Challenger would need roughly 3,100 horsepower. And much bigger tires.
With that kind of power, the car would be a heck of a lot of fun, but almost completely undrivable. But then, for most mere mortals, MotoGP bikes are all but unridable. That's by design -- at least in part. These bikes are augmented with an extensive electronics package that help to tame them, filling in any gaps in human ability.
by Tim Stevens, CNET | Read more:
Image: HRC
